''Rugged Water'' is a 1925 American
silent drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
directed by
Irvin Willat
Irvin V. Willat (November 18, 1890 – April 17, 1976) was an American film director of the silent film, silent film era. A short biography reprinted from ''Blue Book of the Screen'' (1923). He directed 39 films between 1917 and 1937. Early i ...
and written by James Shelley Hamilton and
Joseph C. Lincoln. The film stars
Lois Wilson,
Wallace Beery
Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American film and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in '' Min and Bill'' (1930) opposite Marie Dressler, as General Director Preysing in '' Grand Hotel'' (1 ...
,
Warner Baxter,
Phyllis Haver,
Dot Farley,
J. P. Lockney,
James Mason
James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes (winning once) and two ...
, and Willard Cooley. The film was released on August 17, 1925, by
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
.
Plot
A Cape Cod melodrama about the
U.S. Life-Saving Service based on a novel by
Joseph C. Lincoln. When the captain of the Setauket Life Saving Station retires, the second in command, Calvin Homer (
Warner Baxter), expects to be promoted; but the appointment goes instead to Benoni Bartlett (
Wallace Beery
Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American film and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in '' Min and Bill'' (1930) opposite Marie Dressler, as General Director Preysing in '' Grand Hotel'' (1 ...
), a religious fanatic who has been named a hero as the only survivor of dangerous rescue that claimed the lives of his fellow crewmen at a neighboring station. Bartlett's daughter Norma (
Lois Wilson)) convinces Homer to stay in spite of her father's antagonistic ways. Soon a romance springs up between the two of them, even though Myra Fuller (
Phyllis Haver) had already finagled a proposal out of Homer. Myra, the village vamp, breaks off her engagement to him. When a storm blows, Bartlett's religious fanaticism proves to be nothing but a cover for his cowardice and he refuses to send his crew out to rescue a vessel in distress. Calvin takes the men out and effects the rescue. Bartlett is discharged, and Calvin is appointed to replace him. Driven insane by his experiences, Bartlett ventures out in a small boat in rough water, and Calvin rescues him. The old man dies from exposure, and Norma, having realized that Calvin was not responsible for her father's disgrace, seeks refuge in his strong arms.
Cast
Preservation
With no prints of ''Rugged Water'' located in any film archives it is a
lost film
A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...
.
''Rugged Water'' at Lost Film Files: ''Paramount lost films - 1925
/ref>
See also
*'' Godless Men'' (1920)
*''Stormswept
''Stormswept'' is a 1923 silent film
A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a sett ...
'' (1923)
*'' Code of the Sea'' (1924)
*'' Sensation Seekers'' (1927)
*'' The Perfect Storm'' (2000)
References
External links
*
Lobby poster
1925 films
1925 drama films
1925 lost films
American black-and-white films
Silent American drama films
American silent feature films
1920s English-language films
Films about the United States Coast Guard
Films directed by Irvin Willat
Lost American adventure drama films
Paramount Pictures films
1920s American films
Silent American adventure films
{{silent-drama-film-stub