Sapho (1917 Film)
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''Sapho'' is a 1917 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 Hugh Ford and written by Hugh Ford and Doty Hobart. The film stars
Pauline Frederick Pauline Frederick (born Pauline Beatrice Libbey; August 12, 1883 – September 19, 1938) was an American stage and film actress. Early life Frederick was born Pauline Beatrice Libbey (later changed to Libby) in Boston in 1883 (some sources stat ...
,
Frank Losee Frank Losee (June 12, 1856 – November 14, 1937) was an American stage and screen actor. A veteran of the Broadway stage he began in silent films in 1915. Often he played the father of Mary Pickford, Pauline Frederick and Marguerite Clark. C ...
,
John St. Polis John M. St. Polis (born John Marie Sainpolis; November 24, 1873 – October 8, 1946) was an American actor. Biography St. Polis was born John Marie Sainpolis in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Jean Marie Sainpolis and Marie Catherine Bor ...
,
Pedro de Cordoba Pedro de Cordoba (September 28, 1881 – September 16, 1950) was an American actor. Biography De Cordoba was born in New York City to parents who were French and Cuban in origin. He was a classically trained theatre actor who confessed h ...
, and
Thomas Meighan Thomas Meighan (April 9, 1879 – July 8, 1936) was an American actor of silent films and early talkies. He played several leading-man roles opposite popular actresses of the day, including Mary Pickford and Gloria Swanson. At one point he made ...
. It is based on the novel ''
Sappho Sappho (; ''Sapphṓ'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; ) was an Ancient Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her lyric poetry, written to be sung while accompanied by music. In ancient times, Sapph ...
'' by
Alphonse Daudet Alphonse Daudet (; 13 May 184016 December 1897) was a French novelist. He was the husband of Julia Daudet and father of Edmée, Léon and Lucien Daudet. Early life Daudet was born in Nîmes, France. His family, on both sides, belonged to the ' ...
. The film was released on March 11, 1917, 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 ...
. It is not known whether the film currently survives.


Plot

Beautiful and poor, Fanny tries to escape from a life of hardship and her drunkard father. She earns her living selling flowers but, one evening, while looking for customers in a restaurant, her beauty catches the attention of Caoudal, a famous sculptor who takes her as his model. Having become his mistress, the young woman begins to love that luxurious life. A poet, a friend of Caoudal and even more famous than him, is inspired by her for his poems. Greedy for success and admiration, Fanny also leaves her new lover, too old for her, for the young engraver Flamant. The latter, mad with love for the woman, wants her to be surrounded by the luxury he loves so much and to make her happy, he breaks the law and ends up in prison. At a great ball, where she introduces herself as Sapho, Fanny meets Jean, a young provincial unaware of his past. The woman falls deeply in love with him and the two are happy together. But, when Jean finds out who Sapho really is, he leaves her to return to his abandoned girlfriend. In church, during the wedding ceremony, Fanny decides to leave the past behind and start a new life. From that moment, she will join the Red Cross where she will work as a nurse, dedicating herself to her fellow men.


Cast

*
Pauline Frederick Pauline Frederick (born Pauline Beatrice Libbey; August 12, 1883 – September 19, 1938) was an American stage and film actress. Early life Frederick was born Pauline Beatrice Libbey (later changed to Libby) in Boston in 1883 (some sources stat ...
as Sapho, aka Fanny Lagrand *
Frank Losee Frank Losee (June 12, 1856 – November 14, 1937) was an American stage and screen actor. A veteran of the Broadway stage he began in silent films in 1915. Often he played the father of Mary Pickford, Pauline Frederick and Marguerite Clark. C ...
as Caoudal *
John St. Polis John M. St. Polis (born John Marie Sainpolis; November 24, 1873 – October 8, 1946) was an American actor. Biography St. Polis was born John Marie Sainpolis in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Jean Marie Sainpolis and Marie Catherine Bor ...
as Dejoie (credited as John Sainpolis) *
Pedro de Cordoba Pedro de Cordoba (September 28, 1881 – September 16, 1950) was an American actor. Biography De Cordoba was born in New York City to parents who were French and Cuban in origin. He was a classically trained theatre actor who confessed h ...
as Flamant *
Thomas Meighan Thomas Meighan (April 9, 1879 – July 8, 1936) was an American actor of silent films and early talkies. He played several leading-man roles opposite popular actresses of the day, including Mary Pickford and Gloria Swanson. At one point he made ...
as Jean Gaussin


Reception

Like many American films of the time, ''Sapho'' was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. The Chicago Board of Censors required a cut of the view of Jean pointing at the bed and accusing Sapho.


References


External links

* * Daudet, Alphonse (1905 edition),
Sapho; Parisian Manners
', New York: Société des Beaux-Arts, on the Internet Archive {{Sappho (novel) 1917 films 1910s English-language films Silent American drama films 1917 drama films Paramount Pictures films Films based on Sappho (novel) Films directed by Hugh Ford American black-and-white films American silent feature films 1910s American films English-language drama films