''The Fear Woman'' is a lost 1919 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 ...

produced and distributed by

Goldwyn Pictures Goldwyn Pictures Corporation was an American motion picture production company that operated from 1916 to 1924 when it was merged with two other production companies to form the major studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was founded on November 19, ...

and starring Pauline Frederick. Some of the filming took place in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

Plot

As described in a film magazine, because her father warns her that

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

is a trait that has been inherited by the Winthrops over four generations, Helen Winthrop (Frederick) breaks her engagement to Robert Craig (Sills) for fear of bringing children into the world that are predisposed to drunkenness. They separate and Helen visits Stella Scarr (Travers), an old friend. When Stella foolishly deceives her husband Sidney (Northrup), Helen shields her and is disgraced. Percy Farwell (Hiers), newly rich, becomes enamored of her, and his mother (Titus) hires Robert to break up their supposed affair. Helen feigns drunkenness at the betrothal dinner and is able to prove Robert's love for her. They then resume their engagement.

Cast

* Pauline Frederick as Helen Winthrop * Milton Sills as Robert Craig * Walter Hiers as Percy Farwell * Emmett King as Harrison Winthrop * Harry Northrup as Sidney Scarr (credited as Harry S. Northrup) *Ernest Pasque as Bruce Terhune *Beverly Travers as Stella Scarr *

Lydia Yeamans Titus Lydia Yeamans Titus (12 December 1857 – 30 December 1929) was an Australian-born American singer, dancer, comedienne, and actress who had a lengthy career in vaudeville and cinema. She was remembered on stage for her "Baby-Talk" act and a p ...

as Mrs. Honorah Farwell

Reception

Variety's review was mostly positive, though the reviewer criticized the premise of the story due to the recent ratification of the 18th Amendment "But with the country gone dry why need the girl fear a heritage of that nature?" Motion Picture News' review was also positive, despite finding the "time-worn pattern of a woman who very nearly sacrifices her good name to permit a friend to emerge from a certain entangling alliance" to be unoriginal. Linda A. Griffith (Mrs. D.W. Griffith) writing in Film Fun magazine was deeply critical of The Fear Woman. When Helen feigned drunkenness, Griffith said "As she apparently has never been much worried about any such weakness in herself, but only in her power to transmit the curse to the innocent unborn, the Fear Woman’s logic is beyond the normal mind to fathom."

References

External links

* *Seal, John,
''The Fear Woman'': Made in Berkeley, but where?
, Burkeleyside Oct. 25, 2011 (film still) 1919 films American silent feature films Lost American drama films Goldwyn Pictures films 1919 drama films American black-and-white films 1919 lost films 1910s American films {{1910s-drama-film-stub