''The Man Beneath'' is a 1919 American silent

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

drama film directed by William Worthington and produced by

Sessue Hayakawa , known professionally as , was a Japanese actor and a matinée idol. He was a popular star in Hollywood during the silent film era of the 1910s and early 1920s. Hayakawa was the first actor of Asian descent to achieve stardom as a leading man ...

's Haworth Pictures Corporation. A complete copy of the film is in the collection of the

EYE Film Institute Netherlands Eye Filmmuseum is a film archive, museum, and cinema in Amsterdam that preserves and presents both Dutch and foreign films screened in the Netherlands. Location and history Eye Filmmuseum is located in the Overhoeks neighborhood of Amsterdam in ...

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, Kate Erskine (Eddy) and her sister Mary (Curley) love Dr. Chindi Ashutor (Hayakawa) and James Bassett (Gilbert), respectively, the latter having been college chums, one being a noted physician while the other pursuing no occupation as yet. Mary and Bassett become engaged while Dr. Ashutor goes to aid his countrymen in plague-stricken India. While he is away Bassett receives a summons from the Black Hand, an order he joined in his youth for adventure. Feeling his life in danger, he goes to Dr. Ashutor in India and with his aid almost succeeds in establishing his feigned death as a reality. However, the spies of the order follow them to Scotland and to the home of the Erskines. Here Dr. Ashutor is instrumental in finally ridding Bassett from the menace of the order. Mary and Bassett then marry, while the situation of Kate and Dr. Ashutor remains undecided.

Cast

as Dr. Chindi Ashutor *

Helen Jerome Eddy Helen Jerome Eddy (February 25, 1897 – January 27, 1990) was a movie actress from New York City. She was noted as a character actress who played genteel heroines in films such as '' Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' (1917). Early years Eddy was bor ...

as Kate Erskine *

Pauline Curley Pauline Curley (December 19, 1903 – December 11, 2000) was a vaudeville and silent film actress from Holyoke, Massachusetts. Her film career spanned much of the silent era, from 1915 to 1928. Early years Pauline Curley was born in Holyoke, M ...

as Mary Erskine * John Gilbert as James Bassett (credited as Jack Gilbert) *

Fontaine La Rue Matilda Fernández, stage name Fontaine La Rue (July 18, 1890 in Hermosillo, Mexico – September 13, 1964) was an American silent film actress appearing in films from 1918 to 1929. Her career ended with the advent of talkies. She was one of s ...

as Countess Petite Florence *

Wedgwood Nowell Wedgwood Nowell (born Harry Wedgwood Nowell; January 24, 1878 – June 17, 1957) was an American stage and film actor, director, producer, and musician. He produced 144 plays during his stage career, which began around 1901. Later, while w ...

as François *

Fanny Midgley Fanny Midgley (born Fanny B. Tilton; November 26, probably 1865 – January 4, 1932) was an American film actress of Hollywood's early years, mostly in silent films. Biography Midgley was born Fanny B. Tilton in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter ...

(uncredited)

Reception

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

's review was mixed, praising the acting but criticizing the editing and intertitles for being confusing.

Moving Picture World The ''Moving Picture World'' was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, ''Moving Picture World'' frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios. ...

's review by Margaret I. MacDonald was positive, calling the film "thrillingly adventurous" and "dramatically romantic."

References

External links

*
Film still
at silentera.com Haworth Pictures Corporation films Films directed by William Worthington 1919 crime drama films American crime drama films American black-and-white films American silent feature films Film Booking Offices of America films 1919 films 1910s American films Silent American drama films {{silent-crime-drama-film-stub