''The Man Unconquerable'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by

Joseph Henabery Joseph Henabery (January 15, 1888 – February 18, 1976) of Omaha, Nebraska, was a film actor, screenplay writer, and director in the United States. He is best known for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in D.W. Griffith's controversial 1915 sile ...

and written by Julien Josephson and Hamilton Smith. The film stars Jack Holt,

Sylvia Breamer Sylvia Poppy Bremer (9 June 1897 – 7 June 1943), known professionally as Sylvia Breamer, was an Australian actress who appeared in American silent motion pictures beginning in 1917. Childhood and early career in Australia Sylvia Poppy Bremer ...

, Clarence Burton,

Anne Schaefer Anne Schaefer (July 10, 1870 – May 3, 1957) was an American actress. She appeared in 147 films between 1911 and 1938. She was the aunt of fellow actresses Eva and Jane Novak. Schaefer was born to German parents, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Schafer, ...

Jean De Briac Jean De Briac (born Jean-Frederic Weitler, 15 August 1891 – 18 October 1970) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1920 and 1962. He was born in France and died in Los Angeles, California. He immigrated to the ...

, and Edwin Stevens. The film was released on July 2, 1922, by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

Plot

Silent Era A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

describes the film as a South Seas drama. From a newspaper story of the era: "The police force of the island in question is limited to three men of assorted uniforms and arms, who would rather do anything than face danger. Many parts of the world are no better policed and the comparative freedom from fear of punishment makes these gentry bold and aggressive. Jack Holt, in the role of Robert Kendall, shows how a man who believes that the same conditions of comparative honesty and freedom from danger obtain on the island as elsewhere, and finds himself mistaken, runs into a situation where he has to take the law into his own hands. When out in one of his boats, he provides himself with a machine gun and in one encounter with pearl pirates, sinks their schooner when they try to drive him away from his own pearl concession."

Cast

* Jack Holt as Robert Kendall *

as Rita Durand * Clarence Burton as Nilsson *

as Duenna *

as Perrier * Edwin Stevens as Michaels *

Willard Louis Willard Louis (April 19, 1882 – July 22, 1926) was an American stage and film actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1911 and 1926. He was born in San Francisco, California. Louis had an art studio before he be ...

as Governor of Papeete

Filming troubles

From a period newspaper: "Famous Plea Fruitless. "Don't give up the ship." This time this was not the appeal of the famous Perry, but Clarence Burton's instructions, and he found them difficult to carry out, especially when the ship gave him up-by sinking. Burton, together with a gang of men who took the parts of pearl divers, was in command of a pearling tug in the new Paramount picture, "The Man Unconquerable." As usual, Burton was the villain. Jack Holt, the star of the picture, in an armed launch gave him battle. Presently the tug commenced to sink, faster than they had intended. "Stick to it!" yelled

, the director, hurrying to get the close-ups. But before he could arrive on the scene the tug had gone under. The only close-ups he secured were of Burton and his pearl divers splashing about on the surface trying to remove their clothes so that they could remain afloat. One of the deck hands on the photographer's boat stood by with a boat hook to pull them out when they showed signs of going down for the third time. In order to get a good "shot" of the sinking boat it was necessary to drag it by chains to shallow water at high tide and repair it at low tide. For four days a crew of laborers worked at the job; then they sat disgustedly on the beach while they watched the tug towed out to sea again and resunk -this time, properly and with due regard to the fans."

Filming locations

Beach scenes were shot along Balboa Beach in California.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Man Unconquerable, The 1922 films 1920s English-language films Silent American drama films 1922 drama films Paramount Pictures films Films directed by Joseph Henabery American black-and-white films American silent feature films 1920s American films