''The Persistent Lovers '' is a 1922 British 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

Guy Newall Guy Newall (25 May 1885 – 25 February 1937) was a UK, British actor, screenwriter and film director in a career that encompassed the silent film, silent era of film-making to the early years of sound film, sound films. Newall was a theatre act ...

and starring Newall,

Ivy Duke Ivy Duke (9 June 1896 – 8 November 1937) was a British actress.Ivy Duke
. bfi.org.uk She was married to the actor a ...

and A. Bromley Davenport. It was an adaptation of a 1915 novel by A. Hamilton Gibbs.

Plot summary

Richard Ardley-Manners, the irresponsible son of Reverend Ardley-Manners and a former Oxford student without a clear career path, wins the heart of Lady Audrey Beaumont, a fascinating and unconventional girl. To his surprise, he discovers that she is the daughter of a duke, specifically the Duke of Harborough. Seeking a way to be worthy of her, Ardley-Manners takes up work on a Devon fruit farm to become a better man. Meanwhile, Lady Audrey, fleeing from her father's anger and seeking her own path, leaves the ducal estate to become a dairymaid, demonstrating her independent nature and devotion to her own beliefs. The love between Richard and Lady Audrey persists despite the challenges posed by their social standings and familial expectations.

Production

Half of the film's scenes were shot in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

while Newall's

Beaconsfield Film Studios Beaconsfield Film Studios is a British television and film studio in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. The studios were operational as a production site for films in 1922, and continued producing films - and, later, TV shows - until the 1960s. Bri ...

was under construction. In order to maintain the appearance of an "English" film, Newall chose English-style "interiors" for filming locations. Most of the "exteriors" were photographed on the

Norfolk Broads Norfolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and east, Cambridgeshire to the west, a ...

. During one scene, Ivy Duke punches Lawford Davidson "in the ear" to admonish his misbehavior. Lawford Davidson later reported: "But the first punch I received was a very meek one, and I remonstrated 'That won't do, you must really hit me. After that there were about three rehearsals, the last was 'shot'—and by that time I received such an effective punch, that I had jaw-ache for three whole days."

Cast

Guy Newall Ivy Duke Persistent Lovers 1922

- Richard Ardley-Manners *

Ivy Duke Ivy Duke (9 June 1896 – 8 November 1937) was a British actress.Ivy Duke
. bfi.org.uk She was married to the actor a ...

- Lady Audrey Beaumont * A. Bromley Davenport - Duke of Harborough *

Julian Royce Julian Royce (26 May 1866 – 10 May 1946), born William Leonard Gardener, was a British stage and, later, film actor. Gänzl, Kurt"Ivy: the girl who married Sherlock Holmes" Kurt of Gerolstein, 19 June 2018 Life and career Royce was christened ...

- Anthony Waring *

Lawford Davidson Lawford Davidson (1 January 1890 – 1964) was a British film actor.Lawford Davidson
at BFI He was born Ch ...

- Honorable Ivor Jocelyn *

Barbara Everest Barbara Everest (19 June 1890 – 9 February 1968) was a British stage and film actress. She was born in Southfields, Surrey, and made her screen debut in the 1916 film ''The Man Without a Soul''. On stage she played Queen Anne in the 1935 his ...

- Joyce * Douglas Munro - John * Ernest A. Douglas - Reverend Ardley-Manners * Emilie Nichol - Duchess

References

Bibliography

* Low, Rachael. ''History of the British Film, 1918-1929''. George Allen & Unwin, 1971.

External links

* 1922 films Films based on British novels Films directed by Guy Newall 1922 drama films British silent feature films British black-and-white films Films set in England 1920s English-language films 1920s British films Silent British drama films English-language drama films {{1920s-UK-film-stub