Scarlet Seas
Scarlet Seas is a surviving[1] 1929 American synchronized sound romantic adventure film produced by Richard A. Rowland and distributed by First National Pictures. Although there is no audible dialogue, the film was released with a musical score with sound effects using the Vitaphone sound-on-disc recording process. The picture was directed by John Francis Dillon. It starred Richard Barthelmess, Betty Compson, and a teen-aged Loretta Young. Originally, the film was presumed lost.[2][3][4]
| Scarlet Seas | |
|---|---|
Film poster | |
| Directed by | John Francis Dillon |
| Written by | Bradley King (scenario) Louis Stevens (intertitles) |
| Story by | W. Scott Darling |
| Produced by | Richard A. Rowland |
| Starring | Richard Barthelmess Betty Compson Loretta Young |
| Cinematography | Sol Polito Frank Bangs (still photography) |
| Edited by | Jack Gardner Edward Schroeder |
| Music by | Karl Hajos |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 7 reels (6,337 feet) |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | Sound (Synchronized) (English Intertitles) |
The story was written by W. Scott Darling.[5]
Cast edit
- Richard Barthelmess as Steven Dunkin
- Betty Compson as Rose
- Loretta Young as Margaret Barbour
- James Bradbury Sr. as Johnson
- Jack Curtis as Toomey
- Knute Erickson as Captain Barbour
uncredited
- Shorty English as Sailor
Music edit
The film featured a theme song entitled "Blossoms (That Bloom In the Moonlight)" which was composed by Ben Black and James Dietrich.
Critical reception edit
A review in Harrison's Reports found that the film contains "offenses to logic", including the nimbleness of the hero and heroine as they climb a rope ladder despite having survived days of hunger and thirst and the way the hero easily overcomes "a giant", lifts him, and throws him overboard.[5]
Preservation status edit
The film was long thought to be lost. A print has been discovered in Italy at Cineteca Italiana.[6]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: Scarlet Seas
- ^ The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1921-30, The American Film Institute, c. 1971
- ^ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Scarlet Seas
- ^ Scarlet Seas at Arne Andersen's Lost film Files: First National Pictures 1928
- ^ a b "'Scarlet Seas' (S) -- with Dick Barthelmess". Harrison's Reports. January 12, 1929. p. 6. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
- ^ see-----Library of Congress, American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog