All Night
Encyclopedia
All Night is a 1918
silent film
starring Rudolph Valentino
and Carmel Myers
.
).
Richard explains his predicament to his friends, a young married couple, William and Maude Harcourt (Charles Dorian
and Mary Warren
). They agree to help by hosting Richard and Beth at a private dinner at their home. Beth's father agrees to let her dine with the Harcourts, but insists that she keep to an eleven o'clock curfew.
The evening of the dinner, William Harcourt receives a telegram from a prospective business associate, Bradford (William Dyer
), informing him that he is arriving that night for a surprise visit. The announcement throws the Harcourts into a panic. William has recently mortgaged his home and life savings to buy a copper mine; he is counting on a million dollar investment from Bradford to save his business and house. He does not have any servants to welcome the millionaire, having fired them earlier in the day in a fit of rage.
Working together, the four friends devise a plan: Richard and Beth will pose as the Harcourts; the real Harcourts will play the servants because they are familiar with the layout of their house. The scheme initially works, but things quickly deteriorate when Bradford, an eccentric, overbearing man, starts flirting with Maude Harcourt and insisting that Richard and Beth turn in for the night. The situation worsens when Beth misses her curfew and her father shows up at the Harcourt home to look for her. Eventually, everything is solved, but not before Colonel Lane is locked in the pantry, Richard falls out a window and William is tossed out of his own house.
All Night is one of Valentino's earliest films, and one of the only ones in which he plays a comedic role. In contrast to the screen persona of "The Great Lover", his character of Richard Thayer is shy and insecure. For this film, Valentino performed several scenes of physical comedy
and pratfalls, including falling from a window into a barrel of water. He was originally billed in the film as Rodolpho de Valentina.
Only one print of All Night is known to exist; it has suffered some nitrate deterioration, especially in the fifth reel. However, it has been preserved and made available to the public on VHS
and DVD
by an independent film dealer.
1918 in film
The year 1918 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Following litigation for anti-trust activities, the US Supreme Court orders the Motion Picture Patents Company to disband....
silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
starring Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
and Carmel Myers
Carmel Myers
Carmel Myers was an American actress who worked chiefly in silent movies.Myers was born in San Francisco, the daughter of an Australian rabbi and Austrian Jewish mother. Her father became well-connected with California's emerging film industry, and introduced her to film pioneer D. W. Griffith,...
.
Synopsis
Richard Thayer, a shy, unassuming man (Valentino) is in love with a sheltered young woman, Elizabeth ("Beth") Lane (Myers). While the feelings are mutual and Richard wishes to propose, he can never find a moment to speak to Beth alone. She is constantly surrounded by admirers and her overprotective father (Wadsworth HarrisWadsworth Harris
Wadsworth Harris was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 46 films between 1911 and 1936.He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and died in Los Angeles, California from pneumonia.-Selected filmography:...
).
Richard explains his predicament to his friends, a young married couple, William and Maude Harcourt (Charles Dorian
Charles Dorian
Charles Dorian was an American assistant director and film actor. He appeared in 26 films between 1915 and 1920. He won an Academy Award in 1933 for Best Assistant Director....
and Mary Warren
Mary Warren
Mary Ann Warren was the oldest of the accusers during the 1692 Salem witch trials, in her teens. She was a servant for John and Elizabeth Proctor. Renouncing her claims after being threatened to be hanged, she was later arrested for practicing witchcraft herself, but did not confess...
). They agree to help by hosting Richard and Beth at a private dinner at their home. Beth's father agrees to let her dine with the Harcourts, but insists that she keep to an eleven o'clock curfew.
The evening of the dinner, William Harcourt receives a telegram from a prospective business associate, Bradford (William Dyer
William Dyer (actor)
William Dyer was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 83 films between 1915 and 1933.He was born in Atlanta, Georgia and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:*Broken Fetters...
), informing him that he is arriving that night for a surprise visit. The announcement throws the Harcourts into a panic. William has recently mortgaged his home and life savings to buy a copper mine; he is counting on a million dollar investment from Bradford to save his business and house. He does not have any servants to welcome the millionaire, having fired them earlier in the day in a fit of rage.
Working together, the four friends devise a plan: Richard and Beth will pose as the Harcourts; the real Harcourts will play the servants because they are familiar with the layout of their house. The scheme initially works, but things quickly deteriorate when Bradford, an eccentric, overbearing man, starts flirting with Maude Harcourt and insisting that Richard and Beth turn in for the night. The situation worsens when Beth misses her curfew and her father shows up at the Harcourt home to look for her. Eventually, everything is solved, but not before Colonel Lane is locked in the pantry, Richard falls out a window and William is tossed out of his own house.
All Night is one of Valentino's earliest films, and one of the only ones in which he plays a comedic role. In contrast to the screen persona of "The Great Lover", his character of Richard Thayer is shy and insecure. For this film, Valentino performed several scenes of physical comedy
Physical comedy
Physical comedy, also known as slapstick, is a comedic performance relying mostly on the use of the body to convey humour.Physical comedy, whether conveyed by a pratfall , a silly face, or the action of walking into walls, is a common and rarely subtle form of comedy...
and pratfalls, including falling from a window into a barrel of water. He was originally billed in the film as Rodolpho de Valentina.
Only one print of All Night is known to exist; it has suffered some nitrate deterioration, especially in the fifth reel. However, it has been preserved and made available to the public on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
by an independent film dealer.
Cast
- Carmel Myers as Elizabeth Lane
- Rudolph Valentino as Richard Thayer (as Rudolpho di Valentina)
- Charles Dorian as William Harcourt
- Mary Warren as Maude Harcourt
- William Dyer as Bradford
- Wadsworth Harris as Colonel Lane
- Jack Hull as Butler
External links
- Contemporary review from The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...