The Beloved Rogue
Encyclopedia
The Beloved Rogue is a 1927 American
silent film
, loosely based on the life of the 15th century French poet, François Villon
. The film was directed by Alan Crosland
for United Artists.
François Villon is played by John Barrymore
, and other cast members include Conrad Veidt
as King Louis XI and Marceline Day
as Charlotte de Vauxcelles.
The story had been filmed in 1920 as If I Were King
with William Farnum
. It would be made in the sound era again reverting to its original title If I Were King
with Ronald Colman
.
. Pickford, an early champion of film preservation, tried saving all things "United Artist", the production company in which she was a founder. Barrymore's Eternal Love
(1929) is another UA film Pickford preserved. This surviving Pickford print of The Beloved Rogue represents what a true tinted & toned silent film looks like, made directly on tinted film stock prevalent in the silent era.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
, loosely based on the life of the 15th century French poet, François Villon
François Villon
François Villon was a French poet, thief, and vagabond. He is perhaps best known for his Testaments and his Ballade des Pendus, written while in prison...
. The film was directed by Alan Crosland
Alan Crosland
Alan Crosland was an American stage actor and film director.-Early life and career:Born in New York City, New York to a well-to-do family, Alan Crosland attended Dartmouth College. After graduation he took a job as a writer with the New York Globe magazine...
for United Artists.
François Villon is played by John Barrymore
John Barrymore
John Sidney Blyth , better known as John Barrymore, was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III...
, and other cast members include Conrad Veidt
Conrad Veidt
Conrad Veidt was a German actor best remembered for his roles in films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari , The Man Who Laughs , The Thief of Bagdad and Casablanca...
as King Louis XI and Marceline Day
Marceline Day
Marceline Day was an American motion picture actress whose career began as a child in the 1910s and ended in the 1930s....
as Charlotte de Vauxcelles.
The story had been filmed in 1920 as If I Were King
If I Were King (1920 film)
If I Were King is a silent film produced by Fox Film Corporation, directed by J. Gordon Edwards, and starring William Farnum as Francois Villon with Fritz Leiber, Sr. and Betty Ross Clarke.-Cast:* William Farnum - Francois Villon...
with William Farnum
William Farnum
William Farnum was a major movie actor. One of three brothers, Farnum grew up in a family of actors. He made his acting debut at the age of ten in Richmond, Virginia in a production of Julius Caesar, with Edwin Booth playing the title character...
. It would be made in the sound era again reverting to its original title If I Were King
If I Were King
If I Were King is a 1938 American biographical historical drama film starring Ronald Colman as medieval poet François Villon, and featuring Basil Rathbone and Frances Dee...
with Ronald Colman
Ronald Colman
Ronald Charles Colman was an English actor.-Early years:He was born in Richmond, Surrey, England, the second son and fourth child of Charles Colman and his wife Marjory Read Fraser. His siblings included Eric, Edith, and Marjorie. He was educated at boarding school in Littlehampton, where he...
.
Cast
- John BarrymoreJohn BarrymoreJohn Sidney Blyth , better known as John Barrymore, was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III...
-- Francois Villon - Conrad VeidtConrad VeidtConrad Veidt was a German actor best remembered for his roles in films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari , The Man Who Laughs , The Thief of Bagdad and Casablanca...
-- King Louis XI - Marceline DayMarceline DayMarceline Day was an American motion picture actress whose career began as a child in the 1910s and ended in the 1930s....
-- Charlotte de Vauxcelles - W. Lawson Butt -- Duke of Burgundy
- Henry VictorHenry VictorHenry Victor was an English-born character actor. Raised in Germany, Victor is probably best remembered for his portrayal of the strongman Hercules in Tod Browning's 1932 film Freaks. He originally was a leading figure in UK silent films...
-- Thibault d'Aussigny - Slim SummervilleSlim SummervilleSlim Summerville was an American film actor, best known as a comedy performer.-Life and career:Born George Joseph Summerville in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Summerville began his career as a "Keystone Kop" in 1912...
-- Jehan - Mack SwainMack SwainMack Swain was an American actor and vaudevillian, prolific throughout the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s.-Film career:...
-- Nicholas - Angelo RossittoAngelo RossittoAngelo Rossitto was an American actor. He had dwarfism and was 2'11" tall.Rossitto was discovered by John Barrymore and made his screen debut opposite Barrymore in The Beloved Rogue . He appeared in the then controversial 1932 film Freaks directed by Tod Browning. He appeared in another...
-- Beppo the Dwarf - Nigel De BrulierNigel De BrulierNigel De Brulier was an English film actor, who launched his career in the theatre stage in his native country and transferred to movies after moving to USA. His first film role was a poet in The Pursuit of the Phantom in 1914...
-- Astrologer - Lucy BeaumontLucy BeaumontLucy Beaumont was an English actress of the stage and screen from Bristol, England. She was the daughter of Sir Albert and Helen Coles. She was educated at a young ladies' college in Bath, England....
-- Villon's mother - Otto MatiesonOtto MatiesonOtto Matieson was a Danish actor of the silent era. He appeared in 45 films between 1920 and 1931.He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and died in Safford, Arizona.-Selected filmography:...
-- Olivier (as Otto Mattiesen) - Jane WintonJane WintonJane Winton was a movieactress, dancer, opera soprano, writer, and painter. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.During the 1920s she began her stage career as a dancer with the Ziegfeld Follies.-Film actress:...
-- The Abbess - Rose DioneRose DioneRose Dione was a French born actress of the silent era. She appeared in 68 films between 1910 and 1932. She was often billed as Madame Rose or Madame Dion...
-- Margot - Bertram Grassby -- Duke of Orleans
- Dick SutherlandDick SutherlandDick Sutherland was an American film actor of the silent era. He appeared in 76 films between 1921 and 1932. His crude threatening looking features were a result of acromegaly...
-- Tristan l'Hermite - Martha Franklin -- Maid (uncredited)
- Stubby Kruger -- (uncredited)
- Dickie Moore -- Baby Francois (uncredited)
Production
This film was lost for some 40 years until a beautiful tinted & toned copy was discovered in the late 1960s in the collection of film pioneer Mary PickfordMary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
. Pickford, an early champion of film preservation, tried saving all things "United Artist", the production company in which she was a founder. Barrymore's Eternal Love
Eternal Love (1929 film)
Eternal Love is silent romantic adventure directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring John Barrymore. The film is known for being the last silent film of both Lubitsch and Barrymore...
(1929) is another UA film Pickford preserved. This surviving Pickford print of The Beloved Rogue represents what a true tinted & toned silent film looks like, made directly on tinted film stock prevalent in the silent era.
Reception
John Barrymore viewed the premiere of the film with a large picture palace audience. Unbeknownst to the audience he was standing at the back of the movie house. Barrymore apparently was discontented or bemused with his own performance stating, "...what a ham".External links
- The Beloved Rogue at Kino Video
- The Beloved Rogue at Silents Are Golden
- The Beloved Rogue at silentera.com database
- lithograph poster of The Beloved Rogue