The Wolf Woman
Encyclopedia
The Wolf Woman is a 1916
silent era
drama
motion picture
starring Louise Glaum
, Howard C. Hickman
, and Charles Ray.
Directed
by Raymond B. West
and produced
by Thomas H. Ince
, the screenplay
was written by C. Gardner Sullivan
.
The family and friends of Rex, who has become her complete slave, protest his decision, believing that Leila is trouble. Mrs. Walden sends his older brother, Franklin Walden (played by Standing), to attempt to stop Leila from playing with Rex's affections. Franklin, however, falls in love with her himself.
When Rex learns that Leila has left him for his brother, he is driven to commit suicide by her callous behavior. Mrs. Walden, now desperate, enlists Adele Harley (played by Temple), a girl of strong moral character, to win Franklin's affections away from Leila.
Franklin is gradually drawn away from Leila and Adele's victory causes Leila to lose her confidence. In a drunken and angry state, Leila falls through a massive mirror and her face is cut with a shard of glass. After "marring the beauty of her face so utterly that her power to charm men is forever lost," the permanently disfigured Leila ends up a broken and lonely woman.
Newspaper advertisements for the movie called Leila "a modern siren," a woman who "regards men as her rightful prey." The studio's advertising also touted C. Gardner Sullivan's script for its "daring disregard for the artificialities of conventional dramatic construction," noting that he "has no mercy on the 'Wolf Woman' and crowns her career of self glorification and malicious destruction with ruin and disfigurement."
Sullivan said that he intended Glaum's character to be "a living proof of the triumph of the flesh, in whose creed the lure of the physical was placed above moral, spiritual or mental worth, and in whose incense-laden apartments the idol of sensuality replaced the crucifix or family Bible."
1916 in film
The year 1916 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 17 - release of A Daughter of the Gods, the first US production with a million dollar budget, with the first nude scene by a major star....
silent era
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...
drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
motion picture
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
starring Louise Glaum
Louise Glaum
Louise Glaum was an American actress. Best known for her role as a femme fatale in silent era motion picture dramas, she was credited with giving one of the best characterizations of a vamp in her early career....
, Howard C. Hickman
Howard C. Hickman
Howard C. Hickman was an accomplished stage leading man, who entered films through the auspices of producer Thomas H. Ince. He co-starred with his wife, actress Bessie Barriscale, in several productions before returning to the theatre...
, and Charles Ray.
Directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Raymond B. West
Raymond B. West
Raymond B. West was an American motion picture director. He joined the New York Motion Picture Company in 1910 and directed more than 70 motion pictures between 1910 and 1919 before suffering a nervous breakdown that forced him to retire from the business...
and produced
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
by Thomas H. Ince
Thomas H. Ince
Thomas Harper Ince was an American silent film actor, director, screenwriter and producer of more than 100 films and pioneering studio mogul. Known as the "Father of the Western", he invented many mechanisms of professional movie production, introducing early Hollywood to the "assembly line"...
, the screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
was written by C. Gardner Sullivan
C. Gardner Sullivan
C. Gardner Sullivan was an American screenwriter and motion picture producer. He was a prolific writer with more than 350 films among his credits. In 1924, the magazine Story World selected him on a list of the ten individuals who had contributed the most to the advancement of the motion picture...
.
Synopsis
Leila Aradella (played by Glaum), a young and egotistical woman, finds pleasure from preying on weak men with her charm and beauty. John Morton (played by Hickman), a brilliant lawyer, is ruined both morally and financially by her. Rex Walden (played by Ray), the big-hearted son of a society matron, Mrs. Walden (played by Claire), then falls for Leila and proposes marriage.The family and friends of Rex, who has become her complete slave, protest his decision, believing that Leila is trouble. Mrs. Walden sends his older brother, Franklin Walden (played by Standing), to attempt to stop Leila from playing with Rex's affections. Franklin, however, falls in love with her himself.
When Rex learns that Leila has left him for his brother, he is driven to commit suicide by her callous behavior. Mrs. Walden, now desperate, enlists Adele Harley (played by Temple), a girl of strong moral character, to win Franklin's affections away from Leila.
Franklin is gradually drawn away from Leila and Adele's victory causes Leila to lose her confidence. In a drunken and angry state, Leila falls through a massive mirror and her face is cut with a shard of glass. After "marring the beauty of her face so utterly that her power to charm men is forever lost," the permanently disfigured Leila ends up a broken and lonely woman.
Cast
- Louise GlaumLouise GlaumLouise Glaum was an American actress. Best known for her role as a femme fatale in silent era motion picture dramas, she was credited with giving one of the best characterizations of a vamp in her early career....
as Leila Aradella - Howard C. HickmanHoward C. HickmanHoward C. Hickman was an accomplished stage leading man, who entered films through the auspices of producer Thomas H. Ince. He co-starred with his wife, actress Bessie Barriscale, in several productions before returning to the theatre...
as John Morton - Charles Ray as Rex Walden
- Wyndham StandingWyndham StandingWyndham Standing was an English film actor. He appeared in 131 films between 1915 and 1948. A popular and much beloved leading man in the silent film era, he starred and costarred along many famous names of the day, both men and women. He and Ronald Colman were the stars of the now lost classic...
as Franklin Walden - Gertrude ClaireGertrude ClaireGertrude Claire was an actress of the American stage and Hollywood silent motion pictures. She was born in Chicago, Illinois and began appearing onstage at the age of 16. She played minor roles in New York, New York. In the coming years she began to play leads...
as Mrs. Walden - Marjory Temple as Adele Harley
Production
The movie attracted attention for the special effect of Glaum's character falling headlong through a large mirror. One newspaper reported on the effect as follows: "The effect is declared to be among the most sensational ever filmed, and for that reason the director and his camera man refuse to divulge their secret. So far, in fact, is it removed from ordinary photographic trickery that it bewildered the studio folk when they saw it in the projecting room."Newspaper advertisements for the movie called Leila "a modern siren," a woman who "regards men as her rightful prey." The studio's advertising also touted C. Gardner Sullivan's script for its "daring disregard for the artificialities of conventional dramatic construction," noting that he "has no mercy on the 'Wolf Woman' and crowns her career of self glorification and malicious destruction with ruin and disfigurement."
Sullivan said that he intended Glaum's character to be "a living proof of the triumph of the flesh, in whose creed the lure of the physical was placed above moral, spiritual or mental worth, and in whose incense-laden apartments the idol of sensuality replaced the crucifix or family Bible."
Critical reception
After seeing the film, it was reported that New York critics unanimously pronounced Glaum as "the greatest vampire woman of all time." Another reviewer noted that Glaum had become famous for her "vampire" characterizations and billed The Wolf Woman as the "Greatest Vampire picture of all."External links
- The Wolf Woman at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- The Wolf Woman at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films