| All Souls' Eve | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Chester Franklin |
| Written by | Elmer Harris |
| Based on | All Soul's Eve (play) byAnne Crawford Flexner |
| Starring | Mary Miles Minter Jack Holt Carmen Phillips Clarence Geldart |
| Cinematography | Faxon M. Dean |
| Distributed by | Realart Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 6reels |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (Englishintertitles) |
All Souls' Eve is a 1921 Americansilentdrama film directed byChester M. Franklin and starringMary Miles Minter. The film is based on the mystical 1920Broadway play of the same name byAnne Crawford Flexner, with a story byElmer Blaney Harris.[1] Much was made of the film's use of double, triple and quadruple exposures to enable Minter to play two parts within the same scenes.[2]
As described in variousfilm magazine reviews,[3][4][5][6] Nora O'Hallahan is a young girl living in Ireland, who firmly believes that, on All Souls' Eve, the spirits of the dead return to visit those whom they loved in life. Her mother is living in America, and Nora sails to join her. When she arrives, she finds that her mother has died, and she takes up a position as a nursemaid with the Heath family. Roger Heath is a sculptor, and he and his wife Alice have one young son, Peter.
Olivia Larkin is in love with Roger, and desperately jealous of Alice Heath. When she finds that she is unable to lure Roger away from his wife, she convinces Lawson, a madman living in the local woods, that Alice Heath is the one responsible for his misfortunes. Lawson murders Alice, and Roger, devastated by his wife's death, neglects his work and his son, turning to drink and Olivia for solace.
On All Souls' Eve, young Peter Heath falls seriously ill. Nora, who has been caring for him, tries to rouse Roger, but he is too drunk to respond. She sends for Dr. McAllister, but before he can arrive, the soul of Alice Heath descends from heaven and, unable to save her son herself, transfers her love for him into Nora, who saves Peter's life.
After this event, Roger finds that Nora becomes ever more like Alice in appearance and mannerisms. He asks her to pose for him so that he can complete his masterpiece of sculpture - a statue of Alice - and shuns Olivia and drink as he comes to realise that he loves Nora. Olivia is pursued to her death in a lake by the madman Lawson, and Nora becomes Roger's wife and mother to little Peter.
The February 12th, 1921 edition ofMotion Picture News lists a musical cue sheet for the film.[7]
With no prints ofAll Souls' Eve located in any film archives, it is considered alost film.[8]
