The Exquisite Sinner
| The Exquisite Sinner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by |
Josef von Sternberg Phil Rosen |
| Written by | Alice D.G. Miller and Josef von Sternberg |
| Based on |
Exquisite Sinner by Alden Brooks |
| Starring |
Conrad Nagel Renée Adorée Paulette Duval Frank Currier |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 60 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language |
Silent English intertitles |
The Exquisite Sinner (1926) is a silent film directed by Josef von Sternberg and Phil Rosen and adapted by Alice Duer Miller from a novel by Alden Brooks
Prior to working on (and then abandoning) The Masked Bride, von Sternberg had filmed this picture in 1925, but MGM was so dissatisfied with the picture they refused to release it. The studio disliked early drafts of the film so much, they fired Sternberg before he was half finished filming and brought in staff director Phil Rosen for extensive retakes. In 1926, when the film finally surfaced (a full year after its completion), it had been so radically altered by Rosen that they released the two versions as different films entirely. Sternberg received majority screen credit for Exquisite Sinner. Later that same year, Heaven on Earth was released with the same cast and same sets. Both films performed poorly at the box office.[1]
Plot
The film concerns a young Frenchman (Conrad Nagel) who forsakes the humdrum business world for the bohemian life of an artist. Renee Adoree co-stars as "The Gypsy Maid" who leads the hero merrily astray. Myrna Loy makes a brief, barely clothed appearance as "The Living Statue," the first of von Sternberg's many beautiful "mannequins."
Cast
- Conrad Nagel - Dominique Prad
- Renée Adorée - Silda, a gypsy maid
- Paulette Duval - Yvonne
- Frank Currier - Colonel
- George K. Arthur - Colonel's orderly
- Matthew Betz - Gypsy chief
- Helena D'Algy - Dominique's sister
- Claire Du Brey - Dominique's sister
- Myrna Loy - Living statue
Preservation status
SilentEra says the film is in the Turner Entertainment Co. archives.[2] It is rumored that the Warner Bros. and Turner Entertainment archives holds a full print of this film, but as of 2014, no print has surfaced. Only a few images, promotional artwork and productions stills are currently known to exist.
References
- ↑ The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1921-30 by The American Film Institute, c.1971
- ↑ SilentEra entry
External links
- The Exquisite Sinner at the American Film Institute Catalog
- The Exquisite Sinner at the Internet Movie Database
- The Exquisite Sinner at AllMovie