Uncle Tom's Cabin is a 1927 American synchronized sound drama film directed by Harry A. Pollard and released by Universal Pictures. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using the Western Electric sound-on-film process. The film is based on the 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe and was the last version filmed without audible dialogue. This film is important historically as being Universal's first sound feature.
| Uncle Tom's Cabin | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Harry A. Pollard |
| Written by | Harvey F. Thew (continuity) A. P. Younger (continuity) Walter Anthony (intertitles) |
| Based on | Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe |
| Produced by | Carl Laemmle |
| Starring | Margarita Fischer Arthur Edmund Carewe George Siegmann |
| Cinematography | Charles Stumar Jacob Kull |
| Edited by | Gilmore Walker Daniel Mandell Byron Robinson Ted Kent |
| Music by | Erno Rapee Hugo Riesenfeld (1928 re-release in Movietone) |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 112 minutes (13 reels) |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | Sound (Synchronized) (English Intertitles) |
In this version of the film, all of the major slave roles, with the exception of Uncle Tom himself, were portrayed by white actors. Actress Mona Ray played the slave Topsy in blackface while the slaves Eliza, George, Cassie, and Harry were all presented as having very light skin coloring because of mixed-race heritage. This film was released on DVD in 1999 by Kino.[1]
The title role was originally played by the notable stage actor Charles Gilpin, but he quit amid onset dissatisfaction with the depiction of the role and was replaced by James B. Lowe, reshooting the scenes already filmed with Gilpin.[2]
The film was rereleased in 1958 with sound added and narration by Raymond Massey.[2]
Cast
edit- Margarita Fischer as Eliza
- James B. Lowe as Uncle Tom
- Arthur Edmund Carewe as George Harris
- George Siegmann as Simon Legree
- Eulalie Jensen as Cassie
- Mona Ray as Topsy
- Virginia Grey as Eva St. Clare
- Lassie Lou Ahern as Little Harry
- Lucien Littlefield as Lawyer Marks
- Adolph Milar as Mr. Tom Haley
- J. Gordon Russell as Tom Loker
- Gertrude Howard as Aunt Chloe, (Uncle Tom's wife)
- Jack Mower as Mr. Shelby
- Vivien Oakland as Mrs. Shelby
- John Roche as Augustine St. Clare
- Aileen Manning as Aunt Ophelia
Unbilled
- Tom Amardares – Quimbo
- Gertrude Astor – Mrs. St. Clare
- Grace Carlyle – Mrs. Fletcher
- Matthew Beard – Child
- Louise Beavers – Slave at Wedding
- William Dyer – G.M. Beard – Auctioneer
- Francis Ford – Captain
- Eugene Jackson – Child
- Carla Laemmle – Auction Spectator
- Jeanette Loff – Auction Spectator
- Nelson McDowell – Phineas Fletcher
- Rolfe Sedan – Adolph
- Madame Sul-Te-Wan – Slave at Wedding
- Dick Sutherland – Sambo
- Clarence Wilson – Bidder at Eliza's Auction
Preservation
editA print of Uncle Tom's Cabin is preserved at the Library of Congress.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Progressive Silent Film List: Uncle Tom's Cabin at silentera.com
- ^ a b Pines, Jim (1975). Blacks in Films. Littlehampton Book Services Ltd. ISBN 978-0289703267.
- ^ Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artist Collection at The Library of Congress, by The American Film Institute, c.1978
External links
edit
- Uncle Tom's Cabin at IMDb
- Uncle Tom's Cabin is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- Uncle Tom's Cabin synopsis at AllMovie
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