The Sporting Venus
1925 theatrical poster
Directed byMarshall Neilan
Screenplay byThomas J. Geraghty
Story byGerald Beaumont
StarringBlanche Sweet
Ronald Colman
Lew Cody
CinematographyDavid Kesson
Edited byBlanche Sewell
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn
Release date
  • April 13, 1925 (1925-04-13)
Running time
6 reels (5,938 feet)
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

The Sporting Venus is a 1925 American silent romantic drama film directed by Marshall Neilan.[1] The film was the second MGM release of Neilan, and starred his wife, actress Blanche Sweet,[2] who allegedly sported the lowest waistline of 1925. This is the first of two feature films that paired Ronald Colman with Blanche Sweet, the second being His Supreme Moment, which was released in May 1925.[3]

Plot

As described in a film magazine review,[4] Scotch heiress Lady Gwendolyn is in love with a commoner, medical student Donald MacAllan, but the match is disapproved by her father. A misunderstanding develops and she has romance with the continental Prince Carlos, a nobleman who pretends to be wealthy. In an attempt to forget her unhappiness, she seeks diversion in famous watering places and other climes. Eventually she learns the true character of the nobleman and effects a reconciliation with Donald.

Cast

Reception

Life Magazine wrote "The Sporting Venus is typical of Neilan at his worst and at his best. It is foolish, inconsequential and spineless, and yet it is entertaining. ... If you look for rhyme or reason in The Sporting Venus, you will look in vain."[5]

Preservation

A complete copy of the film survives in MGM's archives.[6][7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Donald W. McCaffrey; Christopher P. Jacobs (1999). Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema. Reference guides to the world's cinema (illustrated, annotated ed.). Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 85 207 259. ISBN 9780313303456. The Sporting Venus.
  2. ^ Ann Lloyd; Graham Fuller; Arnold Desser (1983). Ann Lloyd; Graham Fuller (eds.). The Illustrated Who's Who of the Cinema (illustrated ed.). Orbis. p. 425. ISBN 9780856135217.
  3. ^ Jacobs, Lea (2008). The Decline of Sentiment: American Film in the 1920s (illustrated ed.). University of California Press. p. 242. ISBN 9780520254572. The Sporting Venus.
  4. ^ "New Pictures: The Sporting Venus", Exhibitors Herald, 21 (11): 64, June 6, 1925, retrieved March 29, 2022 Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. ^ Mitchell, John Ames (1925). "The Sporting Venus". Life. 85 (Part 2): 28 29.
  6. ^ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Sporting Venus
  7. ^ Progressive Silent Film List: The Sporting Venus at silentera.com

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Sporting Venus.


Films directed by Marshall Neilan
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