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The Village Blacksmith (1922 film)

1922 film From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Village Blacksmith is a 1922 American silent melodrama[5][6] film directed by John Ford and produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation. One of the eight reels survives at the UCLA Film & Television Archive, and therefore the film is considered to be lost.[7][8] It was loosely adapted from the poem of the same name by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.[3]

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The Village Blacksmith
A movie poster with a muscular blacksmith in a red shirt raising a hammer beside his anvil, while a dramatic courtroom scene with a young woman and several men unfolds in the background
Film poster
Directed byJohn Ford
Written byPaul Sloane[1]
Based on
Produced byWilliam Fox
Starring
CinematographyGeorge Schneiderman[2]
Production
company
Distributed byFox Film Corporation
Release date
  • November 2, 1922 (1922-11-02) (New York)[3]
Running time
8 reels[4] (approx. 80 mins)
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)
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Plot

Surviving reel

As young men, the squire and the village blacksmith are in love with the same woman, whom the blacksmith marries. This angers the squire. Years later, the squire's son Anson dares the blacksmith's son Johnnie to climb a tree, from which he falls and is crippled.

As adults, Anson and the blacksmith's daughter Alice fall in love, which angers the blacksmith, who chastises his daughter. The blacksmith's other son Bill returns from college and is injured in a train accident. Anson steals $840 from a church fund, which is currently in Alice's possession. Alice is struck by lightning. The blacksmith take Anson and the squire to church where they both repent.[5][9][10]

Cast

A black-and-white film still of a man with curly dark hair wearing a buttoned work shirt, looking slightly past the camera with slight smile.
William Walling in the title role

Reception

The film was well received by audiences[11] and by reviewers alike.[4][12][13] The photography was highly praised.[6][14]

References

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