The Last Leaf

"The Last Leaf"
Author O. Henry
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) Short story
Published in The Trimmed Lamp and Other Stories
Publication date 1907

"The Last Leaf" is a short story by O. Henry published in 1907 in his collection The Trimmed Lamp and Other Stories.

The story is set in Greenwich Village during a pneumonia epidemic. It tells the story of an old artist who saves the life of a young artist, dying of pneumonia, by giving her the will to live. She can see an ivy plant through the window gradually losing its leaves, and has taken it into her head that she will die when the last leaf falls. Seemingly, it never does fall, and she survives. We learn that in reality the vine lost all its leaves. What she thought she saw was a leaf, painted on the wall with perfect realism, by the old artist. The old artist dies of pneumonia contracted while being out in the wet and cold, painting the last leaf. The old artist who saves the girl is the great Behrman.

Adaptations

"The Last Leaf" has been adapted frequently on the stage and the big screen.[1] Notable short film adaptations include

  • The 1917 two-reel silent film The Last Leaf, one of a series of O. Henry works produced by Broadway Star Features.[2]
  • In 1952 it was one of five stories adapted for O. Henry's Full House. In this adaptation, the protagonist's nickname is Jo, and Susan (Sue) is portrayed as a sister, not a friend.[3]
  • In 1983 a second screen adaptation was done as a 24-minute film produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[4] This adaptation is the same as the 1952 film version from O. Henry's Full House.
  • Paranoia Agent's 9th 'Etc' episode contains a segment depicting it within the context of the series.
  • The 2013 Hindi film Lootera is loosely based on "The Last Leaf".[5]

References

  1. ↑ Hischak, Thomas S. (2012). American Literature on Stage and Screen: 525 Works and Their Adaptations. McFarland. pp. 113–114. ISBN 978-0-7864-9279-4.
  2. ↑ "The Last Leaf". Stories of the Films. Moving Picture World. 34 (11): 1675. December 15, 1917. Retrieved 2015-10-01 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ↑ "O. Henry's Full House". Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
  4. ↑ "Easter TV Special To Affirm LDS Belief in Resurrected Christ". News of the Church. Ensign. April 1984. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
  5. ↑ "5 films that take their cue from short stories". IBNLive.com. CNN-IBN. July 9, 2013.
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