The Sorrows of Satan (1917 film)

The Sorrows of Satan is a 1917 British silent fantasy film directed by Alexander Butler and starring Gladys Cooper, Owen Nares and Cecil Humphreys. It was made at Isleworth Studios.[1] It was based on the 1895 novel of the same name by Marie Corelli (1855-1924). The plot involves a poverty-stricken author who is so depressed about his life that he agrees to sell his soul to the Devil. [2]

The Sorrows of Satan
Directed byAlexander Butler
Produced byG.B. Samuelson
Written byMarie Corelli (novel)
Harry Engholm
StarringGladys Cooper
Owen Nares
Cecil Humphreys
Production
company
G.B. Samuelson Productions
Distributed byWalker Films
Release date
January 1917
Running time
56 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageSilent
English intertitles

The Devil was depicted as a sympathetic character in the novel on which this film is based, having begged for forgiveness from God who cruelly refuses him, thus making the blockbuster novel a topic of controversy when it was published. This film version does not follow the novel that closely, with Satan appearing as a handsome, wealthy prince. Christopher Workman opines "Despite being terribly unoriginal, the film....was by all accounts commercially successful". It was remade in 1926 by Paramount, directed by D. W. Griffith.[3]

Cast

References
  1. Harris p.201
  2. Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 194. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
  3. Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 194. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.

Bibliography
  • Harris, Ed. Britain's Forgotten Film Factory: The Story of Isleworth Studios. Amberley Publishing, 2013.
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