Humoresque (1920 film)

Humoresque

Advertisement for screening of the film at Tremont Temple, Boston, 1920
Directed by Frank Borzage
Produced by William Randolph Hearst (uncredited)
Written by William LeBaron
Frances Marion
Story by Fannie Hurst
Starring Gaston Glass
Vera Gordon
Bobby Connelly
Alma Rubens
Music by Hugo Riesenfeld
Cinematography Gilbert Warrenton
Production
company
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release dates
  • May 30, 1920 (1920-05-30) (United States)
Running time
71 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language Silent (English intertitles)

Humoresque (1920) is an American silent drama film produced by Cosmopolitan Productions, released by Famous Players-Lasky and Paramount Pictures, and was directed by Frank Borzage from a short story by Fannie Hurst and script or scenario by Frances Marion.

This film was the first film to win the Photoplay Medal of Honor, a precursor of the Academy Award for Best Picture.[2]

In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[3]

Plot

As described in a film magazine,[4] Abraham Kantor, born in the squalor of New York City's East Side, shows an early musical ability that wins his mother's support despite the obstacles in his way. As time goes on he improves his talent until, just as he is about to sign an important contract, he is called to war. Returning after being wounded and pronounced crippled for life, he is broken in spirit as well as in body, losing faith in all that he formerly held dear. Again his mother's love comes to his support, and a happy result comes when he recovers the use of his arm and again takes up the violin.

Cast

Preservation status

The film has undergone a restoration at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.[5]

References

  1. "Humoresque". YouTube. 1920. Film preserved by the UCLA Film, Television & Radio Archives.
  2. "Photoplay Awards, Awards for 1920, Medal of Honor Winner".
  3. Mike Barnes (December 16, 2015). "'Ghostbusters,' 'Top Gun,' 'Shawshank' Enter National Film Registry". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  4. "Reviews: Humoresque". Exhibitors Herald. New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company. 10 (22): 70. May 29, 1920.
  5. Progressive Silent Film List: Humoresque at silentera.com
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