The Devil Within (1921 film)

1921 film

The Devil Within

Directed by| Bernard J. Durning
Written by| Arthur J. Zellner
Based on| Cursed by George Allan England
Produced by| William Fox
Starring| Dustin Farnum
Virginia Valli
Nigel De Brulier
Cinematography| Don Short

Production
company

Fox Film

Distributed by| Fox Film

Release date

* November 20, 1921 (1921-11-20)

Running time

| 60 minutes
Country| United States
Languages| Silent
English intertitles

The Devil Within is a 1921 American silent adventure film directed by Bernard J. Durning and starring Dustin Farnum, Virginia Valli and Nigel De Brulier.[1]

## Plot

[edit]

Captain Briggs, an alcoholic, violent sea captain creates trouble for his crew and the native people of the South Sea Islands. As an old man, he has reformed, but his grandson, Hal, enters into the same wild lifestyle.[2]

## Cast

[edit]

* Dustin Farnum as Captain Briggs
* Virginia Valli as Laura
* Nigel De Brulier as Dr. Philiol
* Bernard J. Durning as Hal
* Jim Farley as Scurlock
* Tom O'Brien as Wansley
* Bob Perry as Crevay
* Charles Gorman as Bevins
* Otto Hoffman as Ezra
* Kirk Incas as Cabin Boy
* Evelyn Selbie as Witch
* Hazel Deane as Juvenile Witch

## Reception

[edit]

Jessie Robb of The Moving Picture World gave the film a negative review, criticizing the "poor" story and "uneven action," as well as the feeling that the film's runtime was padded with a large amount of unnecessary close-ups. Robb concluded "It does not seem equal to Dustin Farnum's previous release."[2]

Other trade magazines were similarly disappointed with the film. The Exhibitors' Trade Review called it, "Just another good Fox picture." Wid's Daily wrote, "Farnum gets terrible story for his second," and Motion Picture News felt it was "Not up to 'Primal Law'".[3]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Munden p.184
2. ^ a b Robb, Jessie (December 3, 1921). "Newest Reviews and Comments "The Devil Within"". The Moving Picture World. Vol. 53 pt.2. New York: The World Photographic Publishing Company. p. 588. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
3. ^ "Consensus of Published Reviews". The Moving Picture World. Vol. 53 pt.2. New York: The World Photographic Publishing Company. December 10, 1921. p. 705. Retrieved December 14, 2023.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Connelly, Robert B. The Silents: Silent Feature Films, 1910-36, Volume 40, Issue 2. December Press, 1998.
* Munden, Kenneth White. The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Part 1. University of California Press, 1997.

## External links

[edit]

* The Devil Within at IMDb

This article related to an American film of the 1920s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

|

* v
* t
* e

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template