The Enchanted Cottage

Oliver Bashforth had been a hero during World War I, but his crippled body makes it difficult for him to return to civilian life. His fickle fianc e, disgusted by his new handicap, leaves him for another man. Resigned to his solitude, Oliver becomes a recluse, rarely straying from his remote cottage. His only visitor is homely housekeeper Laura Pennington, who, despite her ugliness, impresses Oliver with her compassion. With time, he begins to see the true beauty within, and falls in love with Laura. They marry, and their home takes on a mystical quality, in which Oliver's handicap and Laura's ugliness seem to magically disappear. When the time comes for Laura to meet her new husband's family, they react with revulsion to her looks, blind to what he sees in her. Even with the illusion shattered, the bond of love between these two wounded souls will not easily be broken...

The Enchanted Cottage was originally a play written in 1922 by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero. It was far better received in the United States than in Pinero's native Britain, so the rights were quickly scooped up by Richard Barthelmess' company Inspiration Pictures to turn it into a movie. One of the most popular leading men of the silent era, Richard "Dick" Barthelmess broke into motion pictures with the help of famed Russian actress Alla Nazimova, a family friend, who he co-starred with in War Brides (1916). Brought to the attention of D.W. Griffith, Barthelmess rose to fame starring in his classic Broken Blossoms (1919) and again in 1920's Way Down East, which features the iconic scene where he leaps over ice floes to save the heroine. In 1921 Dick achieved widespread success with Tol'able David, starring in a role many critics consider to be his best. Co-starring with him in The Enchanted Cottage is May McAvoy, best known to classic movie fans as Al Jolson's love interest Mary Dale in The Jazz Singer (1927). Among her other notable leading roles are Fred Niblo's original version of Ben-Hur and Ernst Lubitsch's Lady Windermere's Fan (both 1925). With World War II once again making its story poignantly relevant, the remake rights to The Enchanted Cottage were later bought by RKO, who brought out their own version in 1945 with Robert Young and Dorothy McGuire.

• silent