Vintage orignal 11x14 in. US lobby card from the lost teens WWI-themed silent film war drama, WHOM THE GODS DESTROY, released in 1916 by Greater Vitagraph (V-L-S-E) and directed by J. Stuart Blackton, Herbert Brenon, and William P.S. Earle. The cast includes Alice Joyce, Harry T. Morey, Marc McDermott, Logan Paul, Charles Kent, Thomas R. Mills, Mary Maurice, and Bernard Siegel.
Whom the Gods Destroy is a lost silent film, as no prints are known to exist. The image depicts an interior scene of Mary "Mar" O'Neil (Alice Joyce) seated at a table surrounded by three military officers, including Leslie St. George Leigh (Harry T. Morey, far left). Father McCarthy (Charles Kent) holds some papers in his hand while Sir Denis Esmond (Marc McDermott, far right) stands behind the young woman. It is unrestored in near-fine condition with a light 4 in. and 6 in. vertical crease starting on the top border in the let half; one pinhole on three corners with signs of wear around them; two pinholes in the center of the top border; a small chip on the bottom left corner; and light signs of wear in the center of the top and bottom borders. The tints are fresh and vibrant without any signs of fading.
Original 1916 release material of any kind from this film is extremely rare and scarce.
The Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907, it was the most prolific American film production company, producing many famous silent films. It was eventually bought by Warner Bros. in 1925.
Whom the Gods Destroy was Alice Joyce's first for Vitagraph and marked her return to the screen after a nearly two year absence and contains the first portrayal of a reigning British monarch.
The film is said to be loosely based on the case of Sir Roger Casement, an Irish patriot, who during the war had urged that Germany intervene in the Irish struggle for independence and hanged as a result by the British. Pro-Irish groups claimed the film was pro-British, and riots broke out at a number of theaters showing the film. Oddly, it was considered pro-Irish by the British authorities, who had it banned. Though critics claimed it was even-handed, producer J. Stuart Blackton, born in England, was given to making pro-British, anti-German propaganda films. Several contemporary news items reported that
Whom the Gods Destroy incited protests by some Irish groups who contended that it was pro-British. Other news items mentioned that the film was banned in Britain as pro-Irish.
Plot: As World War I begins, Irish rebels plan to use the British preoccupation with Germany to their advantage. Sir Denis Esmond, an Irish leader, intends to fight the English, while his close friend Leslie St. George Leigh loses his eyesight fighting for England in the North Sea. Denis and Leslie both love Mary O'Neil, an Irish girl, who refuses to decide between them until the Irish question is settled. Mary allows Leslie to convalesce at her family's castle; then, when Irish rebels come looking for Denis, Leslie tries to convince him of the high cost of rebellion. He succeeds, but as Denis is about to address the rebels with an English flag, Mary substitutes an Irish one, and the British eventually battle the Irish and arrest Denis as a traitor. Despite Mary's pleas and those of Denis' mother, he is sentenced to hang. Through the eventual intervention of his friend General Ramsay, however, Denis is pardoned. Leslie, thinking that his blindness will prevent a successful marriage to Mary, withdraws, but she finally makes him realize that even his blindness cannot alter her love, and they become engaged.