Seven Footprints to Satan
| Seven Footprints to Satan | |
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| File:Poster of the movie Seven Footprints to Satan.jpg
theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Benjamin Christensen |
| Produced by | Richard A. Rowland |
| Written by | Benjamin Christensen |
| Based on | Seven Footprints to Satan (novel) by Abraham Merritt |
| Starring | Thelma Todd Creighton Hale William V. Mong Sheldon Lewis |
| Cinematography | Sol Polito |
| Edited by | Frank Ware |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
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Release dates
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January 27, 1929 (silent) February 17, 1929 (sound) |
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Running time
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60 minutes; 6 reels(5,405 feet) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $129,950[1] |
Seven Footprints to Satan is a 1929 American horror film directed by Danish filmmaker Benjamin Christensen. Based on the book of the same name by Abraham Merritt, it stars Thelma Todd, Creighton Hale, William V. Mong and Sheldon Lewis, and contains appearances by Sōjin Kamiyama and Angelo Rossitto among others. It was produced as both a silent film and as a part-talkie, making it one of the last – if not the last – silent horror films.[2]
Contents
Plot
Jim and Eve, a young society couple, are kidnapped on the eve of Jim's departure for Africa and brought to a mansion that is home to a strange and glamorous Satanic cult.
Cast
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Production
Seven Footprints to Satan is the fifth of seven films made by Christensen during his tenure in Hollywood, and is one of only four that survive in a relatively complete state (Eagle's Nest and Haunted House are believed to be lost; House of Horror exists only in sound elements). Seven Footprints to Satan is also notable one of the first films of Loretta Young, who appears uncredited as an extra.[3]
Release
Seven Footprints to Satan was released as both a silent film and as a sound film with Vitaphone musical score (after first talking picture The Terror (1928), sound effects and some dialogue sequences. Despite some negative reviews from such publications as The New York Times, the film performed well at the box office. A companion "Photoplay" edition of the Merritt novel, published by Grosset & Dunlap and featuring several stills from the film, also sold extremely well. Ayn Rand was one commentator who endorsed the film.[4][5]
According to Internet reviews, silent English and Italian inter-titled versions are currently available for viewing on YouTube and from other vendors.[6]
Preservation status
The silent version is in the Danish Film Museum film archive and in the Fondazione Cineteca Italiana film archive (italian silent title). The sound version presumed lost, with no known 16mm copy. The Vitaphone soundtrack for recording is currently lost.
See also
References
- ↑ Donati, William. The Life and Death of Thelma Todd. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 35 Accessed 29 April 2013
- ↑ Clarens, Carlos. An Illustrated History of Horror and Science-fiction Films. New York, NY: Putnam. p. 57. Accessed 58
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020004/trivia
- ↑ Nicoletta, Henry and John T. Soister. American Silent Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Feature Films, 1913-1929. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 508. Accessed 29 April 2013
- ↑ 1957 MOVIES FROM AAP Warner Bros Features & Cartoons SALES BOOK DIRECTED AT TV
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020004/usercomments
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- English-language films
- 1929 films
- 1920s horror films
- American comedy horror films
- 1920s mystery films
- American silent feature films
- American films
- 1920s comedy-drama films
- American mystery films
- Films directed by Benjamin Christensen
- Films based on horror novels
- Black-and-white films
- First National Pictures films
- Haunted house films
- American comedy-drama films
