Volume II: Filmography

THE MESSENGER OF DEATH

July 28, 1914 (Tuesday)

Length: 2 reels (2,030 feet)

Character: Drama

Scenario: Lloyd F. Lonergan

Cast: Charles Mather (Jack Tennant, in charge of an English agency in India), Mignon Anderson (May, his wife), Irving Cummings (Jones, a faithful old sergeant), Mr. Shay (lieutenant), John Lehnberg (Raj, a villainous native), Eugene Moore (Khan, a native), Edward Ward (Mahal, another native), Ed Fray

Location: Westchester County, New York

Notes: 1. Some notices state May is Jack's daughter or sister, rather than his wife. 2. One trade notice gave the film length as 2,630 feet.

ARTICLE, Reel Life, August 22, 1914:

"A picturesque scene presented itself outside the new studios of the Thanhouser Company at New Rochelle not long ago, at the hour of nine in the morning, when comes the daily call to rehearsal. Through the lane between the commodious new buildings of cement came a troop of mounted Arabs on black horses. In their gold-braided uniforms and snowy turbans they were a striking cavalcade, and many of the natives gathered to admire. Heads were thrust out of studio windows as the Oriental riders drew rein below. There were about a dozen beautiful horses, all black except one which was snowy white. Then word was passed round that the Arabs were a feature of the new drama in process of production, The Messenger of Death. The New Rochelle directors certainly believe in putting realism into pictures, and no subject is too ambitious to attempt, according to C.J. Hite, who has even used as his mise-en-scene the bottom of the sea."

SYNOPSIS, Reel Life, July 25, 1914:

"Jack Tennant, a young English officer stationed with his wife at a post deep in the wilds of India, leaves on tour of inspection of his district, entrusting his wife to the care of a faithful old sergeant. While the officer is away Raj, a villainous native chief who has long coveted Tennant's wife, makes an attack on the post. Mrs. Tennant keeps a diary of the siege. Upon Tennant's return he finds his wife, the faithful old sergeant and several of his soldiers dead. The last entry in Mrs. Tennant's diary seems to indicate that she has killed herself rather than be dishonored, but no powder marks are found on her body. From the fact that no bullets in Mrs. Tennant's revolver are exploded the physician arrives at the real solution and concludes that the old sergeant had determined to save her from a fate worse than death. The physician keeps his discovery to himself and the young officer's wife is duly buried with all the honors due a heroine."

REVIEW, The Bioscope, February 25, 1915:

"An American producer who sets out to reproduce the scenic characteristics of so remote a land as India is obviously working against considerable odds, and it may be said, therefore, that the present film, which deals with Indian life, is quite surprisingly successful in the circumstances. Apart from its very fairly effective Indian scenery, it possesses a satisfactory plot full of incident and rapid actions and is exceedingly well acted by those two excellent players, Mignon Anderson and Irving Cummings. The numerous military episodes gain considerably in realism and effectiveness by the presence in the film of a detachment of smartly uniformed mounted troops. It is a well presented melodrama of Anglo-Indian life and is pretty certain to be popular with the average audience."

REVIEW, The Morning Telegraph, July 26, 1914:

"During her husband's absence the wife of a young English officer in charge of a post in India is attacked by a villainous native. When the man returns he finds that she and the old sergeant, left to protect her, and the servants have all been killed. From the note which she leaves it appears that rather than surrender she has killed herself, but the company surgeon finds no powder marks on the body and comes to the conclusion that her guard has shot her to save her from a fate worse than death."

REVIEW, The Moving Picture World, August 8, 1914:

"A two-reel picture of the Indian frontiers in which the hill people attack the compound left in the care of a sergeant (Irving Cummings) with a handful of men and the sister of the captain to the guard. There is very little dramatic action in it, hardly enough to fill out one reel, and the ending is tragic without the deep significance that makes tragedy worthwhile. A weak offering."

REVIEW, The New York Dramatic Mirror, August 5, 1914:

"Capable work on the part of the players is perhaps the best thing that can be said for this unduly long script. Mignon Anderson and Irving Cummings, trapped by an uprising of the Indians and with but a few cartridges between them, decide to shoot themselves rather than be taken by the brown men. As she lacks courage he shoots her. There is really little more action to the entire two reels than this. The sight of the numerous hillsmen of India and the British soldiery who take some of the scenes at a smart canter will hardly prove engrossing, especially when their actions, as here, seem to some extent deftly introduced padding. The country in and around Westchester, however, has given some worthwhile scenes, and the film throughout bears the careful work on the part of the camera. The troops leaving the fort to quell a threatened uprising, the treacherous natives attack and hem the sergeant and the captain's daughter in the house with a few faithful ones. A messenger escapes and brings the troops back, but they arrive just too late to avert the tragedy described above."

# # #