A Thief in Paradise

A Thief in Paradise
A Thief in Paradise
	Poster
Directed by	George Fitzmaurice
Written by	Frances Marion
Based on	The Worldlings; by Leonard Merrick
Produced by	George Fitzmaurice; Samuel Goldwyn
Starring	Doris Kenyon; Ronald Colman; Aileen Pringle
Cinematography	Arthur C. Miller
Edited by	Stuart Heisler
Production; company	Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Distributed by	Associated First National (USA); UFA (Germany)
Release date	January 18, 1925 (USA);
Running time	8 reels
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

A Thief in Paradise is a 1925 American silent drama film produced by Samuel Goldwyn, directed by George Fitzmaurice, and adapted by Frances Marion from Leonard Merrick's 1900 novel The Worldlings.^[1]

Plot

Ronald Colman stars as Maurice Blake. Co-star Charles Youree plays the role of Philip Jardine, the wayward son of a San Francisco millionaire. The men are part-time pearl fishers on a tropical island and, during an underwater fight for a pearl, Jardine is attacked and killed by a shark. After his death, Aileen Pringle playing the role of Rosa Carmino, informs Blake that she has a letter from Jardine's wealthy father, urging him to return to San Francisco. The envelope containing the letter includes $500 to pay for transportation. Carmino, knowing that Jardine's father has never seen his fully grown son, implores Blake to impersonate him. The two thieves, as they are alluded to in the movie's title, arrive in San Francisco and are welcomed by the Jardine family. Soon, Blake falls in love with a neighbor named Helen played by Doris Kenyon. Carmino, jealous of the affair, is paid off by Blake to maintain her silence. However, after Blake marries Helen, Carmino tells Helen the true story. Blake admits the truth to Helen and despondent, tries to kill himself. Helen, in love with Blake, refuses to leave him and instead nurses him back to health. As the movie ends, the elder Jardine improbably accepts Blake as his step son and Carmino returns to her native island.^[2]^[3]

Cast

Doris Kenyon as Helen Saville
Ronald Colman as Maurice Blake
Aileen Pringle as Rosa Carmino
Claude Gillingwater as Noel Jardine
Alec B. Francis as Bishop Saville
John Patrick as Ned Whalen
Charles Youree as Philip Jardine
Etta Lee as Rosa's Maid
Lon Poff as Jardine's Secretary
Nita Cavalier as Flapper (uncredited)
Betsy Ann Hisle as Little Girl (uncredited)

Production

The movie was praised by critics for its filming of the underwater fight scene between Blake and Jardine, an impressive technological feat at the time the movie was made, as well for its lavish sets.^[2]^[4] Another scene that captured the attention of critics was a polo match, organized by the hosts of a garden party, that featured a team of barefoot blondes wearing one piece bathing suits playing a team of brunettes attired in the same manner.^[4]

”A feature of this chapter is a polo game played by women in bathing suits. The guests are all the more thrilled by making it a contest between blondes and brunettes. Now this may be wandering away from the narrative, but who will say such a game lacks interest?”^[2]

The director, George Fitzmaurice, said in an interview after the movie was completed, that he was surprised at the athleticism of brunettes compared to blondes whom he had long regarded as athletically superior to dark haired women.^[5]

Preservation

With no prints of A Thief in Paradise located in any film archives,^[6] it is a lost film.^[1] However, the stock footage company Producers Library has a 2-minute fragment of the film available for viewing on its site.

References

^ ^a ^b Progressive Silent Film List: A Thief in Paradise Archived September 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine at silentera.com
^ ^a ^b ^c Hall, Mordaunt (January 26, 1925) "The Screen: A Thief in Paradise", The New York Times, page 14; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times with Index
^ Silent Hollywood. "A Thief in Paradise". Silent Hollywood.Com.
^ ^a ^b Staff writer (February 22, 1925) "Colorful Story In New Film", The Washington Post, page S-13; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post
^ Staff writer (March 19, 1925) "Stars at the Tivoli Theater", The Central New Jersey Home News (New Brunswick, New Jersey), page 8; accessed through Newspapers.com
^ The Library of Congress / FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: A Thief in Paradise