Damon and Pythias (1914 film)

Damon and Pythias
Damon and Pythias
Directed by	Otis Turner
Written by	Ruth Ann Baldwin; James Dayton; Allan Dwan;
Produced by	Carl Laemmle
Starring	William Worthington; Herbert Rawlinson; Cleo Madison;
Cinematography	Albert Warren Kelsey
Production; company	Universal Pictures
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	November 23, 1914;
Running time	100 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Damon and Pythias is a 1914 American silent epic film directed by Otis Turner and starring William Worthington, Herbert Rawlinson, and Cleo Madison.^[1]^[2] It is based on the Greek legend of Damon and Pythias set during the reign of Dionysius I of Syracuse. It was an ambitious production by Universal Pictures, made at a time when feature films were rapidly replacing short films as the leading format in cinema. For much of the opening reel the cast are introduced, appearing in their modern dress rather than historical costumes.^[3]

An earlier short film adaptation of the legend was produced in 1908, also directed by Otis Turner. It was adapted again under the same title, Damon and Pythias, in 1962.^[2]

Cast

William Worthington as Damon
Herbert Rawlinson as Pythias
Cleo Madison as Hermione
Ann Little as Calanthe
Frank Lloyd as Dionysius
Helen Wright as Arria
Chandler House as Son of Damon
Harry Davenport as Phillistus
Duke Worne as Luculus
Edgar Kelleras Democles
Bruce Mitchell as Perocles
Lon Chaney as Wild Man (uncredited)
Carmen Phillips as Extra (uncredited)
Hal Roach as Extra (uncredited)

Preservation

Complete prints of Damon and Pythias are held by the Library of Congress and the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York.^[4]

References

^ McCaffrey & Jacobs p. 26
^ ^a ^b "Damon and Pythias". American Film Institute. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^ Bowser, p. 147
^ "American Silent Feature Film Database: Damon and Pythias". Library of Congress. Retrieved March 22, 2024.

Bibliography

Bowser, Eileen. The Transformation of Cinema, 1907-1915. University of California Press, 1994. ISBN 978-0-520-08534-3
McCaffrey, Donald W. & Jacobs, Christopher P. Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema. Greenwood Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-313-30345-2