His Birthright
| His Birthright | |
|---|---|
 Film poster. | |
| Directed by | William Worthington |
| Story by | Sessue Hayakawa Denison Clift |
| Produced by | Sessue Hayakawa |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Robert Newhard |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Mutual Film |
Release date |
|
Running time | 50 minutes |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
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His Birthright is a 1918 American drama film directed by William Worthington for Haworth Pictures Corporation. Sessue Hayakawa produced the film and played the lead role.[1][2] The rest of the cast includes Marin Sais, Howard Davies, Mary Anderson, and Hayakawa's wife Tsuru Aoki.[3]
Plot
[edit]As described in a film magazine,[4] Yukio is a Japanese-American whose father, a naval officer, failed to return to his mother after the honeymoon. The mother commits harakiri and the son becomes determined to kill his father and goes to America. Influenced by a female German spy, Yukio steals an important document from his father, who is now an admiral. Rebuffed by the woman and ashamed to have sunk to the level of a thief, he then decides to recover the paper. He does so after a desperate battle with the woman's colleagues and returns the document to his father, who descends upon the place with police and captures the spies. Yukio announces that he came to take his father's life, but the admiral tells him that he loved Yukio's mother and did not return to her as he could not find her. Taking his place as the admiral's son, Yukio is now determined to join the U.S. army and fight in World War I, a cause in which Japan and America are united.
Cast
[edit]- Sessue Hayakawa as Yukio
- Marin Sais as Edna Kingston
- Howard Davies as Adm. John Milton
- Mary Anderson as Helen Milton
- Tsuru Aoki as Saki San
- Sidney De Gray as James Barnes (credited as Sydney De Grey)
- Harry von Meter as Adm. von Krug
- Mayme Kelso as Mrs. Harland Smith
Preservation
[edit]Only 3 of the 5 reels of His Birthright are known to survive and they are held by the EYE Filmmuseum in the Netherlands.[5][6]
References
[edit]- ^ Miyao, Daisuke (28 March 2007). Sessue Hayakawa: Silent Cinema and Transnational Stardom. Duke University Press. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-8223-3969-4.
- ^ Bean, Jennifer M. (12 July 2011). Flickers of Desire: Movie Stars of the 1910s. Rutgers University Press. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-8135-5072-5.
- ^ "His Birthright". afi.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "Reviews: His Birthright". Exhibitors Herald. 7 (8). New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company: 26. August 24, 1918.
- ^ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: His Birthright
- ^ "Progressive Silent Film List: His Birthright". silentera.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
External links
[edit]
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