Synthetic Sin is a 1929 American sound comedy film directed by William A. Seiter, based on a play of the same name.[1] While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film process. It was released by Warner Bros. and was recorded using the Vitaphone sound system.[2] Only the soundtrack disc for the last reel is known to survive.
| Synthetic Sin | |
|---|---|
 Lobby card | |
| Directed by | William A. Seiter |
| Written by | Thomas J. Geraghty Tom Reed |
| Based on | Synthetic Sin by Fanny Hatton and Frederic Hatton |
| Produced by | John McCormick |
| Starring | Colleen Moore Antonio Moreno Edythe Chapman |
| Cinematography | Sidney Hickox |
| Edited by | Alexander Hall |
| Music by | Nathaniel Shilkret |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. |
Release date |
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Running time | 72 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | Sound (Synchronized) (English intertitles) |
Plot
Famed playwright Donald Anthony returns home to Magnolia Gap, Virginia, and proposes to Betty Fairfax. She accepts and he offers her the lead part in his next play, but the play is a disaster. Donald tells her that she is unsuited for the role, that it requires someone with more life experience. Rather than return home defeated, Betty stays in New York, in a bad neighborhood where local gangsters adopt her as their own. When Donald comes to visit her, they eject him. There is a gunfight, and in the resulting confusion Donald sweeps in and rescues Betty. After the excitement, Betty gives up her dreams of the stage and devotes herself to Donald.
Cast
- Colleen Moore as Betty Fairfax
- Antonio Moreno as Donald Anthony
- Edythe Chapman as Mrs. Fairfax
- Kathryn McGuire as Margery Fairfax
- Gertrude Howard as Cassie
- Gertrude Astor as Sheila Kelly
- Ray Turner as Sam (credited as Raymond Turner)
- Montagu Love as Brandy Mulane
- Ben Hendricks Jr. as Frank
- Philip Sleeman as Tony (credited as Phil Sleeman)
- Jack Byron as Tony's Henchman
- Fred Warren as Joe
- Jay Eaton as Member of Frank's Gang
- Stanley Blystone as Member of Frank's Gang
- Art Rowlands as Member of Frank's Gang
- Dick Gordon as Member of Frank's Gang
- Julanne Johnston as Member of Frank's Gang
- Hazel Howell as Member of Frank's Gang
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Music
The film featured a theme song entitled "Betty" which was composed by Nathaniel Shilkret and Harold Christy.
Preservation status
A copy survives at the Cineteca Italiana archive in Milan. Previously it was considered to be a lost film. Colleen Moore had deposited copies of several of her movies with the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), but it allowed the films to decompose before they could be restored.[3]
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Codori, Jeff (2012), Colleen Moore; A Biography of the Silent Film Star, McFarland Publishing,(Print ISBN 978-0-7864-4969-9, EBook ISBN 978-0-7864-8899-5).
External links
- Synthetic Sin at IMDb
- Synthetic Sin at AllMovie
- Stills at silentlondon.co.uk
