The Judgment House
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name = The Judgment House
| image = File:The Judgment House (1917) - 1.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| director = J. Stuart Blackton
| producer = J. Stuart Blackton
| screenplay = J. Stuart Blackton
| based_on = {{based on|The Judgement House|Gilbert Parker}}
| starring = Violet Heming
Wilfred Lucas
Conway Tearle
Paul Doucet
Florence Deshon
Lucille Hammill
| music =
| cinematography = Tom Malloy
| editing =
| studio = J. Stuart Blackton Feature Pictures
| distributor = Paramount Pictures
| released = {{Film date|1917|11|19}}
| runtime = 75 minutes
| country = United States
| language = Silent (English intertitles)
| budget =
| gross =
}}
The Judgment House is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by J. Stuart Blackton and written by J. Stuart Blackton based upon the novel by Gilbert Parker. The film stars Violet Heming, Wilfred Lucas, Conway Tearle, Paul Doucet, Florence Deshon, and Lucille Hammill. The film was released on November 19, 1917, by Paramount Pictures.{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/576799/the-judgement-house|title=The Judgement House (1917) - Overview - TCM.com|work=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=5 January 2015}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/97373/Judgement-House/overview|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105194914/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/97373/Judgement-House/overview|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 January 2015|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=The New York Times|author=Hal Erickson|title=Judgement-House - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes - NYTimes.com|author-link=Hal Erickson (author)|date=2015|access-date=5 January 2015}}
Plot
As described in a film magazine,{{cite journal |title=Reviews: The Judgment House |journal=Exhibitors Herald |volume=5 |issue=23 |publisher=Exhibitors Herald Company |date=December 1, 1917 |location=New York |page=31 |url=https://archive.org/details/exhibitorsherald05exhi/page/n1094/mode/1up |access-date=July 26, 2020}} Jasmine Grenfel (Heming) forsakes her suitor Ian Stafford (Tearle) and marries Rudyard Byng (Lucas), who has worked his way up to the top rungs of success in the African diamond mines of the Transvaal. Stafford, saddened, goes to Africa. During the three years that follow Byng becomes dissipated. Adrian Fellowes (Doucet), his secretary, has intrigues with several women including the dancer Al'Mah (Deshon). He has also paid some attention to Jasmine, which has aroused the dancer's jealousy. Fellowes is found murdered and the husband and wife both suspect each other of the crime. At the outbreak of the Boer War Byng joins the army and Jasmine and Al'Mah join the Red Cross. The battles that ensue bring out the manhood of Byng. Al'Mah is struck by a fragment of a shell and in a dying confession admits the murder of Fellow. Jasmine and Byng are later happily reunited.
Cast
- Violet Heming as Jasmine Grenfel
- Wilfred Lucas as Rudyard Byng
- Conway Tearle as Ian Stafford
- Paul Doucet as Adrian Fellowes
- Florence Deshon as Al'Mah
- Lucille Hammill as Lou
- Crazy Thunder as Krool
Reception
Like many American films of the time, The Judgment House was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors cut the intertitle "Did Fellowes lead you to believe that I am bad?"{{cite journal |title=Official Cut-Outs by the Chicago Board of Censors |journal=Exhibitors Herald |volume=5 |issue=25 |page=31 |date=December 15, 1917 |url=https://archive.org/stream/exhibitorsherald05exhi#page/n1182/mode/1up}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|The Judgment House}}
- {{IMDb title|0008153|The Judgment House}}
- Parker, Gilbert (1913), [https://archive.org/details/judgementhouseno00parkuoft The Judgment House; a Novel], Toronto: The Copp, Clark Co., on the Internet Archive
{{J. Stuart Blackton}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Judgment House, The}}
Category:1910s English-language films
Category:Silent American drama films
Category:Paramount Pictures films
Category:Films based on works by Gilbert Parker
Category:Films directed by J. Stuart Blackton
Category:American black-and-white films
Category:American silent feature films