Young April
{{short description|1926 film}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Young April
| image = Young April lobby card 2.jpg
| caption = Lobby card
| director = Donald Crisp
| producer = William Sistrom
| based_on = {{based on|Young April (novel)|Egerton Castle}}{{cite book|title=Young April|author-link=Egerton Castle|first=Egerton|last=Castle|location=New York|publisher=Macmillan Co.|date=1899|oclc=640013605|url=https://archive.org/details/youngapril04castgoog/}}
| writer = Jeanie MacPherson
Douglas Z. Doty
| starring = Bessie Love
Joseph Schildkraut
Rudolph Schildkraut
| music =
| cinematography = J. Peverell Marley
| editing =
| studio = De Mille Pictures Corp.
| distributor = Producers Distributing Corporation
| released = {{Film date|1926|10|11|U.S.}}
| runtime = 7 reels; 6,858 feet
| country = United States
| language = Silent (English intertitles)
}}
Young April is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Donald Crisp, and starring Bessie Love, Joseph Schildkraut, and Rudolph Schildkraut. The film was produced by Cecil B. DeMille's production company and distributed by Producers Distributing Corporation.{{cite web|url=http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/Y/YoungApril1926.html|title=Progressive Silent Film List: Young April|website=Silent Era|last=Bennett|first=Carl|date=October 7, 2012}} The film was adapted from Egerton Castle's 1899 novel of the same name by Jeanie MacPherson and Douglas Z. Doty. Art direction for the film was done by Anton Grot and its costumes were designed by Adrian.{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/13527-YOUNG-APRIL |title=Young April |work=afi.com |access-date=April 6, 2024}}
Plot
Prince Caryl of Belgravia is to be married to Archduchess Victoria, whom he has never met. He rebels by stealing the royal crown and going to Paris to pawn it and enjoy the money. Victoria, who has been raised an orphan in America, is told of her title and upcoming wedding, and goes to Paris for a final week of freedom and a shopping spree. While in Paris, she buys the royal crown and meets—and falls in love with—Caryl, each not knowing the other's royal identity.
Caryl's unethical brother Prince Michael comes to Paris, and prevents Victoria from revealing her identity to Caryl, who renounces his title to be with her. Michael kidnaps Victoria, but Caryl rescues her via an elaborate chase involving carriages, cars, and airplanes.{{cite book|title=The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films 1921–1930|editor-last=Munden|editor-first=Kenneth W.|publisher=R.R. Bowker Company|location=New York|date=1971|oclc=664500075|page=[https://archive.org/details/americanfilminst00amer/page/933 933]|url=https://archive.org/details/americanfilminst00amer|url-access=registration}}{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/movpicwor82movi|page=[https://archive.org/details/movpicwor82movi/page/n111 112]|date=September 11, 1926|magazine=Moving Picture World|title='Young April'—Prod. Dist. Corp.|last=Sewell|first=C.S.}}{{cite book|date=1932|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/descriptivecatal05koda/page/203|pages=203–4|title=Descriptive Catalogue of Kodascope Library Motion Pictures|chapter=Class 8—Dramas|location=New York|publisher=Kodascope Libraries}}
Cast
{{castlist|
- Joseph Schildkraut as Prince Caryl
- Rudolph Schildkraut as King Stefan
- Bessie Love as Archduchess Victoria
- Bryant Washburn Prince Michael
- Clarence Geldart as Krutchki
- Alan Brooks as Jerry Lanningan
- Dot Farley as Maggie
- Carrie Daumery as Countess Morne
- Joseph Belmont (billed as Baldy Beldmont) as Hans or Ivan
- Jeanette Loff as Extra (uncredited)
- Clarence Wilson as Flower vendor (uncredited)
}}
Release and reception
Young April had its New York premiere at the Hippodrome. The film, particularly the production, received positive reviews.
Preservation and Availability
Complete prints of Young April are held by:
- Archives du Film du CNC
- George Eastman Museum
- Arhiva Națională de Filme
- UCLA Film and Television Archive (on 16 mm)
- Filmoteca de Catalunya{{cite web |url=https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.159/ |title=American Silent Feature Film Database: Young April |access-date=April 6, 2024 |publisher=Library of Congress}}
The film was released on DVD in 2014 by Alpha Video.{{cite web |url=https://www.silentera.com/video/youngAprilHV.html |title=Silent Era Films on Home Video: Young April |access-date=April 5, 2024 |publisher=silentera.com}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Commons category|Young April}}
- {{IMDb title}}
- {{AFI film|13527}}
- {{TCMDb title}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20190323180448/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6bb64e22 Young April] at the British Film Institute{{better source needed|reason=Help request: a live link can be searched for at https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/search/expert - if available, replace the archive URL with the live link. Or if none found, remove this 'better source needed' template. | date=October 2023}}
- [http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/young-april-original-1926-silent-138868152 Lobby cards]
- [http://moviessilently.com/2015/12/27/young-april-1926-a-silent-film-review/ Stills and review] at moviessilently.com
{{Donald Crisp}}
Category:1926 romantic comedy films
Category:American black-and-white films
Category:American silent feature films
Category:Films based on British novels
Category:Films directed by Donald Crisp
Category:Producers Distributing Corporation films
Category:Surviving American silent films
Category:Silent American romantic comedy films
{{silent-comedy-film-stub}}
{{1920s-romantic-comedy-film-stub}}