The Woman Gives (1920) Norma Talmadge Film Corporation/First National. Produced by Joseph M. Schenck. Directed by Roy W. Neill. Scenario by Grant Carpenter and Waldo Walter. Camera by David Abel. Technical direction by Willard M. Reineck. Cast: Norma Talmadge, John Halliday, Edmund Lowe, Lucille Lee Stewart, John Smiley, Edward Keppler. 6 reels. A copy of this film is located at the Library of Congress (35 mm.)
See also a still photo from the J. Willis Sayre photograph collection at the University of Washington.
| Inga Sonderson | Norma Talmadge |
| Daniel Garford | John Halliday |
| Robert Milton | Edmond Lowe |
| Mrs. Garford | Lucille Lee Stewart |
| Cornelius | John Smiley |
| Bowden | Edward Keepler |
This feature is a fair enough market product, but Norma Talmadge's unusual talents are wasted on such stuff as is provided her by this adaptation of Owen Johnson's novel. Mr. Johnson is a popular writer who lacks Robert W. Chambers' gift for dialogue. The rest is trash, and it is particularly noticeable in the screen version, which never for a moment rings true nor carries conviction. Considering all he had working against him, R. William Neill made a fair job of the directing, though he used close-ups without reason. The titling was stilted. At one point we have a thug using the Shakespearean "'tis.." At another a man who has been smoking opium rises from his couch and beats a Chinaman up. This is a physical impossibility, but nothing like such ever bothers a manufacturer of popular heroes.
Inga and Robert are in love and indebted to a famous artist named Garford for success. Garford's wife fools with other men and is caught. Leaving her, Garford goes to the dogs and takes to smoking opium. Though it makes her lover jealous, Inga proceeds to rescue him, even going to an opium den to drag him back to manhood. She succeeds, but loses her sweetheart. When Garford asks her hand she refuses. In the end she and her true love are reunited.
Edmond Lowe as the lover photographed well and managed to live up to the requirements of the part. In other settings and plots more and better work should come from him. John Halliday had more opportunity, but it was all of the melodramatic sort--Mr. Johnson's idea of a society man--and he overplayed. Lucille Lee Stewart appeared to good effect but briefly as a vamp, and Miss Talmadge was, as always, charming.
Norma Talmadge brings her talent and ever pleasing person into a photoplay entitled "The Woman Gives," adapted from a novel by Owen Johnson, which is so artificial in construction and so filled with banal and stilted subtitles that it fails to hold the interest, despite its settings and the acting of Miss Talmadge and John Halliday. It was directed by R. William Neill, who has done better work.
Norma Talmadge in First National Version of Popular Owen Johnson Novel
Adapted from the novel by Owen Johnson. Directed by Roy Neill. Released by First National.
| Inga Sonderson | Norma Talmadge |
| Daniel Garford | John Halliday |
| Robert Milton | Edmond Lowe |
| Mrs. Garford | Lucille Lee Stewart |
| Cornelius | John Smiley |
| Bowden | Edward Keepler |
Norma Talmadge, John Halliday, and the Art Director combined to lift the screen version of Owen Johnson's novel "The Woman Gives" out of hopeless mediocrity. Miss Talmadge is quite her usual charming self and her gowns are a constant delight. Had the director been more chary of closeups and lengthy sub-titles the action might have moved smoothly enough to conceal its obviously overdrawn motivation.
Mr. Halliday, by his sincerity and restraint achieved some success with the negative role assigned him. The sets, particularly the studio interiors, were pleasing in detail and atmosphere.
The plot is the customary predigested pot-pourri of artist life with a dash, at the end, which is reminiscent of "The Man Who Came Back." In the role of Inga Sonderson, Miss Talmadge is the model for an illustrious painter and later is just in time to catch him on the rebound from the disillusionment which attends his tardy discovery of the selfish character of his wife, one who is ravaged by a bad evil of the "gimmies."
The crushed genius seeks solace in the grape and poppy and in the process of throwing him the life-line Inga seriously jeopardizes her own happiness.
Her Fiance, whose character appears to be equally compounded of jealousy, and fanatic and inexplicable impulses to self-abnegation, fluctuates from one mood to the other. Inga brings the picture to a close by casting herself into the arms of this emotional chameleon.
It is scarcely a worthy vehicle for Miss Talmadge, but by virtue of her personality she carries it to success.
[Omitted, three photos. 1. Norma Talmadge in profile. 2. Talmadge and reclining man. Caption: Norma Talmadge as Inga Sonderson in "The Woman Gives" (First National) finds Daniel Garford (John Halliday) unconscious from the use of drugs and alcohol. 3. Talmadge grabbing arm of Chinese man. Caption: Miss Talmadge consults another opium expert, probably in the hope of finding some one who can beat her lover at hitting the pipe in "The Woman Gives."]
This was fairly interesting, though I would have liked it better if Norma had not been quite so saintly.
She's an artists model and artist ... "a painter of adorable
babies!" [exclamation is theirs, not mine]. She's engaged to Edmund
Lowe, who is making a small statue of Joan of Arc with her as the
model. She also poses for a famous artist (John Halliday) who is some
kind of benefactor to her and Lowe, though Lowe is jealous of him for
no apparent reason, presumably just on general principal. Halliday's adored wife (Lucille Lee Stewart, Anita's
sister) turns out to be cheating on him, so he hits the skids and
Norma has to rescue him from an opium den. This really upsets
Lowe who comes off as a sulky prig. Norma's good, though, and
Halliday gives his part more dignity than it deserves.
Print viewed: 35 mm print at the Library of Congress.
Last revised, August 11, 2007
