Synthetic_Sin Knowpia

Synthetic Sin
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	First National Pictures
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Release date	January 6, 1929;
Running time	72 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	Sound (Synchronized); (English intertitles)

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.

Plot edit

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 edit

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

Moore

Music edit

The film featured a theme song entitled "Betty" which was composed by Nathaniel Shilkret and Harold Christy.

Preservation status edit

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]

References edit

Notes

^ "Synthetic Sin Poster - Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery". Retrieved July 30, 2011.
^ Progressive Silent Film List: Synthetic Sin at silentera.com
^ The Library of Congress/FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: Synthetic Sin

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).