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The Unknown Purple

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The Unknown Purple
Advertisement from The Film Daily[1]
Directed byRoland West[2]
Written byRoland West
Paul Schofield
Alfred A. Cohn (titles)
Starring
CinematographyOliver T. Marsh[2]
Edited byAlfred A. Cohn[3]
Production
company
Carlos Productions[2]
Distributed byTruart Film Corporation[3]
Release date
  • October 29, 1923 (1923-10-29)
Running time
92 minutes[3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

The Unknown Purple is a lost[4] 1923 American silent mystery film that was written and directed by Roland West.[5][6]

Plot

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After his release from prison, an inventor develops an eerie purple light that renders him invisible, enabling him to seek revenge on his unfaithful wife and his crooked business partner.

Cast

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Production

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Film historian Scott MacQueen cited "The Vanishing Men", a treatment West had targeted for film in 1921, as the inspiration for the film.[7] In that way, it’s also inspired by H.G. Wells’ novel The Invisible Man, which wouldn’t get a proper adaptation until a decade later in 1933. The film was adapted from a stage play which was written by Roland West and Carlyle Moore.[2] Comedian Johnny Arthur made his feature-length debut in The Unknown Purple.[8]

Release

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The premiere of The Unknown Purple was on October 29, 1923 at Strand Theatre in Providence, Rhode Island.[9] The manager of the repeater said in Moving Picture World that the film "opened with capacity business."[10]

Reception

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In contemporary reviews, Variety described the film as an "exceptionally well-made picture - among the best of its type - a mystery."[2] The review praised the photography of Oliver Marsh and the acting by Henry Walthall and Alice Lake.[2] Mary Kelly of Moving Picture World described the film making good use of actor Henry Walthall and that the production was "elaborate and impressive" while finding the only lacking element in the film was comedy.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Unknown Purple". The Film Daily. Vol. 27, no. 22. January 27, 1924. Retrieved May 29, 2025 – via Archive.org.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Willis 1985, p. 17.
  3. ^ a b c Soister 2004, p. 30.
  4. ^ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Unknown Purple
  5. ^ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Unknown Purple
  6. ^ Progressive Silent Film List: The Unknown Purple at silentera.com
  7. ^ Soister 2004, p. 31.
  8. ^ Soister 2004, p. 35.
  9. ^ Moving Picture World 1923, p. 248.
  10. ^ Moving Picture World 1923a, p. 319.
  11. ^ Kelly 1923.

Bibliography

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  • "Providence Premiere of "The Unknown Purple"". Moving Picture World. Vol. 65, no. 2. November 10, 1923.
  • "Providence Likes "Unknown Purple"". Moving Picture World. Vol. 65, no. 3. November 17, 1923.
  • Kelly, Mary (December 8, 1923). Sewell, Charles S. (ed.). "Newest Reviews and Comments". Moving Picture World. Vol. 65, no. 6. p. 565.
  • Soister, John T. (2004). Up from the Vault: Rare Thrillers of the 1920s and 1930s. McFarland. ISBN 0786417455.
  • Willis, Donald, ed. (1985). Variety's Complete Science Fiction Reviews. Garland Publishing Inc. ISBN 0-8240-6263-9.
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