The Unfortunate Marriage

The 1917 version of the much-adapted THE WOMAN IN WHITE is a competent if unremarkable example of 1910s melodrama. There is much mustache-twirling and plotting against doe-eyed ingenues in this exposition-heavy tale that does not appear to lend itself well to silent film's unique language. The plot borders on the ludicrous often, with the bad guys plotting in the most inconvenient locations (always by open windows or balconies where innocent maids might overhear their sinister schemes, of course) or trailing people with only two feet between themselves and the mark. I have no clue how faithful this movie is or is not to the book, but the 1947 adaptation struck me as a more coherent and interesting product, maybe because it had more time to tell the story. As it is, this movie feels rushed and, aside from a few interesting compositions and double-exposures here and there, not terribly imaginative.

This was one of the last projects of the Thanhouser company and movie star Florence La Badie. Thanhouser's short films are among the best movies you'll find in the 1910s, while La Badie was a charming young actress whose promising career would be cut short by a fatal car accident not too long after THE WOMAN IN WHITE saw release.

This appears to be the first full-length version of the Wilkie Collins novel "The Woman in White." It has been a long time since I've read the novel, so I can't say if this is a faithful adaptation of it. However, the film is certainly well-made and entertaining, despite a slow and somewhat confusing start. Florence La Badie plays the heroine, as well as the mysterious "woman in white." Richard Neill, as her villainous husband after her inheritance, manages to be slick and nasty without going over the top. The climax is well-staged.

One major criticism is that the titles were written against a floral background, making them very difficult to read. On the other hand, the photography is very good.