The Little American
| The Little American | |
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Film poster
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| Directed by |
Cecil B. DeMille Joseph Levering |
| Produced by | Cecil B. DeMille Mary Pickford |
| Written by |
Jeanie MacPherson Cecil B. DeMille (uncredited) Clarence J. Harris (uncredited) |
| Screenplay by | Jeanie MacPherson (uncredited) |
| Starring | Mary Pickford |
| Cinematography | Alvin Wyckoff |
| Edited by | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Distributed by | Artcraft Pictures Corporation |
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Release date
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Running time
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80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
| Budget | $166,949.16 |
| Box office | $446,236.88 |
The Little American is a 1917 American silent romantic war drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The film stars Mary Pickford (who also served as producer) as an American woman who is in love with both a German and a French soldier during World War I. A print of the film is housed at the UCLA Film and Television Archive and has been released on DVD.
Karl Von Austreim (Jack Holt) lives in America with his German father and American mother. He notices a young lady, Angela More (Mary Pickford). As she is celebrating her birthday on the Fourth of July of 1914, she receives flowers from the French Count Jules De Destin (Raymond Hatton). They are interrupted by Karl, who also gives her a present. They soon battle for Angela's attention. To lose his competition, Count Jules arranges for Karl to be sent to Hamburg, where he will have to join his regiment. Angela is crushed when he announces he has to leave. The next day, Angela reads in the paper the Germans and French are at war and 10,000 Germans have been killed already.
Three months pass by without a word from Karl. Karl is wounded in the fighting. Word spreads that Germany will sink any ship which is thought to be carrying munitions to the Allies. Angela is aboard one of those ships when it is hit. Angela saves herself by climbing on a floating table and begging the attackers not to fire on the passengers. Angela is eventually rescued.
After weeks of ceaseless hammering from the German guns, the French fall back on Vangy. Angela arrives in Vangy as well to visit her aunt, only to discover she has died. The Old Prussians are bombing the city and Angela is requested to flee. However, she is determined to stay to nurse the wounded soldiers. Meanwhile, the Germans enter the chateau with the intention of getting drunk and enjoying themselves with the young women. A French soldier tries to help Angela escape, but she is unwilling to. He next asks her to let a French soldier spy on the Germans and inform the French via a secret hidden telephone. Angela is afraid, but gives them permission.
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Wikipedia