The Vanishing American
| The Vanishing American | |
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Theatrical poster
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| Directed by | George B. Seitz |
| Produced by |
Adolph Zukor Jesse Lasky |
| Written by |
Lucien Hubbard (adaptation) Ethel Doherty (scenario) |
| Based on |
The Vanishing American by Zane Grey |
| Starring |
Richard Dix Lois Wilson |
| Music by | Manny Baer Hugo Riesenfeld |
| Cinematography |
C. Edgar Schoenbaum Harry Perry |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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10 reels |
| Country | United States |
| Language |
Silent (English intertitles) |
The Vanishing American (1925) is a silent film western produced by Famous Players-Lasky in the United States, and distributed through Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by George B. Seitz and starred Richard Dix and Lois Wilson, recently paired in several screen dramas by Paramount. The film is based on the 1925 novel, The Vanishing American, by Zane Grey.
The story first appeared in November 1922 as a serial in Ladies' Home Journal. Harper & Brothers planned the book's publication to coincide with the film's release but Christian missionaries feared public criticism. Harper editors thus altered the story before publication, ultimately causing a delay between the release of the two different pieces
Grey’s serialized novel, published in Ladies’ Home Journal in 1922-1923, was one of the first pieces of literature produced which offered a harsh portrayal of American government agencies towards Native Americans Grey depicted the white settlers as missionaries who preyed upon the subordinate race, forcefully converting them into Christianity and altering their way of life. This depiction sparked a lot of backlash in the form of angry letters from readers once the novels were published According to Zane Grey’s biographer, Thomas Pauly, “The magazine was deluged with angry letters from religious groups, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs vehemently denounced his depiction of their efforts.”
In response to critics of the novel, Lasky persuaded Grey to dilute the negative portrayal of the American government in the film. Grey agreed, and instead of American’s monolithically demonstrating contempt towards Native Americans, the script instead placed most of the blame on the corrupt choices of an individual character, Booker.
According to an interview with Lasky in September 1925, the idea for adapting Grey’s novel into a feature-film originated in 1922 when he and Lucien Hubbard, the editorial supervisor for Zane Grey Productions, received an invitation from Grey to visit Navajo Mountain and Rainbow Bridge in northern Arizona. The reservation’s stark and boundless desert scenery captivated Lasky and after spending nearly two months there, he suggested they use the vast ranges as the background for a motion picture.
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Wikipedia