The Bridge of San Luis Rey

This first cinematic version of the classic book is a part-talkie, although the only surviving print is silent (housed in the George Eastman House, Rochester, NY). It is a straight-forward telling of the intermingled lives of a group of strangers doomed to die in a collapsing bridge accident. The Art Direction, paltry and unremarkable, surprisingly won an Oscar over the far more remarkable work nominated in THE IRON MASK. The special effect scene of the lovers plummeting with the bridge into the chasm is unforgettable and remarkably done.

Cast

Lili Damita Camila (La Perichole) Ernest Torrence Uncle Pio

Raquel Torres Pepita

Don Alvarado Manuel Duncan Renaldo Esteban Henry B. Walthall Father Juniper Michael Vavitch Viceroy Emily Fitzroy Marquesa Jane Winton Doña Carla

Metadata from the source database.