The Song of Love
 Lobby card Norma Talmadge and Arthur Edmund Carewe | ||
| Starring | Norma Talmadge | |
| Directed by | Chester Franklin Frances Marion | |
| Produced by | Joseph M. Schenck | |
| Written by | Frances Marion | |
| Studio | Norma Talmadge Productions | |
| Based on | The Dust of Desire 1922 novel by Margaret Peterson | |
| Cinematography | Antonio Gaudio | |
| Distributed by | Associated First National Pictures | |
| Released | Dec 24, 1923 in {{{4}}} | |
| Runtime | 96 minutes | |
| Country | United States | |
| language | Silent film | |
The Song of Love is a 1923 American silent adventure drama film directed by Chester Franklin and Frances Marion, starring Norma Talmadge, Joseph Schildkraut, and Arthur Edmund Carewe. Frances Marion's screenplay is based on the 1922 novel The Dust of Desire by Margaret Peterson.
Plot
The plot of The Song of Love centers on the relationships between North African Arab citizens, Tuaregs, and French colonial citizens who reside in a small outpost featuring homes, shops, and a bar/social spot. Norma Talmadge plays a dancing girl whose uncle is regarded as a leader in the Arab community and the owner of the social spot. Other key characters include an Arab prince seeking support from the Tuaregs to reclaim control of the outpost from the French colonists; a French secret service agent (who becomes the love interest); and the French colonial leaders: a French spouse and an American. Through intrigue and dialogue, the storyline unfolds during the 81 minutes of this film, culminating in a nighttime battle scene and the main characters declaring their love for each other.
Cast
- Norma Talmadge as Noorma-hal
- Joseph Schildkraut as Raymon Valverde
- Arthur Edmund Carewe as Ramlika
- Larry Wheat as Dick Jones (credited as Laurence Wheat)
- Maude Wayne as Maureen Desmard
- Earl Schenck as Commissionaire Desmard (Schenck was Talmadge's husband)
- Hector V. Sarno as Chandra-lal
- Albert Prisco as Chamba
- Mario Carillo as Capt. Fregonne
- James Cooley as Dr. Humbert
Survival
A copy of The Song of Love is in the Library of Congress, Czech Film Archive, and other film archives.
In 2018, Kino Lorber, Inc. produced a series of DVDs to share restored and digitized versions of films created and directed by women from 1910 to 1923. Since Norma Talmadge produced this film through her company and co-directed it with Frances Marion, this film is part of this collection. Many of the films in this collection are now housed in the Library of Congress.
Spiderpool
In 1923, John McDermott had managed to move out of the South Hill St. boarding house and into his own home, “in the Hollywood hills behind the Hollywood Bowl". This is the oldest known reference to this house. The construction of the house was meant to be an ongoing project, but it appears to have commenced with McDermott’s purchase of “six Algerian rooms used in Norma Talmadge’s recently completed picture, The Song of Love (1923)." He had them numbered for easy reassembly on his property, and it is implied he did the work himself.
The house was called “a perfect little gem of Algerian architecture", and featured “balconies, doors, French windows, beams, porch railings, stairways and flooring, as well as the bathroom used in the making of the picture."
External links
- Review The Song of Love at the Internet Movie Database
- Review The Song of Love at the Turner Classic Movie Database
- The Song of Love at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Stills at the Norma Talmadge website at stanford.edu
- The Song of Love: A Silent Film Review at moviessilently.com