The Monkey's Paw (1923 film)
| The Monkey's Paw | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Manning Haynes |
| Written by | Lydia Hayward Louis N. Parker (play) |
| Based on | "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs |
| Produced by | George Redman |
| Starring | Moore Marriott Marie Ault Charles Ashton |
Production company | Artistic Pictures |
| Distributed by | Artistic Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 64 minutes[1] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
The Monkey's Paw is a 1923 British silent horror film directed by Manning Haynes and starring Moore Marriott, Marie Ault, and Charles Ashton. It is an adaptation of W. W. Jacobs's 1902 short story "The Monkey's Paw". The short story was made into a 1907 one-act play by Louis N. Parker, elements of which were also incorporated into this 1923 British film by screenwriter Lydia Hayward.[1][2]
Plot[edit]
As described in a film magazine review for an American audience,[3] a traveller tells a family, John White, his wife, and son, weird tales of a magical talisman, a monkey's paw, which has the power of granting its possessor three wishes, but only with hellish consequences as punishment for tampering with fate. The father falls asleep. In his dreams he acquires the paw and requests two thousand dollars. He gets the money but this results in the death of his son Herbert. His wife compels him to wish that her boy was alive again. This is accomplished, but when he appears as a soulless zombie, in his fright Mr. White makes his third and final wish that his son be dead once more, where he may hopefully rest in peace. Awakening, the father wants nothing to do with the magic charm.
Cast[edit]
- Moore Marriott as John White
- Marie Ault as Mrs. White
- Charles Ashton as Herbert White
- Johnny Butt as Sergeant Tom Morris
- A. B. Imeson
- George Wynn
- Tom Coventry as Engine Driver
References[edit]
- ^ a b Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era. Midnight Marquee Press. p. 265. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
- ^ Goble p. 241
- ^ Pardy, George T. (12 January 1924). "Box Office Reviews: The Monkey's Paw". Exhibitors Trade Review. 15 (8). New York: Exhibitors Review Publishing Corporation: 21. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Bibliography[edit]
- Goble, Alan. The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter, 1999.
External links[edit]
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- 1923 films
- 1923 horror films
- British silent feature films
- British horror films
- 1920s English-language films
- Films directed by Manning Haynes
- Films based on short fiction
- Films based on works by W. W. Jacobs
- British black-and-white films
- Silent horror films
- 1920s British films
- 1920s British film stubs
- Pre-1960 horror film stubs
- 1920s film stubs