The Battle Cry of Peace
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Wilfred North
Charles Richman
L. Rogers Lytton
James Morrison
Mary Maurice
Louise Beaudet
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Several years before the United States' entrance into World War I, John Harrison attends a lecture delivered by patriotic writer Hudson Maxim and subsequently becomes an advocate of military preparedness. Although he is ridiculed by his younger brother Charley, as well as by Mr. Vandergriff, his fiancée's father, John continues to warn of the dangers of a weak military. Mr. Emanon, a frequent visitor to the Vandergriff house, is a leader of the peace movement and secretly an enemy agent. During a massive peace rally conducted by Mr. Emanon, the enemy suddenly opens fire on New York City, shelling the buildings and brutally killing many citizens. Vandergriff is shot and John is bayoneted, and later Mrs. Vandergriff shoots her two daughters to prevent their disgrace at the hands of the enemy. Following some allegorical scenes involving historical American figures, a plea is made for Americans to support military preparedness.
Director
Wilfred North
Cast
Charles Richman
L. Rogers Lytton
James Morrison
Mary Maurice
Louise Beaudet
Harold Hubert
Jack Crawford
Charles Kent
Julia Swayne Gordon
Evart Overton
Belle Bruce
Norma Talmadge
Lucille Hamill
George S. Stevens
Thais Lawton
Lionel Braham
Joseph Kilgour
Paul Scardon
William J. Ferguson
Hudson Maxim
Tefft Johnson
Crew
S. M. Berg
J. Stuart Blackton
J. Stuart Blackton
J. Stuart Blackton
J. Stuart Blackton
Arthur T. Quinn
S. L. Rothapfel
Ivan Rudisill
Albert E. Smith
Leonard Smith
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
This film is presumed lost. Please check your attic.
Notes
According to news items and reviews, J. Stuart Blackton, the vice-president of Vitagraph and the producer of this film, received the commentary and endorsement of several public figures who actively supported military preparedness, the most notable being Theodore Roosevelt. Because of President Wilson's strict policy of neutrality, Blackton avoided identifying "the enemy" as Germany (Emanon is "no name" spelled backwards), although the beer drinking parties and the Kaiser Wilhelm moustaches of the invading soldiers typified prevailing German stereotypes. In fact, modern sources credit this film with setting the tone for the anti-German propaganda pictures of 1917-18. The picture was extremely popular in the U.S. and other Allied Nations. It was shown for the first time on August 6, 1915 to an invited audience at the Vitagraph Theatre in New York. Sources disagree concerning the film's New York premiere; while New York Times states that it was first shown on September 14, 1915, most sources give September 9, 1915 as the premiere date. Before its New York opening, the film was to be shown at militia encampments, special meetings, before authorities in Washington, D.C., in state capitals, at the Army and Navy Club in Washington and on the White House lawn. Contemporary sources note that the following public figures lent their cooperation and also appeared in the film: Secretary of State Robert Lansing, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt, Major General Leonard Wood, Secretary of War Lindley Garrison, Admiral George Dewey, Rev. Dr. Lyman Abbott, General Montgomery M. Macomb, Admiral Charles D. Sigsbee and Admiral Marix. Twenty-five thousand National Guard troops also were used in the film. S. L. Rothapfel arranged the musical accompaniment for the New York showing, while M. Winkler arranged the music for state rights showings. The film was reviewed at lengths of five, eight and nine reels. It was released in Britain under the title An American Home, and was followed by a sequel released in 1917, Womanhood, the Glory of a Nation. In 1917, The Battle Cry of Peace was re-edited and re-released under the title The Battle Cry of War. According to Moving Picture World, Vitagraph filed suit against Henry Ford on June 26, 1916 asking a judgment of one million dollars because of damage from allegations which Ford published in his essay "Humanity and Sanity," which ran in newspapers throughout the country in May 1916. Vitagraph stated that Ford's allegations were that The Battle Cry of Peace attempted to inspire a belief that the United States stood in great danger of an invasion in order that munitions manufacturers, including Hudson Maxim, whose book inspired the film, could profit greatly. Ford's statements, Vitagraph contended in the suit, prejudiced many people against the film and damaged its business in many cities. According to modern sources, Vitagraph was awarded the judgment a year later. Modern sources include Harry S. Northrup and James Lackaye in the cast and credit Frank Tyrell with some of the camera work.
