An Adventuress
Cast & Crew
Fred J. Balshofer
Julian Eltinge
Fred Covert
William Clifford
Leo White
Virginia Rappe
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
As the government of Alpania, a seaside European republic, is threatened by revolutionary monarchists, three American adventurers, Jack Perry, Dick Sayre and Lyn Brook arrive in the country and immediately become embroiled in the civil strife. Perry offends the monarchists, who capture him and sentence him to death before a firing squad. Brooks rescues his compatriot by bombing the complex, thus killing Perry's captors. Disguised as a woman, Perry infiltrates the royalists' circle where as "Fedora" he quickly becomes a court favorite and also earns the love of Zana, an Alpanian woman. While Perry carries news of the monarchists' plot to the republicans, Brook, donning feminine attire and calling himself "Thelma," diverts Grand Duke Nebo. Perry is recaptured, but commandeers an enemy airplane to safety. After an automobile chase, Perry eludes the revolutionaries and escapes to America with Zana.
Director
Fred J. Balshofer
Cast
Julian Eltinge
Fred Covert
William Clifford
Leo White
Virginia Rappe
R. De Valentina
Stanton Beck
Charles Millsfield
Crew
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Balshofer shot this film in 1918, under the title Over the Rhine, as an anti-German war drama. A trade review from September 1918 credits cast members Eltinge, Clifford and White, plus Alma Francis, Lydia Knott, Frank Bond, Fontaine La Rue, William Pearson, Frank Gastrock and Fred Heck. Although contemporary trade articles speculated that Metro had contracted with Balshofer to release Over the Rhine, the film was never released under that title due to diminished interest in war films after the armistice. The film was released in 1920 as The Adventuress with some plot alterations. In 1922 Balshofer copyrighted the film under the title The Isle of Love, and released it on a state rights basis. (See AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1921-30; F2.2759.) Trade articles written before the release of The Adventuress, and the 1920 copyright entry variously credit the story or scenario to either Charles Taylor or Tom J. Geraghty or both. The 1922 copyright entry credits only Balshofer as the writer of The Isle of Love. Balshofer's autobiography gives the additional information that he planned two endings as the war drew to a close, planning to use a more moral ending if the German peace initiative bore no results. He planned to film the endings at Camp Kearney, near San Diego, CA. Further information in the autobiography states that a version of the film with newly shot material was released later with a plot less anti-German and more comic. This version, according to Balshofer, was also augmented with outtakes of Rudolph Valentino, originally billed as R. De Valentina, to take advantage of his recent popularity, and he received second billing to Eltinge. It is unclear if the changes involving Valentino's performance were made in 1920 or in 1922.
