The Fall of a Nation
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Thomas Dixon
Lorraine Huling
Percy Standing
Arthur Shirley
Flora Macdonald
Paul Willis
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
American millionaire Charles Waldron heads a German-backed conspiracy to overthrow the United States by arming the nation's immigrants. The takeover succeeds, and Charles appoints himself Prince. Virginia Holland, a suffragette and a peace activist, feigns support for the new regime and is given a high government position by Charles, who always has loved her. In secret, however, Virginia rejects her commitment to peace and organizes the "Daughters of Jael," a group of women dedicated to the overthrow of the immigrant government. The women first flirt with the soldiers of the occupying army and then, when the men drop their guard, they kill them. With the help of other vigilante groups, the women finally restore the United States government, and Virginia makes plans to marry Congressman John Vassar who, before the immigrant takeover, had been lobbying hard for increased American military preparedness.
Director
Thomas Dixon
Cast
Lorraine Huling
Percy Standing
Arthur Shirley
Flora Macdonald
Paul Willis
Philip Gastrock
C. H. Geldart
Leila Frost
Edna May Wilson
Mildred Bracken
May Geraci
Beulah Burns
A. E. Witting
Ernest Butterworth
Crew
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
This film is considered lost.
Notes
Victor Herbert's score for this film was the first original score to be written entirely for a film. The score for Civilization by Victor Schertzinger was written later, although that film was released earlier. According to contemporary news items, The Fall of a Nation was shown extensively in the European war zones and in various cities of Russia. This was the first film of the National Drama Corp., whose studio was in Hollywood. The film had its premiere in New York on June 6, 1916 and showed in other big cities before its national release on September 18, 1916 by V-L-S-E, Inc. Bartley Cushing and George L. Sargent were described in various sources as assistants to the director. Cushing also was described as the principal stage director. Because Sargent was a director in his own right, and Thomas Dixon, who is credited in reviews as the director, was a novelist and playwright, the division of responsibility of the film is unclear. According to the 1918 MPSD, Wiley J. Gibson worked on the film in some capacity, and Henry I. MacMahon was the press representative.
