The Broken Butterfly
“A Symphony of Love and Pathos”
About The Broken Butterfly
Marcene Elliot meets composer Darrell Thorne in the Canadian woods. He writes a symphony named for her and asks her to come to New York for the premiere. She refuses, afraid of her aunt Zabie. After a daughter is born, Zabie's reproaches drive Marcene to try to kill herself. Darrell is told she is dead. In England he marries her sister, who has been playing the symphony. They return and find Marcene alive and dying. His wife releases him, he asks Marcene to marry him, and she dies happy. He and the sister take the child.
Cast & crew
More about The Broken Butterfly
Maurice Tourneur directed, wrote, and produced it. Lew Cody plays Darrell Thorne. Pauline Starke plays Marcene Elliot. Mary Alden plays Aunt Zabie. Nina Byron plays the sister. Peaches Jackson plays the child. Robertson-Cole handled it, and Film Booking Offices of America is credited with distribution. It was released on 1 November 1919.
Themes
Notes
- The AFI synopsis uses Darrell Thorne and Marcene Elliot. Some listings spell the names Daniel and Marcène.
- Peaches Jackson is billed as the child. An older credit reads Peaches Johnson.
- Exhibitors Trade Review noticed it on 8 November 1919.
Scenes
- Darrell writes the symphony he calls Marcene.
- Aunt Zabie tells him Marcene and the child are dead.
- The sister plays the symphony in England.
- Marcene dies after he proposes, and the sister keeps the child.
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (The Broken Butterfly (1919) by Maurice Tourneur.webm)
