The Devil Plays

About the production

This was one of Richard Thorpe's earliest directorial efforts during his prolific career in silent cinema. The film was produced during the early 1920s when mystery films were gaining popularity with audiences. Like many silent films of this era, it was likely shot quickly with limited resources and a small cast.

Themes

Themes & topics

Historical background

Made in its country of production around 1921, The Devil Plays belongs to the late silent period. Its story of a mystery novelist's detective skills are put to the test when he attends a party where a murder is committed spoke to audiences of the day through familiar genres and topical settings.

Why this film matters

Archivists and historians still cite The Devil Plays when tracing how the late silent period filmmakers staged mystery and novelist on screen.

Making of

Production details for The Devil Plays are sparse in surviving records. Direction is attributed to Richard Thorpe.

What critics said

Reviews from 1921 weighed The Devil Plays on pacing, performance, and novelty. Later criticism reads its emphasis on mystery, novelist, detective through modern standards of craft and representation.

Did you know?

• Directed by Richard Thorpe.
• Production country: United States.
• Release year commonly listed as 1921.
• The Devil Plays is a 1931 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Jameson Thomas, Florence Britton and Thomas E.
• TMDB identifier: 385987.

Visual style

No specific information is available about the cinematography of The Devil Plays. As a silent film from 1921, it would have utilized the visual storytelling techniques common to the era, including expressive lighting, composition, and camera movement to convey emotion and advance the narrative. The mystery genre typically employed dramatic lighting and shadows to create suspense and atmosphere.

Innovations

No specific technical achievements are documented for The Devil Plays. As a 1921 production, it would have utilized standard filmmaking technology of the silent era. The film was likely shot on 35mm nitrate film stock, which was standard at the time but has since proven to be highly unstable and prone to deterioration, which may explain the film's apparent lost status.

Music

As a silent film, The Devil Plays would have been accompanied by live musical performance during its theatrical run. The specific musical arrangements or composer are not known. Typical accompaniment for a mystery film of this era would have included a piano or small orchestra performing popular classical pieces, mood-appropriate selections, and possibly original compositions to enhance the suspenseful atmosphere.

Memorable scenes

• The murder scene at the party where the mystery novelist realizes his fictional expertise must become reality

What audiences thought

Patrons who saw The Devil Plays during initial runs judged it alongside other crime film releases of the day.

Film connections

Influenced by

• Detective fiction of the 1910s-1920s
• Earlier mystery films such as 'The Mystery of the Yellow Room' (1919)

Film restoration

The Devil Plays (1921) is believed to be a lost film. Like approximately 75% of silent films produced in the United States, it has not survived in archives or private collections. The nitrate film stock used during this era was highly flammable and prone to deterioration, and many films from smaller production companies were not preserved when the industry transitioned to sound in the late 1920s.

Where to watch

• is not available for viewing as it is believed to be lost. No known copies exist in film archives or private collections.