The Faded Lilies
About The Faded Lilies
François, a hunchbacked violinist, plays at a party. A debutante gives him lilies of the valley for the music, and he takes the flowers as love. When he learns they were only thanks, he loses his reason. A doctor asks the young woman to pretend she cares; she wears a ring François gives her. He finds the ring gone, sees the ruse, pours out his medicine and drinks water in its place, and dies holding the faded lilies.
Cast & crew
More about The Faded Lilies
D. W. Griffith wrote and directed it. G. W. Bitzer and Arthur Marvin photographed it at the Biograph studio in New York from May 15 through May 26, 1909. Biograph copyrighted 481 feet on June 12, 1909 (H128253) and released it on June 17 on a split reel with Her First Biscuits.
Themes
Reviews
Moving Picture World, on June 26, 1909, called it one of Biograph's pathetic dramas that forces the viewer to follow it to the end, and said the death scene was so realistic that the audience scarcely breathed.
Look
G. W. Bitzer and Arthur Marvin shot the reel in the Biograph studio in New York between May 15 and May 26, 1909.
Preservation
The film survives. The Library of Congress holds a paper print, and Silent Era lists it as public domain in the United States.
Notes
- David Miles plays François. James Kirkwood plays the doctor. Mary Pickford is a guest at the party.
- The period title on Biograph paper is often spelled The Faded Lillies.
- A Biograph advertisement reproduced in Scott Eyman's Mary Pickford book gives a release date of July 28, 1909, against the June 17 date in the AFI Catalog.
- Silent Era lists the film as public domain in the United States. A paper print is at the Library of Congress.
Scenes
- François finds the ring missing and understands that the woman's affection was an act.
- He dies with the faded lilies in his hands after drinking water in place of his medicine.
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (The Faded lillies (1909).webm)
- Library of Congress
