The Broken Butterfly

The Broken Butterfly is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by Maurice Tourneur and starring Lew Cody, Mary Alden and Pauline Starke.[1][2]

The Broken Butterfly
Directed byMaurice Tourneur
Produced byMaurice Tourneur
Written byPenelope Knapp (novel)
H. Tipton Steck
Maurice Tourneur
Charles E. Whittaker
StarringLew Cody
Mary Alden
Pauline Starke
Production
company
Maurice Tourneur Productions
Distributed byRobertson-Cole Distributing Corporation
Release date
November 1, 1919
Running time
5 reels
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent
English intertitles

Plot

While strolling through the forests of Canada, Marcène Elliot (Starke), a naive young woman meets Daniel Thorn (Cody), a composer looking for inspiration for a symphony. They are fascinated by each other and she abandons herself into her lover’s arms. Daniel then writes a symphony and calls it “Marcène” after her. He then asks her to accompany him to "the old continent" for the first time, but she refuses, fearing the anger of her Aunt Julie Elliot (Alden).

Marcène gives birth to a little girl and then her aunt rejects her. Her own fears push her to attempt suicide. Upon returning, Daniel learns from Aunt Julie that Marcène gave birth to his child and that she drowned herself and her daughter. He then travels to forget his pain and meets Marcène's sister in England where she is playing his symphony. They get to know each other, finally fall in love and get married. Upon returning to Canada, they discover that Marcène and her daughter are still alive, but that Marcène lays dying in her bed. In agreement with his wife, they hide their marriage from Marcène. She dies happy and the couple adopts the little girl.

Cast

Preservation status

A print is listed in the catalog of Archives Du Film Du CNC, Bois d'Arcy.[3]

References
  1. Waldman p.89
  2. The AFI Catalog of Feature Films:The Broken Butterfly
  3. The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog:The Broken Butterfly

Bibliography
  • Waldman, Harry. Maurice Tourneur: The Life and Films. McFarland, 2001.
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