The Great Shadow (film)

The Great Shadow is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Harley Knoles and starring Tyrone Power Sr., Donald Hall and Dorothy Bernard.^[1]

The Great Shadow
Directed by	Harley Knoles
Written by	Rudolph Berliner Eve Unsell
Produced by	Lewis J. Selznick George Brownridge
Starring	Tyrone Power Sr. Donald Hall Dorothy Bernard
Cinematography	George Coudert Philip Hatkin
Edited by	Ralph Ince
Production company	Adanac Producing Company
Distributed by	Selznick Distributing Corporation
Release date	April 21, 1920 (1920-04-21)
Running time	60 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	Silent English intertitles

The making of the film is the subject of the Canadian play of the same name, written by Alex Poch-Golden.^[2]

Plot

Jim McDonald, the head of a union, struggles against a group of Bolsheviks led by Klimoff. A strike is called and McDonald's child is killed due to sabotage. Elsie, daughter of the capitalist Donald Alexander, is kidnapped by the Bolsheviks, but is saved by her lover, a secret agent.^[3]

Cast

• Tyrone Power Sr. as Jim McDonald
• Donald Hall as Donald Alexander
• Dorothy Bernard as Elsie Alexander
• Jack Rutherford as Bob Sherwood
• Louis Stern as Klimoff
• E. Emerson as Greek leader
• Eugene Hornboestel as Frank Shea

Production

Filming of The Great Shadow in Trenton, Ontario in 1919

The film was sponsored by the Canadian Reconstruction Association. Originally, Travers Vale was assigned to direct the film but dropped out before filming began, and suggested the appointment of Harley Knoles.^[4] A Vickers factory in Montreal and a film studio in Trenton, Ontario were used for filming. Union members at the factory were used as unpaid extras.^[3]