Yolanda
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRobert G. Vignola
Written byLuther Reed (screenplay)
Based onYolanda
by Charles Major
Produced byWilliam Randolph Hearst
StarringMarion Davies
CinematographyGeorge Barnes
Ira H. Morgan
Music byWilliam Frederick Peters
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as of May 1924)
Release dates
February 19, 1924 (premiere)
September 15, 1924 (nationwide)
Running time
11 reels (10,700 feet)
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

Yolanda is a 1924 American silent historical drama film produced by William Randolph Hearst (through his Cosmopolitan Productions) and starring Marion Davies.[1] Robert G. Vignola directed as he had Enchantment (1921) and several other Davies costume films. The film began production as a Metro-Goldwyn film, with the company becoming Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in May 1924.[2][3]

This was the second Marion Davies vehicle produced by Cosmopolitan from a Charles Major novel, the first being the phenomenally successful (and expensive) When Knighthood Was in Flower in 1922. Unlike Knighthood, Yolanda was not financially successful.[4]

Plot

As described in a film magazine review,[5] Princess Mary of Burgundy is informed by her father the Duke that she is to marry Maximillian of Styria. Presents are exchanged. The Princess incognito goes to the silk fair and meets and falls in love with a knight who proves to be Maximillian. The later is thrown into the castle dungeon by conspirators and is about to be executed when saved through the intervention of the Princess. Through evil influences the Duke is induced to change his mind regarding a son-in-law and transfers the alliance to one with the half-witted son of the French king. Mary is given over to the care of the French court. Maximillian rescues her and, following the death of the Duke in a battle with the Swiss, is chosen to lead the Burgundians. The wedding of Maximillian and Mary is announced.

Cast

Marion Davies photograph taken by Alfred Cheney Johnston for the film Yolanda

unbilled

  • Roy Applegate as Sir Karl Pitti
  • Arthur Tovey
  • Kit Wain as Peasant boy

Production

In her 18th film, Marion Davies starred in a dual role: as Princess Mary of Burgundy and as Yolanda. Joseph Urban designed the mammoth sets which covered a city block on 2nd Avenue in New York. Exhibitors Herald reported it was the largest movie set ever built on the East Coast. This was the final Davies film Robert G. Vignola directed. This was also the only pairing of Davies and Ralph Graves. While the film did well in big cities, that success did not extend to small towns and the film was generally considered a failure. It was just too similar to When Knighthood Was in Flower.[6]

Preservation

Yolanda is extant at Cinematheque de Belgique and the Museum of Modern Art and a trailer survives at the Library of Congress.[7][8]

References

  1. ↑ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Yolanda
  2. ↑ Progressive Silent Film List: Yolanda at silentera.com
  3. ↑ The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1921-30 by The American Film Institute, c.1971
  4. ↑ Pegolotti, James A. Deems Taylor: A Biography. Northeast University Press. p. 119. Web June 27, 2014 ISBN 1-55553-587-9
  5. ↑ Blaisdell, George (March 1, 1924). "Box Office Reviews: Yolanda". Exhibitors Trade Review. New York: Exhibitors Review Publishing Corporation. 15 (15): 25. Retrieved September 16, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. ↑ Lorusso, Edward (2017) The Silent Films of Marion Davies. CreateSpace. pp. 96-97. ISBN 978-1-5472-4795-0
  7. ↑ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: Yolanda
  8. ↑ Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress, c.1978 by The American Film Institute
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