The Bridge of San Luis Rey

This first cinematic version of the classic book is a part-talkie, although the only surviving print is silent (housed in the George Eastman House, Rochester, NY). It is a straight-forward telling of the intermingled lives of a group of strangers doomed to die in a collapsing bridge accident. The Art Direction, paltry and unremarkable, surprisingly won an Oscar over the far more remarkable work nominated in THE IRON MASK. The special effect scene of the lovers plummeting with the bridge into the chasm is unforgettable and remarkably done.

Cast

Lili Damita

Camila (La Perichole)

Ernest Torrence

Uncle Pio

Raquel Torres

Pepita

Don Alvarado

Manuel

Duncan Renaldo

Esteban

Henry B. Walthall

Father Juniper

Michael Vavitch

Viceroy

Emily Fitzroy

Marquesa

Jane Winton

Doña Carla