Madame Butterfly (1915 film)

Infobox Film
name = Madame Butterfly


caption = Theatrical poster
director = Sidney Olcott
writer = John Luther Long (novel)
starring = Mary Pickford
producer =
distributor = Paramount Pictures
budget =
released = November 7, 1915
country = USA
language = Silent film
English intertitles
runtime =
language = Silent
imdb_id = 0005682

"Madame Butterfly" is a 1915 silent film directed by Sidney Olcott. The film is based upon a John Luther Long novel and the operetta "Madama Butterfly".

Production

Reportedly, leading actress Mary Pickford fought constantly with Sidney Olcott about the character. Olcott wanted Pickford to be more reserved and thought she was "too Americanized to play a Japanese". [ [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/100821/Madame-Butterfly/overview Review on The New York Times] ]

Plot

The film takes place in Japan in 1904. Lieutenant Pinkerton (Marshall Neilan) marries Cho-Cho-San 'Butterfly' (Mary Pickford), a 15-year-old Japanese geisha. Cho-Cho-San is lucky with her new husband and takes the marriage very seriously. Pinkterton, however, regards it as entertainment. He is not in love with her and plans to break off the wedding in a month. The American Consul (William T. Carleton) begs him to break off the wedding as soon as possible, to avoid hurding her feelings. The lieutenant laughs him off.

Pinkerton soon discovers Cho-Cho-San broke contact with her disapproving family in order to be married with him. He also finds out her father was a samuarai who killed himself and that was the reason why Cho-Cho-San was taught to be a geisha. When Pinkerton is ordered to return to America, he promises Cho-Cho-San he will return before he leaves. Three years go by. Cho-Cho-San, now a mother, still believes Pinkerton will return someday, while he is engaged to an American woman. He sends her a letter to announce he will marry another woman, but Cho-Cho-San can't read.

Meanwhile, The Prince of Japan (David Burton) takes interest in Cho-Cho-San, but she refuses his company and claims she is still waiting for her husband. Sometimes later, Pinkerton returns to Japan and announces to her maid Suzuki (Olive West) she will marry an American woman. The American woman asks Cho-Cho-San to give them her child. Cho-Cho-San is crushed and kills herself in the final scene.

Cast

* Mary Pickford - Cho-Cho-San
* Marshall Neilan - Lieutenant Pinkerton
* Olive West - Suzuki
* Jane Hall - Adelaide
* Lawrence Wood - Cho-Cho-San's father
* Caroline Harris - Cho-Cho-San's mother
* M.W. Rale - The Nakodo
* William T. Carleton - The American Consul
* David Burton - The Prince
* Cesare Gravina - The Soothsayer
* Frank Dekum - Naval officer

Reference

External links

*imdb title|id=0005682|title=Madame Butterfly