Cymbeline (1912), dir. Frederick Sullivan/Thanhouser

No IMDb entry

Cast:

Imogen: Florence La Badie
Leonatus: James Cruze
William Garwood
William Russell
Jean Darnell

Advertisement: Motography 9, no. 7 (April 5, 1913):8: URL: http://www.archive.org/stream/motography09elec#page/n619/mode/2up

“Cymbeline,” The Moving Picture World 16, no. 1 (April 5, 1913): 50. URL: http://www.archive.org/stream/movingpicturewor16movi#page/50/mode/2up

“Cymbeline (Thanhouser), March 28. The Shakesperian drama is here worked out in two reels, with good scenic effects. Flo LaBadie and James Cruze play the parts of Imogene and Leonatus, but the whole Thanhouser Company joins forces to make the cast a balanced one. The costuming is sumptuous and the scenes pleasing throughout because of their clean-cut staging. The visit of the Roman officer to Iraogene’s bed chamber, where he takes the bracelet from her wrist as she sleeps, was artistically presented. The battle scenes in the second reel hold the interest well; also the manner in which the separated family of Cymbeline finally becomes reunited. A good offering.”

“Cymbeline,” The Moving Picture World 16, no. 1 (April 5, 1913):60. URL: http://www.archive.org/stream/movingpicturewor16movi#page/60/mode/2up

“This two-reel production of the Shakespearean play. “Cymbeline.” taken in California, shows a praisworthy ambition on the part of the producer. “Cymbeline” is singularly well adapted to rendition in motion pictures, and the director has presented some of the dramatic moments in the play with a fair degree of success. Much pains was evidently taken in a laudable endeavor to be correct in historic details. The scene in Rome where the wager is made between Leonatus and Iachimo to test the fidelity of Imogen was rendered not without skill. Another scene deserving of some praise is the entrance of Iachimo into the bed chamber of Imogen. The situation is handled with great delicacy and follow the spirit of the Shakespearean play. The groupings in the scenes showing the court of Cymbeline seem to lack artistic arrangement. Skilful handling of large groups before the camera is a great art. the lack of which has an ill effect upon the eye. Some of the outdoor settings are beautiful, but in one of them the obtrusion of a decidedly modern house tends to destroy the illusion. On the whole I think that this feature ought to be acceptable to the average motion picture audience, and the producer deserves very great credit for seeking to aim high. Such pictures, though there may be blemishes in the execution, strengthen our hope in the future of kinematography.”

“Cymbeline,” The Moving Picture News 7, no. 12 (March 22, 1913):23. URL: http://www.archive.org/stream/movingpicturenew07unse#page/n423/mode/2up

“CYMBELINE (Part I) (March 28) Cymbeline was King of Britain at the time of the Roman Empire. His only heir was his daughter, Imogen, whom he deeply loved. Imogen had two elder brothers, but they had been stolen before her birth, and it was believed they were dead. As it turned out later, Belarius, a nobleman who had been banished by Cymbeline, had revenged himself by spiriting the children away, and he brought them up as woodsmen and in ignorance of their noble birth.

Imogen had a stepmother, a haughty, cruel woman, who was deeply jealous of the girl. The queen had a son by a former marriage, and she planned to insure her own supremacy by wedding the son to Imogen. The king approved of the match, but the princess declined the alliance, being secretly in love with a young nobleman named Leonatus. The persecutions of her stepmother continued and finally the girl, yielding to her suitor’s pleas, consented to secretly marry him. The queen learned what had happened, informed the king, and Leonatus was bainshed, taking up his residence in Rome. There he mourned his lost love and, on one occasion when other gallants were boasting of their ladies fair, he impulsively declared that none could compare with his princess. Iachimo, a foolish nobleman, took exceptions to his remarks, wagered that he would win the favor of Imogen, and in token of his success, return with a jeweled bracelet, the gift of Leonatus to her. On his part Leonatus pledged himself, if he lost, to hand over to Iachimo the ring Imogen had given him when he was sent into exile.

Iachimo went to Cymbeline’s court and was welcomed by Imogen wh°n he told her he Was her husband’s friend. When he made love to her, however, his advances were spurned with indignation, and the crafty Roman saw that his wager was lost. He then resorted to treachery, entering Imogen’s room at night, hiding in a trunk until she was asleep, and then stealthily removing the treasured bracelet from her arm. With this lying proof of Imogen’s dishonor, Iachimo returned to Rome and forced Leonatus to confess that Iachimo had won the wager. Half beside himself with rage and grief, Leonatus planned the death of his gentle bride. Through his faithful servitor. Pisano, he sent Imogen a loving letter asking her to meet him at a lonely spot outside of Cymbeline’s domain, explaining that it meant death to him if he entered the territory of Britain. There was another note, however, addressed to Pisano, in which Leanatus commanded his follower to slay Imogen when she had been lured out of Britain. Imogen received the note with rapture and, after consulting with Pisano, disguised herself as a page and trustingly accompanied Pisano to the place selected by her revengeful husband as her grave.

PART II. Leonatus was banished from the court of Britain because he secretly married Imogen, the daughter of King Cymbeline. A crafty Roman nobleman, named Iachimo, convinced Leonatus that his wife was untrue to him, so he planned her death. Dressed as a page she went to a lonely spot outside Britain expecting to meet her husband as he had promised in a letter. She found, however, that she had been enticed there to meet death, but her husband’s servitor experienced remorse and at the last moment declined to stain his hands with innocent blood. Imogen, grief-stricken, refused to return to her father’s court, and wandered out into the world. The servant sent word to Leonatus in Rome that Imogen was dead, and Leonatus, who now regretted his hasty and cruel action, bitterly reproached himself.

In her wanderings through the forest Imogen came upon the cavern home of three woodsmen, an old man and two young men. They did not suspect that the graceful page was a girl in disguise, and became devoted friends. The young men were the sons of King Cymbeline, who had been stolen from the palace when children and brought up as woodsmen without any knowledge of their royal birth. At the court they had long been mourned as dead.

About this time the army of Rome invaded Britain and the forces of King Cymbeline were rallied to oppose them. Among those who cheerfully offered themselves were the woodsmen and the two youths who unwittingly were battling for their father. In the fight which ensued these young men, aided by a supposed peasant, turned the tide of battle and brought victory to the forces of King Cymbeline. When the enemy had been captured the heroes were brought before Cymbeline and warmly commended. As this a peasant stepped forward Cymbeline recognized in him Leonatus, who, having heard of the proposed invasion, had fled from Rome to offer his services to his country.

A greater surprise was in store, however, when the woodsmen stepped forward. The eldest of the three told Cymbeline that he was Belarius, who had been banished years before and had plotted revenge; then, pointing to his youthful companions, he said to the King, “Sire, I stole your sons as babies, and I give them back to you.” The king greeted them affectionately, and pardoned Belarius.

Among the Roman prisoners was Tachimo, wounded and dying. The approach of death caused him to confess that he had cruelly maligned Imogen, and he explained to Leonatus how he secured Imogen’s bracelet, not as a lover but as a thief. Leonatus, racked with remorse, was about to slay himself when from the group of prisoners nearby a young page bounded, seized the weapon and hurled it from him. He gazed at the page and recognized his beloved wife. She had been captured by the Romans prior to the battle and forced to act as the general’s servitor.

Humbly Leonatus begged his wife’s forgiveness. Graciously she granted it and the sorrows of the past were forgotten in the happiness of the present and the bright hopes of the future.”