A crippled World War I veteran retracts to a small cottage in the countryside to escape from his nosy family and to hide from the outside world. There he meets a plain but also a very kind y... Read allA crippled World War I veteran retracts to a small cottage in the countryside to escape from his nosy family and to hide from the outside world. There he meets a plain but also a very kind young woman. She reveals to him that the house he is staying in is in fact a very old honey... Read allA crippled World War I veteran retracts to a small cottage in the countryside to escape from his nosy family and to hide from the outside world. There he meets a plain but also a very kind young woman. She reveals to him that the house he is staying in is in fact a very old honeymoon cottage. Spirits of newlyweds from the past, who are still swirling through the cotta... Read all
- Awards
- 2 wins
- Maj. Hillgrove
- (as Holmes E. Herbert)
- Little girl in front of cottage
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- Trivia(1923). Stage Play: The Enchanted Cottage. Written by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero. Directed by Jessie Bonstelle and William A. Brady. Ritz Theatre: 31 Mar 1923- May 1923 (closing date unknown/65 performances). Cast: Geraldine Ballard (as "Cherub"), Merlin Ballard (as "Imp/Corsellis Child"), Seldon Bennett (as "Rigg"), Clara Blandick (as "Mrs. Minnett/First Witch"), Thomas Broderick (as "First Groom"), Herbert Bunston (as "Rupert Smallwood"), Norman Byron (as "Corsellis Child/Cherub"), Cora Calkins (as "Third Witch"), Elizabeth Collins (as "Bridesmaid"), Katharine Cornell (as "Laura Pennington"), Gertrude Dailey (as "Corsellis Child/Imp"), Dorothy Dorbandt (as "Cherub"), Grace Dougherty (as "Third Bride"), Gilbert Emery (as "Major Murray Hillgrove, D.S.O., M.C."), Francis Fay (as "Cherub"), Winifred Frazer (as "Mrs. Smallwood"), Harry Garwood (as "Cherub"), Gwyneth Gordon (as "Ethel"), Julia Gorman (as "Imp/Corsellis Child"), Roland Hanson (as "Second Groom"), Phyllis Jackson (as "First Bride"), Genevieve Kane (as "Corsellis Child"), Margaret Kastner (as "Cherub"), Stanley Lindahl (as "Third Groom"), Gudrun Mantzius (as "Second Bride"), Harry Neville (as "Rev. Charles Corsellis"), Dorothy Revere (as "Bridesmaid"), George Ryan (as "Corsellis Child"), Helen Ryan (as "Second Witch"), Eileen Smith (as "Cherub"), Noel Tearle (as "Oliver Bashforth"), Dolly Tigue (as "Imp/Corsellis Child"), Ethel Wright (as "Mrs. Corsellis"). Produced by William A. Brady Ltd. Note: Filmed by Inspiration Pictures [distributed by Associated First National Pictures] as The Enchanted Cottage (1924), and by RKO Radio Pictures as The Enchanted Cottage (1945).
- ConnectionsFeatured in Hollywood (1980)
To ward off Ms. Short, who he fears is about to move in with him, Barthelmess proposes to homely May McAvoy (as Laura Pennington), a woman he's acquainted with through blind friend Holmes Herbert (as Major Hillgrove). Even blind, Mr. Holmes knows Ms. McAvoy is ugly because, "We sense what other people see." But, McAvoy is kind, and agrees to become companion to Barthelmess, through marriage. The pitiful newlyweds take care of each other, but hide from most people - with the exception of blind friend Holmes. Together, they find "The Enchanted Cottage" they live in was home to 300 years of honeymooning lovers.
Like the spirits of couples roaming around the cottage, Barthelmess and McAvoy fall in love. Then, something magical changes their disfiguring appearances. McAvoy abruptly loses her overbite and crooked nose (shown in dramatic profile dissolve). Barthelmess exclaims, "How blind I've been - you are beautiful!" Then he stands up straight as she exclaims, "You are wonderful to me!" The newly attractive pair are deliriously happy, of course. They share the miracle of their appearance with blind friend Holmes. After considering Holmes' counsel, Barthelmess and McAvoy decode to reveal their newly-found beauty to his family
This leads to the film's most dramatic scene, which you really should see for yourself. The Arthur Wing Pinero story, re-made with Robert Young and Dorothy McGuire in 1945, is indeed enchanting. This version benefits from the appearance of two great stars who successfully left their respective "nests" - Barthelmess from Griffith, McAvoy from DeMille - and found good roles. Here, McAvoy is most successful, due to the nose and teeth work looking extraordinarily realistic (possibly helped by a fuzzy print, but still). Barthelmess fares less well, apparently stricken with the paralytic disorder Lon Chaney suffered in "Flesh and Blood" (1922).
Directed by John S. Robertson, "The Enchanted Cottage" was the ninth best film of the year, per "Motion Picture" magazine.
****** The Enchanted Cottage (3/24/24) John S. Robertson ~ Richard Barthelmess, May McAvoy, Holmes Herbert, Florence Short
- wes-connors
- May 22, 2010
- Permalink
Details
- Runtime1 hour 10 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1