Regeneration (1915 film)

Regeneration (alternately called The Regeneration ) is a 1915 American silent biographical crime drama co-written and directed by Raoul Walsh. The film, which was the first full-length feature film directed by Walsh,[1] stars Rockliffe Fellowes and Anna Q. Nilsson and was adapted for the screen by Carl Harbaugh and Walsh from the memoir My Mamie Rose, by Owen Frawley Kildare and the adapted play by Kildare and Walter C. Hackett.[2]

Regeneration
Anna Q. Nilsson and William Sheer
Directed byRaoul Walsh
Produced byWilliam Fox
Written byCarl Harbaugh (adaptation)
Raoul Walsh (adaptation)
Based onMy Mamie Rose
by Owen Frawley Kildare
The Regeneration
by Walter C. Hackett and Owen Frawley Kildare
StarringRockliffe Fellowes
Anna Q. Nilsson
James A. Marcus
Carl Harbaugh
CinematographyGeorges Benoît
Distributed byFox Film Corporation
Release date
  • September 13, 1915 (1915-09-13)
Running time
72 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent film
English intertitles

Cited as one of the first full-length gangster films,[3] Regeneration tells the story of a poor orphan who rises to control the mob until he meets a woman for whom he wants to change.

Plot

The story follows the life of Owen (Rockliffe Fellowes), a young Irish American boy who is forced into a life of poverty after his mother dies. As a result, Owen is forced to live on the street eventually turning to a life of crime. Owen is eventually reformed, however, by the benevolent social worker Marie Deering (Anna Q. Nilsson). Also featured is a fire aboard an excursion ferry, much like the General Slocum disaster of 1904.

Regeneration 1915 poster

Cast
Anna Q. Nilsson
  • Rockliffe Fellowes – Owen Conway
  • James A. Marcus – Jim Conway
  • Anna Q. Nilsson – Marie 'Mamie Rose' Deering
  • Maggie Weston – Maggie Conway
  • Willam Sheer – Skinny
  • Carl Harbaugh – District Attorney Ames
  • John McCann – Owen Conway (10 years old)
  • Harry McCoy – Owen Conway (17 years old)

Production

Set in New York City, Regeneration was shot on location in New York City's Lower East Side and used real prostitutes, gangsters and homeless people as extras.[4] It is the first produced by Fox Film Corporation, a forerunner of the 20th Century Fox.[5]

Release

Regeneration was originally released on September 13, 1915 to critical acclaim and was a box office hit.[4][6] It was re-released to theaters on January 12, 1919.[5]

Home media

In 2001, Regeneration was released on Region 1 DVD by Image Entertainment along with the 1915 film Young Romance in 2001. The same two-film set was released on manufactured-on-demand DVD by Image Entertainment in 2012.[7] The film is currently in the public domain.[5]

Legacy

Regeneration was previously thought to be lost but was rediscovered in the 1970s. A copy of the film is preserved and held by the Museum of Modern Art Department of Film and the Film Preservation Associates.[5]

In 2000, Regeneration was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".[1][8][9]

References
  1. McDannell, Colleen, ed. (2008). Catholics in the Movies. Oxford University Press. p. 38. ISBN 0-195-30656-2.
  2. Solomon, Aubrey (2011). The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography. McFarland. p. 229. ISBN 0-786-48610-4.
  3. Hahn Rafter, Nicole (2006). Shots in the Mirror: Crime Films and Society. Oxford University Press. p. 23. ISBN 0-195-17506-9.
  4. Finler, Joel Waldo (1986). Movie Directors Story. Random House Value Publishing. p. 80. ISBN 0-517-48079-4.
  5. "Regeneration (1915)". silentera.com.
  6. Moss, Marilyn Ann (2013). Raoul Walsh: The True Adventures of Hollywood's Legendary Director. The University Press of Kentucky. p. 50. ISBN 0-813-14444-2.
  7. "Regeneration (1915): DVD Release Info". silentera.com.
  8. "Complete National Film Registry Listing | Film Registry | National Film Preservation Board | Programs at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  9. "Librarian of Congress Names 25 More Films to National Film Registry". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
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