The Eternal Woman

The Eternal Woman
Directed byJohn P. McCarthy
Written byWellyn Totman
Starring
CinematographyJoseph Walker
Edited byBen Pivar
Production
company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • March 18, 1929 (1929-03-18)
Running time
65 minutes
CountryUnited States
Languages

The Eternal Woman is a 1929 American silent drama film directed by John P. McCarthy and starring Olive Borden, Ralph Graves and Ruth Clifford.[1] The film, 5,812 ft long, is set in Argentina.[2]

Plot

At an inn in Argentina run by her father, Doris Forbes meets up with her lover, Gil Martin, who is her husband's friend. Martin, however, has been carrying on with Anita, the innkeeper's other daughter, and made her believe a marriage was in their future. Martin kills the father and runs away with Anita; Doris seeks revenge. Sailing to America, she and her husband are the only survivors when the ship wrecks, and the two sisters confront the killer.[2]

Cast

Production

Film Daily reported on March 5, 1929, that Ruth Clifford had been cast, and that a unit led by McCarthy with Clifford, Olive Borden, Ralph Graves, John Miljan, and Nina Quartero had left to film on location.[3]

Release

The film was released to theaters on March 18, 1929 by Columbia Pictures and was seen playing at Loew's in New York on April 1, 1929.[4]

Reception

A Film Daily review praised the screenplay and the performances of Graves and Borden, saying "Borden does her usual sexy stuff and is very effective"; Miljan was called "adequate".[2] Billboard was not impressed with the casting of Borden for the role as the "hot-blooded Argentinian beauty", the movie's continuity, and the likelihood of certain plot points.[5]

Preservation

It is unknown whether the film survives as no copies have been located, likely lost.[6]

References

  1. ^ Munden p.764
  2. ^ a b c "Review: The Eternal Woman". Film Daily. April 7, 1929. p. 5. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  3. ^ "High Mark of Activity is Being Maintained / Cast in Columbia Film". Film Daily. March 5, 1929. p. 9. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  4. ^ "On Broadway". Film Daily. April 1, 1929. p. 8. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  5. ^ J. E. P. (April 13, 1929). "Broadway Film Reviews: The Eternal Woman". Billboard. p. 22. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  6. ^ "American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: The Eternal Woman". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2026.

Bibliography

  • Munden, Kenneth White. The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Part 1. University of California Press, 1997.