Kindred of the Dust

Kindred of the Dust
Movie poster
Directed by	Raoul Walsh
Written by	James T. O'Donohoe (screenplay)
Based on	Kindred of the Dust by Peter B. Kyne
Produced by	R. A. Walsh Co.
Starring	Miriam Cooper Ralph Graves
Cinematography	H. Lyman Broening Charles Van Enger
Distributed by	First National Pictures
Release date	February 27, 1922 (1922-02-27)
Running time	80 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Kindred of the Dust is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Raoul Walsh, and starring his wife Miriam Cooper. It was based upon the novel of the same name by Peter B. Kyne. The film was the last independent picture for Walsh's production company, and the last film he and Cooper would make together.^[1] Today it is one of Walsh's earliest surviving features, and is one of only two non-D. W. Griffith features of Cooper's that still is known to survive.

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Plot

As described in a film magazine,^[2] upon discovering that her husband is a bigamist with a son, Nan (Cooper) goes back with her infant son to her father. She of course is ostracized by the local church people. When Donald McKaye (Graves) returns from college, he is the first to give her sympathy and understanding. Young McKaye loves Nan and wants to marry her, but his father, The Laird of Tyee (Belmore), has other more ambitious plans for his son and his mother and sisters resent the idea of the mother of a nameless child becoming the wife of the McKaye heir. Nan is ready to give him up, and when Donald yields to his father's wishes and goes to a mountain hut to think it over, she slips away. Donald falls victim to a fever and is taken to a hospital. After resorting to everything else, the mother swallows her pride and sends for Nan, for whom Donald calls constantly. Her presence restores him. The family gives her a cold "thank you" which drives Donald to the final break with his father. He marries Nan and is disinherited. The old Laird refuses to soften, even when, after the man falls into the river from a motor boat headed for the logging camp when a huge log comes down the chute and hits it, the son plunging into the river and saves the father's life. Reconciliation finally comes after a son is born to Donald and Nan.

Cast

Miriam Cooper as Nan of the Sawdust Pile
Ralph Graves as Donald McKaye
Lionel Belmore as The Laird of Tyee
Eugenie Besserer as Mrs. McKaye
Maryland Morne as Jane McKaye
Elizabeth Waters as Elizabeth McKaye
William J. Ferguson as Mr. Daney
Caroline Rankin as Mrs. Daney
Patrick Rooney as Dirty' Dann OLeary
John Herdman as Caleb Brent
Bruce Guerin as Little Donald

Production

During filming Cooper accidentally gazed into a stage light causing her permanent eye damage that lasted until the end of her life.^[3] The film ended up being Walsh's final independent production and was the last time Cooper and Walsh (who had made several films together) worked together.^[1] The film was one of Cooper's last films as she retired in 1923.

Release

The film was released on February 27, 1922. Cooper felt it was mediocre but the film performed decently at the box office.^[1] The film still exists and was restored in 2004, is one of the few films from Walsh's early years to survive, and is also one of only two surviving films from Cooper's starring years. The film has been screened at a few film festivals since its restoration but has not been released for home video.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Cooper, Miriam (1973). Dark Lady of the Silents. Bobbs Merrill. p. 172. ISBN 0-672-51725-6.
^ "Reviews: Kindred of the Dust". Exhibitors Herald. New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company. 14 (6): 62. February 4, 1922.
^ Cooper, Miriam (1973). Dark Lady of the Silents. Bobbs Merrill. pp. 177–178. ISBN 0-672-51725-6.