Vintage original 11 x 14 in. US title lobby card from the silent film costume drama, ASHES OF VENGEANCE, released in 1923 by First National Pictures in 1923 and directed by Frank Lloyd.
The design evokes the feeling of the period that the film is set in, as it is "A Drama of the Olden Days" as indicated in the bottom right corner of the image. The image features a long shot of Norma Talmadge, as Yolande de Breux, as she holds out her hand to handsome Rupert de Vrieac (Conway Tearle), who kneels before her. It is unrestored in good+ condition.
*"Ashes of Vengeance is a 1923 American drama film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Norma Talmadgeand Wallace Beery. A complete print of Ashes of Vengeance is maintained at the Library of Congress and a partial copy consisting of two reels is in the George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection."
*(source: Wikipedia)
*"The Dec 1922 – Feb 1923 Exhibitors Trade Review announced producer Joseph Schenck’s recent return from Europe, where he purchased motion picture rights for the 1914 H. B. Somerville novel, Ashes of Vengeance, as a starring vehicle for his wife, Norma Talmadge. A news item in the 19 Feb 1923 FD stated that actor Jack Mulhall was given a supporting role at that time, but he did not remain with the project. On 24 Mar 1923, Exhibitors Trade Review revealed that costumer Walter J. Israel spent “a little fortune” acquiring fabrics in New York City for the cast’s sixteenth-century wardrobe, which his staff assembled in Los Angeles, CA. According to the 17 Apr 1923 FD, an enormous reproduction of the Louvre ballroom was constructed at United Studios in Hollywood, CA, which was later became the headquarters of Paramount Pictures.
An article in the May 1923 AmCin described how cinematographer Antonio Gaudio shot "filmdom's largest 'interior' at the United Studios in Hollywood." The Louvre ballroom set, designed as a replica of the real thing, was 328 feet long, requiring that a section of Stage Six's north wall had to be removed. After filming for roughly a week on the ballroom set, using 300 trained dancers, the production moved to "the Huguenot massacre set," which consisted of two 400-feet-long streets of houses and government buildings. The scene required 400 horses and 600 extras.
When 16th-century France is troubled with intense politico-religious rivalry and Catherine de Medicis launches her attack on the Huguenots, the Comte de la Roche spares the life of his enemy, Rupert de Vrieac, a Huguenot, by making him an indentured servant. At the Roche castle, Rupert falls in love with the count's sister, Yolande, who treats him coldly. When the despicable Duc de Tours attempts to force himself on Yolande by threatening to torture Rupert, Yolande yields. Fortunately, Rupert's men arrive in time to kill Lupi, the torturer. The duke dies following a duel with Rupert, and Yolande persuades her brother to release Rupert from his bondage."
*(source: AFI Catalog of Feature Films)
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