Woman to Woman

Last year saw the re-release of The White Shadow, a 1924 film directed by Graham Cutts which had been thought lost for almost 90 years. Only half the film has been recovered (Three reels out of 6), but it got immediate attention nonetheless, mainly because of Alfred Hitchcock's association with the film.

At the time, the famous director was neither famous nor even a director. He was a learning the trade by getting experience in every aspect of the picture making business. The star of the film, the one mentioned in the papers, the very reason for the film's existence was Betty Compson.

Michael Balcon

As a matter of fact, the moderately successful film was only the second leg of a package deal. And the first leg was apparently much superior.

In an interview for a French magazine, October 24, 1924, British actress Marjorie Hume explains that very few British movies cross the Atlantic, or even the Channel for that matter, but that producers found a way to ensure an international career to their films: hiring famous American stars.

Betty Compson

Wanda Hawley, Betty Blythe, Mae Marsh all spent some time in Great Britain for that purpose. And that is exactly what producers Michael Balcon and Victor Saville decided to do. They hired Hollywood star Betty Compson who had been in films for almost ten years and was fresh from the success of her comedies with Fatty Arbuckle and her features like The Little Diplomat with baby star Mary Osborne, The Miracle Man with Lon Chaney, William Desmond Taylor's The Green Temptation, Over The Border with Tom Moore and Jean de Briac,... All films distributed internationally. At the time, Betty was one of the best paid actress and would not come cheap. So the British secured a two picture deal with her.

Publicity shot of Betty Compson at home.

Islington Studios

To save costs, both films would have the same crew (among which Alfred Hitchcock gathered an amazing number of jobs) and the same setting (Paris). As a matter of fact, if most of the film was shot at Islington studio, some of it was made at the Joinville studio in France and Hitchcock went to Paris to get the needed inspiration (and pictures) to design the sets of the films.

Woman to Woman tells the story of David Compton (played by British star Clive Brook), a British army engineer who goes to war in 1914 and leaves his pregnant French mistress Louise Boucher (Betty Compson) behind. She, a dancer at the Moulin Rouge (masterfully recreated by art director Alfred Hitchcock), eventually thinks him dead when he fails to return and brings up her child as a single mother. She gains success as a dancer and becomes known as Deloryse. Though as her fame increases, her health declines. Meanwhile, David is not dead but has completely lost his memory in the battle. He now has a new name (David Anson-Prod) and a new wife!

Alfred Hitchcock's set of the Moulin Rouge

One day, by chance, he goes to the Moulin Rouge and when he sees Deloryse, remembers all. Upon learning that her long lost love is alive and married to another woman, Deloryse feels her already ailing health abandoning her. She entrusts David's new wife with her own son and goes out to keep what will be her last dancing engagement: she dies in the middle of the stage.

Deloryse dies on stage.

Betty Compson & Betty Compson in The White Shadow

 The film was a smashing success and was, as hoped, released throughout the world by Select, the Selznick company, and by Gaumont in France. The White Shadow was hastily shot next and also released internationally but the success was moderate at best, although the film had the added bonus of featuring the lead actress in a dual role.

As I said, of the second film remains the first 40 minutes and you can buy it on DVD. Of the first, more successful one, remains only a handful of stills, some of which can be seen on this website.
However, the success of the film spurred a 1929 talkie remake, directed by Victor Saville himself, also with Betty Compson, available on DVD from Grapevine.

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That's all for today, folks!