The Golden Chance (1915)

Star Cloe Ridgely

Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Starring: Cloe Ridgely

The early silent film The Golden Chance is not a film that has any significance in its content or in its production, but rather shows us the talents of a rather new director to the scene of the motion picture community, Cecil B. DeMille, perhaps one of the greatest directors of the early to mid-twentieth century.

DeMille was a busy director at first, directing eleven pictures in 1914 alone. 1915 would be no different, as The Golden Chance was his 14th film to release that year. And with that we see how his use
keen skills in shooting and editing made him a great storyteller and a legend in the land of Hollywood and the filmmaking business.

The story follows Mary Denby (Cloe Ridgely) as she struggles with a poor, drunk, and abusive husband. She finds herself a position as a seamstress for a wealthy couple to make her and her husband some money just to live off of, when one day the couple asks her to join them for a party as a favor and Mary meets a millionaire that she eventually falls in love with, but cannot marry due to her marriage to her current husband. The film's climactic ending includes Mary trying to save herself from her drunk husband's rampage which would eventually lead to him being shot and killed by others out of defense of Mary. The film ends with Mary sobbing in the arms of her new lover after her husband was killed which, I feel, has many layers in the tears she is shedding. The feeling I saw in her face with these precious few seconds before the fade out included: The shock of the struggle, the loss of a once loved man, the relief of the struggle and abuse being over, and a little bit of happiness as she will now be able to marry the one she truly loves and start a new life. (Yes I saw all that in a few seconds of a silent film). I found this picture, though slow in parts, to be one that suck me into the story and made me forget I was watching a silent film. And for that reason I knew it was good picture for its time and that DeMille's skills for even a lesser known work of his is pretty high.

DeMille would go on to make decades worth of pictures and his name would be synonymous with Hollywood. ("I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille.") The film would go on to be remade by the same man in 1921 as Forbidden Fruit. Why? I'm not entirely sure. But it was rather much the same story, just with small adjustments that, I guess, he though he would like to see, but it too seems to be little known as well.

All in all, it was a rather good film, especially for 1915. For me it does open the door to discussion my theory of Hollywood films glamorizing the idea that wealth equals happiness. It is my own theory where I see the glamorous lifestyle often in the films coming out of Hollywood in the early part of the 20th century, and how it is seen as normal and good, while poverty was seen as evil, or as humorous in the comedies of that time. (i.e. Chaplin) In European films of the period I see films that are more on the inner struggles of men and not on the struggles of wealth or lack there of. Maybe it was just the times with the roaring 20s being in that era of American history, but I find it interesting to look at. But we will see in other movies how this theory pans out.

Bravo Mr. DeMille. We shall see more of you soon.