The White Sister main backdrop
The White Sister main poster

The White Sister

Visit website

7.0/10 • 11

1923-09-052h 15m

DramaRomance

A love that outlived passion!

Angela Chiaromonte is the daughter of a wealthy Italian prince who is killed in a fall from his horse. Though Angela stands to inherit half of a large estate, her older half-sister burns the will and thus inherits everything herself, throwing Angela into poverty. Fortunately, Angela is engaged to marry dashing Captain Giovanni Severi - but he soon is captured by Arabs while on an expedition to Africa. Believing him dead, Angela, dedicating her life to his memory, becomes a nun, unaware that her lover has escaped his captors and is returning to Italy. The dramatic climax takes place against a backdrop of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Directors
Henry King
Writters
George V. Hobart, Charles E. Whittaker
Editors
George V. Hobart, Charles E. Whittaker, Duncan Mansfield

Top Billed Cast

View Credits
  1. Lillian Gish

    Lillian Gish

    Angela Chiaromonte

  2. Ronald Colman

    Ronald Colman

    Capt. Giovanni Severi

  3. Gail Kane

    Gail Kane

    Marchesa di Mola

  4. J. Barney Sherry

    J. Barney Sherry

    Monsignor Saracinesca

  5. Charles Lane

    Charles Lane

    Prince Chiaromonte

  6. Juliette La Violette

    Juliette La Violette

    Madame Bernard

  7. Gustavo Serena

    Gustavo Serena

    Prof. Ugo Severi

  8. Alfredo Bertone

    Alfredo Bertone

    Filmore Durand

  9. Roman Ibanez

    Roman Ibanez

    Count del Ferice

Reviews1

View Reviews
CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jun 6, 2022

7/10

Lilian Gish pulls out all the stops in this rather sad melodrama about the young daughter of "Prince Chiaromonte". She is his daughter by a second marriage, and when he dies in a riding accident - she finds herself cast out by her elder half-sister who has destroyed the old man's will. Luckily she has the love of "Capt. Severini" (Ronald Colman) but he is despatched to Africa before they can wed. Time passes slowly, she pines something terrible, so imagine her shock when she is informed by "Monsignor Saracinesca" (J. Barney Sherry) that he has been killed-in-action! She turns to the church for solace and becomes a nun, numb to her feelings... Fly in the ointment? Well, the good pastor was a bit premature and when her beau returns unscathed she must make some really tough decisions. Colman features only sparingly, as does Gail Kane as her pretty ruthless sibling but the film belongs to the Gish - or, more especially, her eyes. They are so emotive. For much of the time she is the recipient of bad news, so her grief-stricken expressions get plenty of exercise. Roy Overbaugh has created some beautiful imagery in both the religious and desert settings and Henry King manages to elicit much from a star very much at the top of her game. Maybe the story is a bit predictable but the performances carry it along - for an overly long 2 hours, I have to say - well enough to sustain interest for most of the time. I'd have liked to have seen a little more action from Colman - but as it is, it's a gently evolving story that has stood up well.

Media

  • The White Sister poster
  • The White Sister poster
  • The White Sister poster
  • The White Sister poster

Recommendations

  • Christopher Strong main backdrop

    Christopher Strong

    5.9

  • No Backdrop

    Red

    5.5

  • Scooby-Doo: Agence toutou risques, vol. 1 : Le voleur de vélo main backdrop

    Scooby-Doo: Agence toutou risques, vol. 1 : Le voleur de vélo

    10

  • Joy in Moscow main backdrop

    Joy in Moscow

    6.3

  • Farewell Moscow main backdrop

    Farewell Moscow

    6.7

  • No Backdrop

    Moscow, I Love You!

    5.1

  • Moscowin Kavery main backdrop

    Moscowin Kavery

    6.6

  • No Backdrop

    Mickey's Safety Club: Street Safe, Street Smart

    9.3

  • No Backdrop

    Palkó Csinom

    7.2

  • Splinters main backdrop

    Splinters

    2.0

  • No Backdrop

    L'Affiche rouge

    6.9

  • Little Bird main backdrop

    Little Bird

    5.0

  • No Backdrop

    The Kid

    7.7

  • Muse: Isle of Wight 2022 main backdrop

    Muse: Isle of Wight 2022

    8.0

  • Happy Birth Death main backdrop

    Happy Birth Death

    4.0

  • Moving Midway main backdrop

    Moving Midway

    5.8

  • No Backdrop

    Johnny Goes Home

    8.0

  • Gothalo main backdrop

    Gothalo

    9.5

  • No Backdrop

    Joan Does Dynasty

    2.1

Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
nunnatural disastervolcanosilent filmcatholicismconvent (nunnery)religious vowordinationvesuviusholy ordersspite