{{short description|1914 silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards}} {{featured article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2018}} {{Infobox film | name = Life's Shop Window | image = Life's shop window still.jpg | alt = A crowd looks on as a man holds up a newborn | caption = Lydia Wilton's baby is presented to the Anderson farm | starring = {{Plainlist| * Claire Whitney * Stuart Holmes }} | based_on = {{based on|''Life's Shop Window''|Victoria Cross}} | director = {{Plainlist| * J. Gordon Edwards }} | screenplay = Mary Asquith | producer = William Fox, Box Office Attraction Company | distributor = Box Office Attraction Film Company | cinematography = Harry Fischbeck | released = {{Film date|1914|11|19}} | country = United States | runtime = 86 minutes }} '''''Life's Shop Window''''' is a 1914 American silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Claire Whitney and Stuart Holmes. It is a film adaptation of the 1907 novel of the same name by Annie Sophie Cory. The film depicts the story of English orphan Lydia Wilton (Whitney), and her husband Bernard Chetwin (Holmes). Although Wilton's marriage is legitimate, it was conducted in secret, and she is accused of having a child out of wedlock. Forced to leave England, she reunites with her husband in Arizona. There, she is tempted by infidelity with an old acquaintance, Eustace Pelham, before seeing the error of her ways and returning to her family.
''Life's Shop Window'' was the first film produced by both William Fox and his Box Office Attraction Film Company, the main corporate predecessor to Fox Film.{{sfn|Solomon|2011|p=13}} Several reviewers approved of the film's expurgated treatment of the novel's plot, although opinions of the quality of the film itself were mixed. It proved very popular upon its initial release in New York, and that success was used to advertise the film elsewhere. Like many of Fox's early works, it was likely lost in the 1937 Fox vault fire.
==Plot== Bernard Chetwin is a boarder at John Anderson's farm in England. He is unimpressed by Anderson's spoiled daughter Bella, but is attracted to their orphaned servant, Lydia Wilton. She tells him of her dreams for a happier life, and they fall in love. Wilton also meets Eustace Pelham, who introduces her to his philosophy of "life's shop window": that many people make life decisions on purely superficial grounds. Chetwin marries Wilton in a secret ceremony.
Intending to establish a farm to support his new family, Chetwin leaves the English countryside for Arizona. Concerned about the dangers of frontier territory, he travels without his newlywed wife, intending to send for her later. When she gives birth to Chetwin's child, Anderson's wife refuses to accept evidence of her marriage, and throws her out of the farm for having a child out of wedlock. She takes the infant with her to Arizona and reunites with Chetwin at his ranch.
The demands of managing the ranch consume all of Chetwin's time, leaving Wilton to feel neglected and unloved. One day, a traveler is injured near the ranch, whom she recognizes as Pelham. Pelham courts her, taking advantage of her loneliness. Although she admits she does not love him, he convinces her to abandon her family and run away with him. As she is preparing to depart, she is confronted by Starlight, an Indian woman who works as a servant on the ranch, who reminds Wilton of the needs of her child. She spurns Pelham and returns to her family. Eventually, Chetwin forgives her and devotes more of his time to her. Pelham may have been killed by Starlight, although his ultimate fate is left unclear.<ref name=AFI /><ref name=Bush />
==Cast== {{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical |total_width=220 |header=Herald |image1=LSW-Herald-Front.jpg |caption1=Exterior of a herald, a type of brochure, advertising the film |alt1=On the left, drawings of transportation surround "LIFE'S SHOP WINDOW THE STORY A suave gentleman sows the seeds of discontent in the mind of a credulous country girl who is married to a hard working home-loving father. This polished rascal with his glib talk about London, New York and Paris and of the beauties and comforts of metropolitan life not only alienates the pretty little woman from her husband but also tries to lure her away from him." On the right, drawings of a man and woman in contemporary dress. Between them, "William Fox Presents", "Life's Shop Window A Victoria Cross masterpiece adapted from the popular play and novel featuring Claire Whitney and Stuart Holmes", and "Direction of the Box Office Attraction Co. of America" |image2=LSW-Herald-Back.jpg |caption2=Interior, describing the film's success in New York |alt2=A montage of images from the film, with the title "LIFE'S SHOP WINDOW from the famous novel and play by Victoria Cross". Scenes are captioned "TO-NIGHT OF ALL NIGHTS— STAY HOME WITH ME", "ABOUT TO LEAVE HUSBAND AND CHILD", "STARLIGHT HAS A PLAN", "STARLIGHT WICKED SQUAW", and "WHERE IS MY WIFE". Below the image, "100,000 people saw 'Life's Shop Window' in one day at ten New York theatres. Thousands were turned away. The biggest popular hit of the year. A delicate but truthful visualization of the novel and play that was the talk of two continents. A story of a clandestine marriage that almost resulted in disaster." }} * Claire Whitney as Lydia Wilton * Stuart Holmes as Bernard Chetwin * Walter Hitchcock as Eustace Pelham * Theresa Michelena as Starlight<ref name=Questions /><ref name=Herald />
==Production== Annie Sophie Cory, writing as Victoria Cross, was a popular but controversial British New Woman novelist.{{sfn|Forward|1999|p=159}}{{sfn|Nelson|2000|pp=3–4, 70}} Adultery and female sexuality are common themes in her works,{{sfn|Forward|1999|p=159}}{{sfn|Wilson|2013|p=63}} which often reversed the expected gender roles of the time, permitting female desire to motivate the plot.{{sfn|Wilson|2013|p=63}} Elizabeth Bisland described Lydia, the main character of Cory's 1907 novel ''Life's Shop Window'', as "a very modernist heroine", comparing her to a more socially successful Hester Prynne.<ref name=Bisland/> Like many of Cross's novels, it attracted controversy, and was banned for a time by the Circulating Libraries Association in the United Kingdom.{{sfn|Wilson|2013|p=63}} ''Life's Shop Window'' had already become the basis of a successful play,<ref name=MPNp24/> based on an expurgated version of the novel's plot.<ref name=Mild />
In 1914, William Fox was operating the successful film distributor Box Office Attraction Film Company. Box Office purchased films from studios such as Balboa Amusement Producing Company, showing them in Fox's New York area theaters and renting prints to exhibitors elsewhere in the country.{{sfn|Slide|2001|pp=26–27}} ''Life's Shop Window'' may have originally been considered for production in this manner.{{sfn|Jura|Bardin|2007|p=70}} However, Fox decided he was unwilling to depend on others for the products his business required, and instead prepared to produce his own films under the Box Office Attraction Film Company name. He purchased the Éclair film studio in Fort Lee, New Jersey and property in Staten Island,{{sfn|Golden|1996|p=30}}{{sfn|Shepherd|2013|p=197}} arranged for actors and crew, and began production with an adaptation of an established work, as was common at the time.{{sfn|Solomon|2011|p=14}}
Rights to the film adaptation were purchased for $100.{{efn|{{Inflation|US|100|1914|fmt=eq}} dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}}}{{sfn|Solomon|2011|p=14}} Like the theatrical adaptation, Mary Asquith's screenplay removed much of the book's controversial sexual elements,{{sfn|Solomon|2011|p=14}} censorship intended to make Fox's nascent studio appear more respectable to the industry.{{sfn|Shepherd|2013|p=197}} Fox selected J. Gordon Edwards to direct,{{sfn|Solomon|2011|p=14}} in what may have been his directorial debut; credit for the earlier ''St. Elmo'' is disputed, with sources disagreeing whether Edwards or Bertram Bracken directed.<ref name=LOC-Elmo /><ref name=AFI-Elmo/>
Filming for ''Life's Shop Window'' took place at a farm on the Staten Island property, and possibly in the Fort Lee studio.{{sfn| Koszarski|2005|p=198}}{{sfn|Ramsaye|1964|p=701}} The budget for this five-reel feature film was small,{{sfn|Solomon|2011|p=227}} with the cost of production reported as $4,500{{efn|{{Inflation|US|4500|1914|fmt=eq}} dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}}}{{sfn|Ramsaye|1964|p=701}} or $6,000;{{efn|{{Inflation|US|6000|1914|fmt=eq}} dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}}}{{sfn|Solomon|2011|p=14}}{{sfn|Golden|1996|p=30}} Fox would exaggerate the cost of production to over thirty times its true value in later advertising.<ref name=CinEnq/> At the time, films of comparable length generally required between $20,000 and $30,000 to produce.{{efn|equivalent to between ${{Inflation|US|20000|1914|fmt=c}} and {{Inflation|US|30000|1914|fmt=c}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}}}{{sfn|Finler|2003|p=41}} Film historian Terry Ramsaye reported that Fox was not pleased with the completed film and initially declared: "Let's burn the damn thing", before being convinced to allow its release.{{sfn|Ramsaye|1964|p=701}} ''Life's Shop Window'' premiered at the Academy of Music in New York on October 20, 1914,<ref name=Bush/><ref name=Variety6/> although it did not receive its official release until November 19.{{sfn|Solomon|2011|p=227}}
==Reception and legacy== [[File:LSW-MichelenaWhitney.jpg|thumb|left|Michelena and Whitney in a publicity still|alt=Two women, costumed as a Native American and a farmer's wife]] Contemporary reviews were mixed. ''Moving Picture World''{{'s}} film critic W. Stephen Bush called the film "first-class" despite problems with the plot, cinematography, and the "unbelievably poor" music accompaniment at the Academy of Music. He also remarked on the censorship of the novel's plot, stating that "not even the sternest of moralists can find anything objectionable" in the film.<ref name=Bush/> Fox's response was published the following week, in which he praised Bush's review and committed to avoiding "the salacious or the sex drama".<ref name=FoxMPW/> Peter Milne of ''Motion Picture News'' also praised the decision to make a "clean" adaptation of the novel, as well as the film's realism.<ref name=Milne/> However, ''Variety'' gave the film a negative review that criticized its editing, its direction, and Whitney's acting ability, suggesting that the film would profit solely on the name of the book it adapted.<ref name=Variety11/>
Despite some critical reviews, the film was popular, especially with women, and financially successful. Double-file lines over a block long were reported for opening-week showings at the Audubon Theatre in New York.{{sfn|Solomon|2011|p=14}}<ref name=Audubon /> After the incorporation of the Fox Film Corporation,{{sfn|Solomon|2011|p=19}} distribution of this film continued under the new company's name.<ref name=Fox /> The success of the initial New York showings featured in subsequent advertising,<ref name=Herald /><ref name=Asheville/> as did Fox's greatly inflated claims of the cost of production.<ref name=CinEnq/>
The 1937 Fox vault fire destroyed most of Fox's silent films,{{sfn|Slide|2000|p=13}} probably including ''Life's Shop Window''.{{sfn|Tarbox|1983|pp=188, 208}} The Library of Congress is not aware of any extant copies.<ref name=LOC/> {{Clear}}
==See also== * List of lost silent films (1910–1914)
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{reflist|30em|refs= <ref name=AFI>{{cite web |title=Life's Shop Window |work=Catalogue of Feature Films |publisher=American Film Institute |url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=1&Movie=1803 |access-date=2015-01-09}}</ref> <ref name=AFI-Elmo>{{cite web |title=St. Elmo |work=Catalogue of Feature Films |publisher=American Film Institute |url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=1&Movie=16398 |access-date=2015-03-17}}</ref> <ref name=Asheville>{{cite news |title=At the Galax Today |newspaper=Asheville Gazette-News|location=Asheville, NC |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3566214/asheville_gazettenews/ |volume=20 |issue=149 |page=10 |date=1915-09-05 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> <ref name=Audubon>{{cite journal|title=Notes of the Trade |journal=The Moving Picture World |date=1914-11-21 |volume=22 |issue= 8 |page=1098 |url=https://archive.org/stream/movingpicturewor22newy#page/1098/mode/1up}}</ref> <ref name=Bisland>{{cite journal |author-last=Bisland |author-first=Elizabeth |title=The Morals of the Modern Heroine |journal=The North American Review |year=1908 |volume=188 |issue=633 |pages=226–236}}</ref> <ref name=Bush>{{cite journal |author-last=Bush |author-first=W. Stephen |title=Life's Shop Window |journal=The Moving Picture World |volume=22 |issue=7 |date=1914-11-14 |page=944 |url=https://archive.org/stream/movingpicturewor22newy#page/944/mode/1up/}}</ref> <ref name=CinEnq>{{cite news |title='Life's Shop Window' To-day |newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer |volume=71 |issue=342 |date=1914-12-08 |page=8 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3566217/the_cincinnati_enquirer/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> <ref name=Fox>{{cite journal |title=Fox Film Company Formed in Milwaukee |journal=Motion Picture News |volume=10 |issue=21 |date=1914-11-28 |page=33 |url=https://archive.org/stream/motionpicturenew102unse#page/n622/mode/1up/}}</ref> <ref name=FoxMPW>{{cite journal |title=Fox Agrees with Bush |journal=The Moving Picture World |date=1914-11-21 |volume=22 |issue= 8 |page=1097 |url=https://archive.org/stream/movingpicturewor22newy#page/1097/mode/1up/}}</ref> <ref name=Herald>{{cite press release |title=William Fox Presents Life's Shop Window |publisher=Box Office Attractions Company |year=c. 1914 |type=herald}}</ref> <ref name=LOC>{{Cite web |date= |others= |title=The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: Life's Shop Window |url=http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.6878/default.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218123141/http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.6878/default.html |archive-date=2023-12-18 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=memory.loc.gov}}</ref> <ref name=LOC-Elmo>{{cite web |title=St. Elmo [motion picture] |work=American Silent Feature Film Database |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=2015-01-09 |url=http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.9500/default.html}}</ref> <ref name=Mild>{{cite journal |title='Life's Shop Window' Mild |journal=Variety |volume=28 |issue=1 |date=1912-10-06 |page=11 |url=https://archive.org/stream/variety28-1912-09#page/n10/mode/1up}}</ref> <ref name=Milne>{{cite journal |author-last=Milne |author-first=Peter |title=Life's Shop Window |journal=Motion Picture News |volume=10 |issue=20 |page=40 |date=1914-11-21 |url=https://archive.org/stream/motionpicturenew102unse#page/n545/mode/1up/}}</ref> <ref name=MPNp24>{{cite journal |title=Box Office Engages Array of Broadway Stars |journal=Motion Picture News |volume=10 |issue=20 |page=24 |date=1914-11-21 |url=https://archive.org/stream/motionpicturenew102unse#page/n529/mode/1up/}}</ref> <ref name=Questions>{{cite journal |title=Questions and Answers |journal=Photoplay |year=1916 |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=149–152, 165, 167–170 |url=https://archive.org/stream/phojuldec1011chic#page/n336/mode/1up/}}</ref> <ref name=Variety6>{{cite journal |title=More Stars |journal=Variety |volume=36 |issue=6 |date=1914-10-10 |page=22 |url=https://archive.org/stream/variety36-1914-10#page/n73/mode/1up}}</ref> <ref name=Variety11>{{cite journal |title=Life's Shop Window |journal=Variety |volume=36 |issue=11 |date=1914-11-14 |page=25 |url=https://archive.org/stream/variety36-1914-11#page/n68/mode/1up/}}</ref> }}
==Bibliography== * {{cite book |author-last=Finler |author-first=Joel W. |title=The Hollywood Story |year=2003 |publisher=Wallflower Press |isbn=978-1-903364-66-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/hollywoodstory0000finl }} * {{cite book |author-last=Forward |author-first=Stephanie |chapter=Victoria Cross(e) |page=159 |title=The Cambridge Guide to Women's Writing in English |editor-last=Sage |editor1-first=Lorna |year=1999 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-66813-2 }} * {{cite book |author-last=Golden |author-first=Eve |title=Vamp: The Rise and Fall of Theda Bara |year=1996 |publisher=Vestal Press |isbn=978-1-879511-32-3 }} * {{cite book |author1-last=Jura |author1-first=Jean-Jacques |author2-last=Bardin |author2-first=Rodney Norman |title=Balboa Films: A History and Filmography of the Silent Film Studio |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7864-3098-7 |publisher=McFarland }} * {{cite book |author-last=Koszarski |author-first=Richard |title=Fort Lee: The Film Town (1904–2004) |year=2005 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=978-0-86196-652-3 }} * {{cite book |editor-last=Nelson |editor-first=Carolyn Christensen |title=A New Woman Reader: Fiction, Articles and Drama of the 1890s |year=2000 |publisher=Broadview Press |isbn=978-1-55111-295-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/newwomanreaderfi0000unse }} * {{cite book |author-last=Ramsaye |author-first=Terry |title=A Million and One Nights: A History of the Motion Picture |year=1964 |orig-year=1926 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-7146-1588-2 }} * {{cite book |author-last=Shepherd |author-first=David J. |title=The Bible on Silent Film: Spectacle, Story and Scripture in the Early Cinema |year=2013 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-04260-5 }} * {{cite book |author-last=Slide |author-first=Anthony |title=Nitrate Won't Wait: A History of Film Preservation in the United States |year=2000 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-0836-8 }} * {{cite book |author-last=Slide |author-first=Anthony |title=The New Historical Dictionary of the American Film Industry |edition=2nd |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-1-57886-015-9 |year=2001 }} * {{cite book |author-last=Solomon |author-first=Aubrey |title=The Fox Film Corporation, 1915–1935: A History and Filmography |year=2011 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-6286-5 }} * {{cite book |author-last=Tarbox |author-first=Charles H. |title=Lost Films 1895–1917 |publisher=Jef Films |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-9610916-0-6 }} * {{cite book |author-last=Wilson |author-first=Nicola |chapter=Circulating Morals (1900–1915) |title=Prudes on the Prowl: Fiction and Obscenity in England, 1850 to the Present Day |editor1-last=Bradshaw |editor1-first=David |editor2-last=Potter |editor2-first=Rachel |pages=52–70 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-19-969756-4 }}
==External links== *{{IMDb title|id=tt0004224|title=Life's Shop Window}}
{{J. Gordon Edwards}}
Category:1914 films Category:1914 drama films Category:1914 directorial debut films Category:American silent feature films Category:American black-and-white films Category:Films based on British novels Category:Films directed by J. Gordon Edwards Category:1914 lost films Category:1914 American films Category:Works subject to expurgation Category:1914 English-language films Category:English-language drama films Category:Lost American silent drama films