{{short description|1921 film by John S. Robertson}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Infobox film | name = Sentimental Tommy | image = Sentimental Tommy - Exhibitors Herald, March 19, 1921.jpg | caption = Advertisement | director = John S. Robertson | producer = Famous Players–Lasky | writer = Josephine Lovett (scenario) | based_on = {{basedon|''Sentimental Tommy''|James M. Barrie}} | starring = Gareth Hughes<br />May McAvoy<br />George Fawcett<br />Mabel Taliaferro | music = | cinematography = Roy Overbaugh | editing = | distributor = Paramount Pictures | released = {{film date|1921|5|29|U.S.}} | runtime = 75+ minutes at 8 reels (7,575 ft) | country = United States | language = Silent (English intertitles) | budget = | gross = }}
'''''Sentimental Tommy''''' is a 1921 lost American silent drama film directed by John S. Robertson and based on the novels ''Sentimental Tommy'' and ''Tommy and Grizel'' by J. M. Barrie. The film served as a star vehicle for actor Gareth Hughes; early versions of the film featured Mary Astor but her scenes were removed before release.<ref>[http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/S/SentimentalTommy1921.html Progressive Silent Film List: ''Sentimental Tommy''] at silentera.com</ref>
== Plot == Though the film is considered lost, much of the plot can still be gleaned from various film publications released at the same time as the movie, along with the contents of the novels themselves.<ref name="FilmDaily">{{cite magazine |date=April 3, 1921 |title=Sentimental Tommy: Has a Place Among Year's Best Pictures |url=https://archive.org/details/filmdailyvolume11516newy |access-date=March 18, 2014 |magazine=Film Daily |publisher=Wyd's Films and Film Folks, Inc. |location=New York City |page=2 |volume=16 |issue=3}}</ref>
Grizel constantly experiences tragedies from a young age. She is ostracized by all the children of the town. Her mother, The Painted Lady, dies, leading to Dr. Gemmell making her his housekeeper. Her luck seems to turn up when Tommy Sandys and his sister come to town. Tommy is very friendly towards her, however Grizel still keeps her distance.
Many years pass, and Tommy is now a famous London author. He visits the town of his youth once again, and finds Grizel heartbroken because of the loss of the doctor. Tommy tries deciding for himself whether he loves Grizel - but he can't decide. So, he returns to London. With his absence, Grizel goes insane from heartbreak. Tommy, finally deciding he loves her, returns to Grizel. They marry, but Tommy fears that once Grizel is cured she will no longer love him. Over two years, Tommy slowly helps her - until finally she is cured. Tommy tells her that he cared for her out of his love for her. This pleases Grizel, and for the first time in many years she is happy.
== Cast == {{Cast list| * Gareth Hughes as Tommy Sandys * Malcolm Bradley as Domino Cathro * Harry Coleman as Cpl. Shiach * Kate Davenport as Gavinia * George Fawcett as Dr. McQueen * Leila Frost as Elspeth Sandys * Kempton Greene as Dr. David Gemmell * Alfred Kappeler as The Little Minister * May McAvoy as Grizel * Mabel Taliaferro as The Painted Lady * Virginia Valli as Lady Alice Pippinworth * Mary Astor (scenes deleted) }}
== Reception == thumb|Sentimental Tommy: L-R Gareth Hughes, Mae McAvoy, Leila Frost {{quote box|width=30em|bgcolor=cornsilk|fontsize=100%|salign=center|quote=I fear it is quite useless to tell anybody who did not see ''Sentimental Tommy'' how good May McAvoy was. I can only say that Grizel was the most moving revelation of the gifts of a fresh and hitherto unknown young actress that I have ever encountered…Beauty and pity were the great elements in it, and all seemed to well up as it were spontaneously from the depths of an inexhaustible sensibility. — Literary critic and film historian Edward Wagenknecht.<ref>Wagenknecht, 1962 p. 230: Ellipsis concerns a brief comparison to Jean Simmons. And: "[I]f the touching perfection of a pure girl’s limitless devotion was ever bared upon the screen in all its moving, vulnerable nakedness, it was in that performance and in that film".</ref>}}The film received mixed reviews upon its release on May 29, 1921. ''The Minneapolis Morning Tribune'' expressed admiration for the film's acting, calling out director John S. Robertson for this "very fine film".<ref>{{Cite journal|date=July 3, 1921|title=Diversion A-Plenty In The Motion Picture Theaters|journal=The Minneapolis Morning Tribune}}</ref> It noted in particular the film's handling of emotion. The review also remarked that Gareth Hughes, a popular Welsh actor, was a big hit with the fans.
According to ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'': "There is the tender, elusive quality, the charm and the pathos, the humor, the quality which could bring one to tears while smiling".<ref>{{Cite journal|date=May 22, 1921|journal=The Philadelphia Inquirer|page=52}}</ref> The reviewer called the depiction of Tommy growing from child to man as "simply spectacular". ''Variety'' stated that it must have been "a great pleasure"<ref name="variety">{{Cite journal|date=April 1, 1921|title=Sentimental Tommy|journal=Variety|page=41}}</ref> to record a movie that is so fine and expresses admiration the translation of the book to screen. The reviewer notes that Tommy is a "profound character in this film particular",<ref name="variety" /> and praises the film's direction. People were infatuated with the actor behind Tommy's character, Gareth Hughes, and believed that he well portrayed the Tommy people knew and loved in the novel.
''The Christian Science Monitor'' stated the film "respects its original novel that was printed years prior to the movie".<ref>{{Cite journal|date=May 4, 1921|title=Motion Pictures|journal=The Christian Science Monitor|page=11}}</ref> The author of the article states how Tommy's story is told with "numerous titles but, happily, they are written by someone with an active intelligence". The reviewer likened the film to ''The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse'', ''The Ole Swimming Hole'' and ''Thrums of Long Island''.
Robert E. Sherwood from ''Life'' magazine reviewed ''Sentimental Tommy'' with a list of pros and cons. He mentioned that the director, John S. Robertson, displayed a "commendable degree of good taste throughout".<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Sherwood|first=Robert E.|date=December 29, 1921|title=The Silent Drama|magazine=Life|page=24}}</ref> This "perfect interpretation"<ref name="sherwoodapril">{{Cite magazine|last=Sherwood|first=Robert E.|date=April 14, 1921|title=The Silent Drama|magazine=Life|page=540}}</ref> of the novel led him to say that he was surprised how well the film turned out, considering the unusual settings in the novel. The one thing that bothered Sherwood was that the film was "far too long".<ref name="sherwoodapril" />
Negative reviews included one that ran in ''The Minneapolis Morning Tribune'', where the headline read: "Reviewer calls happy ending only real weakness of screen version".<ref name=":0">{{cite news|date=July 3, 1921|page=45|newspaper=The Minneapolis Morning Tribune}}</ref> ''Life'' expressed dissatisfaction with the top ten movies of 1921, ''Sentimental Tommy'' among them, suggesting that an unwritten law has landed these "trendy movies" at the top.<ref name=":0" />
== References == {{reflist}}
== Further reading == *Wagenknecht, Edward. 1962. ''The Movies in the Age of Innocence''. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma. OCLC: 305160
== External links == {{Commons category|Sentimental Tommy}} * {{IMDb title|0012664}} * [http://www.silentfilmstillarchive.com/sentimental_tommy.htm Still] at silentfilmstillarchive.com
{{John S. Robertson}}
Category:1921 films Category:1921 drama films Category:1921 lost films Category:1921 American films Category:1921 English-language films Category:American black-and-white films Category:American silent feature films Category:English-language drama films Category:Famous Players–Lasky films Category:Films based on British novels Category:Films directed by John S. Robertson Category:Lost American silent drama films Category:Paramount Pictures films