The Exploits of Elaine

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox film | name = The Exploits of Elaine | image = Movie poster - The Exploits of Elaine - The Devil Worshippers (1914).jpg | caption = Theatrical poster for Chapter 13 | director = [[Louis J. Gasnier]] [[George B. Seitz]] [[Leopold Wharton]] [[Theodore Wharton]] | writer = [[Charles W. Goddard]] George B. Seitz [[Basil Dickey]] [[Arthur B. Reeve]] | producer = Leopold Wharton Theodore Wharton George B. Seitz | starring = [[Pearl White]] [[Arnold Daly]] [[Sheldon Lewis]] | distributor = [[Pathé|Pathé Exchange]] [[The Whartons Studio|Whartons Studio]] | released = {{Film date|1914|12|28}} | runtime = | country = United States | language = [[Silent film|Silent]] (English [[intertitle]]s) | budget = }}

'''''The Exploits of Elaine''''' is a 1914 American [[Serial (film)|film serial]] in the [[damsel in distress]] genre of ''[[The Perils of Pauline (1914 serial)|The Perils of Pauline]]'' (1914).

''The Exploits of Elaine'' tells the story of a young woman named Elaine who, with the help of a detective, tries to find the man, known only as "The Clutching Hand", who murdered her father.<ref>{{cite book |last =Rovin |first =Jeff |title =The Encyclopedia of Supervillains |publisher =Facts on File |date =1987 |location =New York |isbn = 0-8160-1356-X |page=61}}</ref> The Clutching Hand was the first [[mystery villain]] to appear in a film serial. The concept was widely used for the remainder of the format's existence.

The serial stars [[Pearl White]] (who also starred in ''The Perils of Pauline''), [[Arnold Daly]], [[Sheldon Lewis]], [[Creighton Hale]], and [[Riley Hatch]]. [[Lionel Barrymore]] had a small role. The serial was written by [[Arthur B. Reeve]] (novel), [[Charles W. Goddard]], and [[George B. Seitz]], and directed by [[Louis J. Gasnier]], Seitz, and [[Leopold Wharton]]. The film was produced by the [[The Wharton Studio|Wharton Studio]] of Ithaca, New York, and distributed by [[Pathé Exchange]], the American distribution branch of the French company [[Pathé]] at that time. Pathé was the largest film equipment and production company in the world during the first part of the 20th century.

The film was followed in 1915 by ''[[The New Exploits of Elaine]]''.

The serial, which is extant, was named to the United States [[National Film Registry]] in 1994 for its cultural and historic importance.<ref>[http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/E/ExploitsOfElaine1914.html Progressive Silent Film List: ''The Exploits of Elaine''] at silentera.com</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |website=Library of Congress|access-date=2020-04-28}}</ref>

==Cast== * [[Pearl White]] - Elaine Dodge * [[Arnold Daly]] - Detective [[Craig Kennedy]] * [[Creighton Hale]] - Walter Jameson (Ep. 1, 2, 3) * [[Raymond Owens]] - Walter Jameson (Ep. 4–14) * [[Sheldon Lewis]] - Perry Bennett / The Clutching Hand. Sheldon Lewis, as the handsome attorney Perry Bennett and The Clutching Hand, was "the first in the serial genre's long parade of unknown menaces."<ref name="stedman">{{cite book | last = Stedman | first = Raymond William | title = Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment | year = 1971 | publisher = University of Oklahoma Press | isbn = 978-0-8061-0927-5 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/serialssuspensea00sted/page/16 16–18] | chapter = 1. Drama by Instalment | chapter-url-access = registration | chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/serialssuspensea00sted/page/16 }}</ref><ref name="GMS">{{cite book | last = Harmon | first = Jim |author2=Donald F. Glut | author-link = Jim Harmon | title = The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury | year = 1973 | publisher = Routledge | isbn = 978-0-7130-0097-9 | pages = 7 | chapter = 1. The Girls "Who Is That Girl in the Buzz Saw?" | author-link2 = Donald F. Glut }}</ref> * [[Edwin Arden]] - Wu Fang * Leroy Baker - The Butler * Bessie Wharton - Aunt Josephine, Mrs. Dodge * [[Riley Hatch]] - President Dodge (as William Riley Hatch) [[File:Pearl White and Creighton Hale.gif|right|200px| Pearl White and [[Creighton Hale]].]] * Robin H. Townley - Limpy Red * [[Floyd Buckley]] - Michael * [[Lionel Barrymore]] - Undetermined Role * M.W. Rale - Wong Lang Sin, a [[Yellow Peril]] character, who wants the Clutching Hand's treasure map. He became just an agent of Wu Fang in the sequel. Wu Fang appeared in several Pearl White serials.<ref>{{cite book | last = Stedman | first = Raymond William | title = Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment | year = 1971 | publisher = University of Oklahoma Press | isbn = 978-0-8061-0927-5 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/serialssuspensea00sted/page/39 39] | chapter = 2. The Perils of Success | chapter-url-access = registration | chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/serialssuspensea00sted/page/39 }}</ref>

==Production== ''The Exploits of Elaine'' was based on a book in the "[[Craig Kennedy]], Scientific Detective" series by Arthur B. Reeve.<ref name="stedman" /> It was a prototype for the scientific mystery serials but has less interest for later audiences. A lot of the technology and science demonstrated in the serial soon became out of date or considered mundane. For example, the serial has to explain the concept of [[fingerprinting]] in dramatic fashion.<ref name="stedman" /> Nevertheless, the serial was a success on its release and led to two sequels, ''[[The New Exploits of Elaine]]'' (1915) and ''[[The Romance of Elaine]]'' (1915).<ref name="stedman" />

==Cliffhangers== Similar to other film serials, each chapter typically closed with a [[cliffhanger]] with Elaine in some physical peril or confronted with a shocking revelation. For example, at the close of Chapter 10 Elaine actually dies. She is then brought back to life in the next chapter by Craig Kennedy.<ref name="GMS" />

==Critical reception== In the opinion of film critic Stedman, this serial is an improvement on ''[[The Perils of Pauline (1914 serial)|The Perils of Pauline]]'', with better acting, script, and direction.<ref name="stedman" />

==Chapter titles== [[File:The Death Ray (1914).webm|200px|right|thumb|"The Death Ray"]] [[File:The Life Current (1914).webm|200px|right|thumb|"The Life Current"]] # ''The Clutching Hand'' # ''The Twilight Sleep'' # ''The Vanishing Jewels'' # ''The Frozen Safe'' # ''The Poisoned Room'' # ''The Vampire'' # ''The Double Trap'' # ''The Hidden Voice'' # ''The Death Ray'' # ''The Life Current'' # ''The Hour of Three'' # ''The Blood Crystals'' # ''The Devil Worshippers'' # ''The Reckoning''

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category}} *''The Exploits of Elaine'' essay by Margaret Hennefeld at [[National Film Registry]] [https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/exploits.pdf] *''The Exploits of Elaine'' essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 {{ISBN|0826429777}}, pages 39 – 40 [https://books.google.com/books?id=deq3xI8OmCkC&source=gbs_similarbooks] *{{IMDb title|0003897}} *Reeve, Arthur B. (1915). ''[https://archive.org/details/exploitsofelaine00reev_0 The Exploits of Elaine; a Detective Novel]''. New York: Hearst's International Library Company. (via the [[Internet Archive]]) * {{librivox book | title=The Exploits Of Elaine | author=Arthur B. REEVE}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Exploits Of Elaine, The}} [[Category:1914 films]] [[Category:United States National Film Registry films]] [[Category:American black-and-white films]] [[Category:American silent serial films]] [[Category:Pathé Exchange film serials]] [[Category:Films directed by George B. Seitz]] [[Category:Films directed by Louis J. Gasnier]] [[Category:Films directed by Leopold Wharton]] [[Category:Films directed by Theodore Wharton]] [[Category:Films with screenplays by Arthur B. Reeve]] [[Category:1914 American films]] [[Category:Damsels in distress]]