St. Elmo (1914 film)

St. Elmo (1914 film)

St. Elmo is a 1914 American silent drama film produced by the Balboa Amusement Producing Company. It was the first feature-length film adaptation of Augusta Jane Evans’s 1866 novel of the same name. The story follows the life of the title character, who kills his cousin over the love of Agnes.

About St. Elmo (1914 film) in brief

Summary St. Elmo (1914 film)St. Elmo is a 1914 American silent drama film produced by the Balboa Amusement Producing Company. It was the first feature-length film adaptation of Augusta Jane Evans’s 1866 novel of the same name. The story follows the life of the title character, who kills his cousin over the love of Agnes, falls from grace, and eventually finds redemption and love with Edna. It is disputed who directed the film; many sources credit Bertram Bracken, while others list St. Elmo as J. Gordon Edwards’s directorial debut. Despite mixed reviews, the film was financially successful, reportedly setting box office records.

As with most Balboa films, St. Elmo is now believed lost. The film was followed by a sequel, Beulah, which was marketed as a sequel. St. Elmo was one of the best-selling novels of the 19th century, surpassed at the time only by Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and later by Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. Various consumer products, hotels, steamboats, railway carriages, and even several towns were named after the book, and many families named children after its characters.