The Winter's Tale

The Winter's Tale (1910)

Sicilian king Leontes jealously accuses his wife Hermione of infidelity with his best friend, and while imprisoned, she delivers a child. Sent away, the child is raised by Bohemian shepherds. The Winter's Tale was the first of six Shakespeare adaptations from Thanhouser, and was the 13th or 14th title from the studio in its first nine weeks of releases.

Date of release
1910-05-27
TMDB
5.7 / 10 (3)
Runtime
17m
Genres
Drama

Casting

Interesting facts

The Winter's Tale is a 1910 American silent drama short film produced by Thanhouser Company. The plot is an adaptation of The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare and requires fore-knowledge of the plot in order to understand the condensed one reel work. The film focuses on the conflict arising from two Kings, one of Bohemia and one of Sicily, during a meeting. Queen Hermione enrages her jealous husband, Leontes, by entertaining Polixenes. Leontes decides to kill him with poison, but the plan is foiled by the courtier tasked with the assassination. For this, Leontes imprisons his wife. Hermione gives birth to a daughter and Leontes orders the baby to die out in the wilderness.

Production

The adaptation of the scenario is credited to Lloyd F. Lonergan and Gertrude Thanhouser. While the director of the film is not known, two directors are possible. Barry O'Neil was the stage name of Thomas J. McCarthy, who would direct many important Thanhouser pictures, including its first two-reeler, Romeo and Juliet. Lloyd B. Carleton was the stage name of Carleton B.

The Thanhouser adaption notably foregoes the famous Shakespearean stage directions: Exit, pursued by a bear and allows Antigonus a peaceful exit. Another difference in the production is that following the collapse and reported death of Hermione.

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