The Devil's Daughter

The Devil's Daughter (1915)

When her lover deserts her, Gioconda Dianti seeks revenge by wrecking the lives of other men. When famous sculptor Lucio Settala meets her and asks her to pose for him, she sets out to ruin him. She captivates the artist with her charms, and he soon forgets his wife Silvia, their daughter Little Beata, and even his work. After Gioconda defies Silvia to take her husband back, Lucio shoots himself in a fit of desperation. Although Silvia nurses him back to health, Lucio soon returns to the enticing Gioconda. When Silvia's subsequent quarrel with Gioconda becomes a fight, Gioconda attempts to destroy Lucio's statue, but it falls on Silvia and is saved. Silvia, however, is crippled for life. Because of this, Lucio's sanity is affected and he becomes a raving maniac. Later, cast aside by her "man of the world," Gioconda also descends into madness. A lost film.

Date of release
1915-06-16
Runtime
1h 5m
Genres
Drama
Director
Frank Powell

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Filmed in: Fort Lee

The Devil's Daughter is a lost 1915 American silent drama film directed by Frank Powell and starring Theda Bara. Based on the 1899 play La Gioconda by Italian writer Gabriele D'Annunzio, this updated adaptation portrayed the story of vengeful woman—a "vamp"—who uses her beauty and sensuality to lure a young man to ruin, destroying both his marriage and his career as an artist. The film was produced by Fox Film Corporation and shot at the company's studio in Fort Lee, New Jersey and on location in St. Augustine, Florida.

Production

According to the film's 1915 copyright registration (LP6036), "scenarist" Joseph H. Trant based his storyline on the translated Broadway version of D'Annunzio's La Gioconda, which premiered in New York on November 4, 1902. From the outset of Fox Film's planning for its screen adaptation, no one other than Theda Bara was considered to play the title role.

The Devil’s Daughter was filmed during the latter half of April and May 1915, with some interior and backlot scenes shot at Fox's studio facilities in New Jersey, which were located near the corner of Main Street and Linwood Avenue in Fort Lee. After shooting needed scenes there, Director Powell in early May left New Jersey by train, taking his cast and crew on location to St. Augustine, Florida.

Along with taking landscape and ocean footage near St. Augustine, Powell's crew filmed scenes at the mansion and grounds of the Villa Flora, the home of a Dr. Garnett. They also used the Hotel Ponce De Leon and the Hotel Alcazar as settings for additional scenes. When not rehearsing, filming, or scouting other locations, the cast and crew spent time in their accommodations at the Hotel Marion, where its proprietors—Mr. and Mrs.

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