THE HUNTRESS (1923) Colleen Moore & Russell Simpson Native Americans Silent Film

Description

Vintage original 11x14 in. US lobby card
from the classic 1920's Native American-themed silent film drama,
THE HUNTRESS
, released in 1923 by First National and
directed by John Francis Dillon and Lynn Reynolds
. Based upon the novel by Hulbert Footner, Bela ( Colleen Moore ), reared by Indians, learns that she is a white orphan and runs away from the Indian village to avoid marrying a brave from the tribe. She determines to marry land prospector Sam Gladding (Lloyd Hughes), who resists her advances but later falls in love with Bela when an Indian sage gives him some advice. The cast includes Russell Simpson, Walter Long, C.E. Anderson, Snitz Edwards, and Chief John Big Tree.
The image features a beautiful interior shot of Bela (
Colleen Moore
), a white orphan raised by
Native Americans and wearing traditional Native American attire, as she has an early encounter with a "white man," Big Jack Skinner (
Russell
Simpson
) as he smiles while pawing at her. The caption at the bottom mirrors her thoughts (
So this was a "white man"
). It is unrestored in fine+ condition with some small smudges in the right border; a thin dust shadow along the bottom edge of the left border; and light signs of random wear on the tips of the corners. There are no pinholes, tears, stains, writing, or other flaws.
The Huntress
was the first film Colleen Moore made after signing a contract with First National in 1923. This film was the first film that Colleen worked under John Francis Dillon and the first film that she and actor Lloyd Hughes appeared in together.
The July 1923 issue of
American Cinematographer
magazine reported that exteriors for
The Huntress
were filmed in Bishop, CA. In a monthly column called "A Letter from Location" in the October 1923
Picture-Play
magazine, Colleen Moore more specifically located the production in the snowy High Sierras at Mammoth Lake, CA, where the cast and crew stayed at a mountaineer camp. At one point, in order to change locations, the production had to dynamite the snow drifts blocking the roads. Other mountain locations included Convict Lake, Twin Lakes, and Silver Lake.