Bardelys the Magnificent | 1926 | Romance, Historical Drama.

Title: Bardelys the Magnificent | 1926 | Romance, Historical Drama. Director: King Vidor. Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Starring: John Gilbert, Eleanor Boardman, Roy D’Arcy, Karl Dane, George K. Arthur, Lionel Belmore, Emily Fitzroy. Based on: The novel by Rafael Sabatini. Release Date: November 21, 1926. Runtime: 90 minutes. Format: Silent, black-and-white; English intertitles; 9 reels. Country: United States. Language: Silent . Genres: Romance, Historical Drama. --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Court wager and challenge 00:14:30 Assumes Lesperon’s identity 00:33:00 Refuge at Lavedan and courtship 00:54:30 Betrayal and arrest 01:10:00 Gallows reprieve 01:22:00 Duel and resolution --- Summary: In the court of Louis XIII, the celebrated Marquis de Bardelys accepts a high‑stakes wager to win the hand of the independent Roxalanne de Lavedan. En route he assumes the identity of a dying man, Lesperon, only to discover that Lesperon is wanted for treason. Hidden and nursed at the Lavedan estate, Bardelys woos Roxalanne while guarding his true name. When his masquerade unravels, Bardelys is imprisoned and condemned, and Roxalanne is coerced into a marriage of convenience to spare his life. A last‑minute royal intervention spares Bardelys, setting the stage for a final reckoning with his rival and a resolution that tests honor, identity, and love. --- Background: Produced by Metro‑Goldwyn‑Mayer and adapted by Dorothy Farnum from Rafael Sabatini’s novel, the film premiered in Los Angeles on September 30, 1926, opened in New York on October 31, and had a general release on November 21. Long considered lost, it survived only in a trailer and a brief excerpt until a nearly complete French print surfaced in 2006; restoration followed, with missing material bridged by stills and trailer footage, enabling renewed screenings and home‑video availability. --- Trivia: Director King Vidor later singled out the lovers’ boat sequence beneath willow branches as the film’s most successful scene, praising the harmony of arrangement, movement, and lighting. John Wayne, then 19 and early in his career, appears uncredited as a guard. Art direction was by Cedric Gibbons, James Basevi, and Richard Day, contributing to the film’s elaborate period settings. MGM’s ten‑year license to Sabatini’s novel was not renewed in 1936; accounts state the studio then destroyed the negative and prints in accordance with contractual terms, which contributed to the film’s decades‑long “lost” status. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: November 21, 1926. Original Studio / Distributor: Metro‑Goldwyn‑Mayer; Metro‑Goldwyn‑Mayer Distributing Corp. Copyright Status: Public Domain in the United States . Renewal: Unknown --- Hashtags: BardelysTheMagnificent KingVidor JohnGilbert SilentFilm PublicDomain 1926Cinema MGM Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bardelys_the_Magnificent_(1926).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Bardelys_the_Magnificent_%281926%29.webm