Drifting | 1923 | Drama

Title: Drifting | 1923 | Drama Director: Tod Browning Studio: Universal Pictures Starring: Priscilla Dean, Matt Moore, Wallace Beery, J. Farrell MacDonald, Rose Dione, Edna Tichenor, William V. Mong, Anna May Wong, Bruce Guerin, Marie De Albert, William F. Moran, Frank Lanning Based on: Broadway play *Drifting* by John Colton and Daisy H. Andrews Release Date: August 26 1923 Runtime: Approximately 70–84 minutes Format: Silent black and white Country: United States Language: Silent with English intertitles Genres: Drama --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Shanghai opium trade and Cassie’s struggles 00:15:00 Betting and financial trouble 00:30:00 Journey to Hang Chow 00:45:00 Undercover agent revealed 01:00:00 Uprising and attack 01:15:00 Escape and resolution --- Summary: Drifting is a 1923 American silent drama directed by Tod Browning about Cassie Cook, an American woman deeply involved in the opium trade in Shanghai who seeks to leave her life of crime while facing financial ruin and moral conflict. She encounters Captain Arthur Jarvis, an undercover government agent posing as a mining engineer, and their complicated relationship unfolds amid violence and rebellion in rural China. The film combines elements of crime melodrama and romantic drama as Cassie reexamines her choices and strives for redemption against a backdrop of illicit trade and danger. --- Background: Drifting was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures as part of the studio’s early 1920s dramatic output. Tod Browning, later known for his work in horror and macabre genres, brought a gritty visual style to the story. The screenplay was adapted from a popular Broadway play of the same name that premiered in 1922. --- Trivia: Drifting features early screen work by Anna May Wong, who appears as Rose Li. The film’s narrative is set against the Shanghai opium trade, a thematic backdrop rarely explored in silent era dramas. Prints of the film survive in archives including Gosfilmofond and the George Eastman House. The original Broadway play starred Alice Brady in the lead role before being adapted for film. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: August 26 1923 Original Studio / Distributor: Universal Pictures Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: Unknown --- Hashtags: #Drifting1923 #TodBrowning #PriscillaDean #AnnaMayWong #SilentFilm #UniversalPictures #Drama #ClassicCinema #PublicDomain