Romance of the Underworld | 1928 | Drama, Crime

Title: Romance of the Underworld | 1928 | Drama, Crime Director: Irving Cummings Studio: Fox Film Corporation Starring: Mary Astor, Ben Bard, Robert Elliott, John Boles Based on: A Romance of the Underworld by Paul Armstrong Release Date: 11 November 1928 Runtime: 68 Format: Black-and-white; silent with synchronized music and effects ; 35mm; 7 reels ; 1.20:1 / 1.33:1 Country: United States Language: English Genres: Drama, Melodrama, Crime --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Police raid and escape 00:12:00 New beginnings 00:28:00 Office courtship 00:44:00 Blackmail threat 00:57:00 Reckoning and resolution --- Summary: A young woman, Judith Andrews, is swept up in a police raid at a gangster-run dance hall. Shaken, she resolves to leave the underworld behind, finding honest work and a measure of stability. As Judith rises to a respectable office position, she falls in love with an executive who knows nothing of her past. When an old associate returns to blackmail her, a pragmatic detective intervenes, forcing a confrontation that tests love, identity, and the possibility of reinvention. --- Background: Produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation, Romance of the Underworld was released with synchronized music and sound effects via the Movietone process but without spoken dialogue, reflecting the industry’s transitional sound era. The film adapts Paul Armstrong’s 1911 stage play and follows an earlier screen version from 1918. Production began in late July 1928 under working titles including The Woman and Romance and Bright Lights. --- Trivia: The film’s synchronized soundtrack used Fox Movietone music and effects, while narrative information was conveyed through English intertitles. Alternate and working titles reported for the project included The Woman and Romance and Bright Lights. A theme song titled “Judy” was publicized for the film, with words by Jacques Murray and music by Pierre Norman. Preservation records indicate the film survives at the Museum of Modern Art, with another print held in a European archive. Cinematography was by Conrad Wells, with editing by Frank E. Hull and intertitles written by Garrett Graham. The story is a remake of the 1918 feature A Romance of the Underworld, directed by James Kirkwood. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: 11 November 1928 Original Studio / Distributor: Fox Film Corporation Copyright Status: Public Domain --- Hashtags: RomanceOfTheUnderworld 1928 MaryAstor IrvingCummings FoxFilm SilentFilm EarlySound ClassicCinema PublicDomain FilmHistory Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Romance_of_the_Underworld_(1928).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Romance_of_the_Underworld_%281928%29.webm