The Road to Yesterday | 1925 | Fantasy, Romance, Drama

Title: The Road to Yesterday | 1925 | Fantasy, Romance, Drama Director: Cecil B. DeMille Studio: DeMille Pictures Corporation Starring: Joseph Schildkraut, Jetta Goudal, William Boyd, Vera Reynolds, Trixie Friganza Based on: The 1906 play “The Road to Yesterday” by Beulah Marie Dix and Evelyn Greenleaf Sutherland. Release Date: November 15, 1925. Runtime: 107 minutes. Format: Silent, black-and-white, English intertitles. Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Drama. --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Grand Canyon honeymoon 00:18:00 Marital strain deepens 00:40:00 Counsel from Jack Moreland 01:03:00 Train wreck and visions of the past 01:30:00 Rescue and reconciliation --- Summary: Newlyweds Kenneth and Malena Paulton struggle to understand a sudden barrier in their marriage during a stay at a Grand Canyon hotel. Seeking guidance from young minister Jack Moreland, they cross paths with Beth Tyrell and her aunt, whose belief in reincarnation foreshadows events to come. A catastrophic train accident triggers vivid experiences of a shared past life in seventeenth‑century England, reframing present tensions and affections. The revelations lead to acts of courage, romantic realignments, and renewed commitment. --- Background: Produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, The Road to Yesterday was the first release from his newly formed DeMille Pictures Corporation and was adapted by Beulah Marie Dix and Jeanie Macpherson from Dix and Evelyn Greenleaf Sutherland’s 1906 stage success. Shot June to mid‑September 1925 with location work at the Grand Canyon, the production featured art direction by Paul Iribe, Anton Grot, Mitchell Leisen, and Max Parker; contemporary reviewers singled out DeMille’s spectacular train‑wreck sequence for praise. --- Trivia: The film marked William Boyd’s first starring role before DeMille cast him as solo leading man in The Volga Boatman . Portions of the film were shot on location at the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Preservation copies exist at the Library of Congress, George Eastman Museum, UCLA Film & Television Archive, and the Academy Film Archive. Uncredited appearances include Chester Morris and Sally Rand. The train‑wreck set piece was praised in the Los Angeles Times for its realism upon release. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: November 15, 1925. Original Studio / Distributor: DeMille Pictures Corporation / Producers Distributing Corporation. Copyright Status: Public Domain . Works first published in 1925 are in the public domain as of January 1, 2021; this film is hosted on Wikimedia Commons as PD‑US. Renewal: Unknown --- Hashtags: TheRoadToYesterday CecilBDeMille SilentFilm PublicDomain WilliamBoyd JettaGoudal 1925 ClassicCinema Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Road_to_Yesterday_(1925).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/The_Road_to_Yesterday_%281925%29.webm