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The Price of Fame
(1910) United States of America
B&W : One reel
Directed by (unknown)
Cast: William V. Mong [Enrico Vacinni], Martha Russell [Maria Vacinni]
Essanay Film Manufacturing Company production; distributed by Essanay Film Manufacturing Company. / Released 9 February 1910. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Drama.
Synopsis: [The Moving Picture World, 12 February 1910, page ?] Enrico Vacinni, an obscure composer, is writing his masterpiece. He and his wife, Maria, occupy rooms in a tenement building in the Ghetto district of New York, and notwithstanding their poverty are happy in hopes for the future. Maria makes the living in sewing for Israel Eisenstein, a heartless sweatshop worker. The famous opera is almost completed and Enrico’s keen and sensitive temperament is strung to the highest tension so that, though he loves his wife dearly, he often flies into a rage over trivial misunderstandings. In one instance (the story opens here) the clatter of Maria’s sewing machine so annoys him that he finally bustles machine, wife and all into the hallway. Antone Giotti, an Italian youth, and his mother, occupy rooms next to those of Vicinni [sic], and the mother now appears on the scene. For a long time young Giotti has secretly worshiped Maria, but has never made any advances for fear of Enrico. However, when he sees Maria, apparently brutally treated by her husband, he confesses his love to Maria, but is laughingly repulsed. The opera is at length finished and Enrico starts out to sell it. He calls on one musical director, but the great man will not give him an audience, and he returns to his rooms in despair. In a fit of melancholy he is about to throw the manuscript into the fire when his wife restrains him and rescues the manuscript, but receives severe burns for her troubles. In an effort to bind up her hands with a piece of newspaper, Maria reads that the National Musical Society offers a prize of $10,000 for an opera, and resolves to enter her husband’s in the contest. Enrico has left the rooms, and when Maria steals out, carrying the sacred manuscript, she forgets the pain in her burned hands, so hopefully expectant is she that Enrico’s way to fame is assured. It is after much pleading, however, that the busily occupied directors of the society deign to look over the manuscript, but when the pianist plays a few bars of the overture they are all thunderstruck and, taking her name and address, promise her that even should her husband’s opera not win the Grand Prize, he shall be liberally rewarded. When Maria arrives home again she meets Antoine Giotti in the hallway. The Italian youth, unable to restrain his emotions and passionate love, dashes into her room with her, and a moment later when Enrico returns he finds his wife in Giotti’s arms. Enrico orders them both from the house. In vain Maria endeavors to clear herself, and after many fruitless attempts to effect a reconciliation, leaves the room. Several days later Enrico is visited by the directors of the National Musical Society with the news that he has won the Grand Prize! Two years later we see Enrico Vacinni, now a famous impresario, at a Smart Set reception. He is the lion of the hour, and is presented with a gold baton. Time and again he has thought of Maria, but is unable to forgive her perfidy, and an hour later when he meets her as he is descending the steps of the Van Ness mansion, he refuses to recognize her as they meet, but when he turns from the auto to which he has conducted one of the lady guests, he excuses himself and starts running after Maria. She eludes him, however, and stealing to her room attempts to sew. Her hands, which have never quite healed of their burns, ache so that she is unable to work, and the last straw of hope is taken away when the unpaid-for machine is taken away by the agents of the company from whom she purchased it. A day or two later Enrico receives a message from old Mrs. Giotti, stating that Antone is dying and that he desires to see Enrico. The latter gloomily arrives to interview the dying lad and there learns from young Giotti that Maria was not to blame, that he alone was responsible. The enraged Vacinni can hardly restrain from tearing the dying man to pieces, but finally forgives him and hurries out to again search for Maria, his heart and brain filled with remorse. From Eisenstein, the Jew, he learns of Maria’s whereabouts, and hurries to the dismal tenement room. The poor, faithful woman has given up all hope and laid herself down to die when Enrico bursts into the room, falls on his knees and begs her to forgive him. The little woman staggers to her feet, trembling. ‘It ees too late, Senor,’ she says, shaking her head. But her head drops on her bosom and with a sob she stretches out her arms to Vacinni. With a glad cry the composer takes her to his heart, then waves his hand to the open door. The clouds are lifted at last.
Reviews: [The Moving Picture World, 19 February 1910, page ?] An intensely dramatic picture, depicting graphically the struggles of a musical composer, the apparent perfidy of his wife, resulting in her leaving him, his triumphant success and finally their reunion just as she has given up all hope and expects to die. The Italian character is portrayed with a fidelity which makes the acting seem like the work of real people, rather than the pictorial reproduction of what actors have performed. The situations are dramatic and the climax, the reunion of husband and wife, is well managed. It seems real, so good is the acting. One cannot forbear commending this house for the steady improvement in their dramatic work, as well as their photography, and the combination is producing films which win the applause of the best audiences.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 15 February 2024.
References: Website-AFI; Website-IMDb.
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