The Miracle of Life (film)

The Miracle of Life
The Miracle of Life
	Film still
Directed by	Stanner E.V. Taylor
Written by	Elizabeth Musgrave; Olga Printzlau
Starring	Percy Marmont; Mae Busch; Nita Naldi
Cinematography	Alexander G. Penrod
Production; company	S.E.V. Taylor Productions
Distributed by	Associated Exhibitors
Release date	February 28, 1926;
Running time	50 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

The Miracle of Life is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Stanner E.V. Taylor and starring Percy Marmont, Mae Busch, and Nita Naldi.^[1]

Plot

As described in a film magazine review,^[2] a husband wants a family, but his wife Janet prefers freedom and gaiety. She has a dream of being aged, alone, and childless, and decides that her husband is right after all.

Cast

Percy Marmont as Blair Howell
Mae Busch as Janet Howell
Nita Naldi as Helen

Reception

Because the film includes a scene where the wife anticipates a visit to an illegal abortion provider and intimate discussions between the husband and wife, the Film Daily classified the film as "NOT AT ALL SUITABLE FOR GENERAL ENTERTAINMENT" and "NOT APPROPRIATE FOR FAMILY TRADE".^[3]

Censorship

At the time of the film's release, many cities and states had censorship boards which could ban the showing of a film for improper material. For example, the Virginia State Board of Censors rejected The Miracle of Life due to its theme of abortion.^[4] In Kansas, the Board of Censorship banned the film, but this was overturned by the Board of Appeal, perhaps because of the happy family ending.^[5]

Preservation

With no prints of The Miracle of Life located in any film archives,^[6] it is a lost film.

References

↑ McCaffrey & Jacobs p. 202
↑ "New Pictures: The Miracle of Life". Exhibitors Herald. 24 (14). Chicago: Exhibitors Herald Co.: 64 March 13, 1926. Retrieved April 7, 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
↑ "The Miracle of Life". The Film Daily. 37 (3). New York City: Wid's Films and Film Folks, Inc.: 10 July 18, 1926. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
↑ Jackson, Robert (2017). Fade In, Crossroads: A History of the Southern Cinema. Oxford University Press. p. 253. ISBN 9780190660185.
↑ Butters, Gerald R. (2007). Banned in Kansas: Motion Picture Censorship, 1915-1966. University of Missouri Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-8262-1749-3.
↑ Library of Congress / FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: The Miracle of Life

Bibliography

Donald W. McCaffrey & Christopher P. Jacobs. Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema. Greenwood Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-313-30345-2

External links

The Miracle of Life at IMDb

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[1] McCaffrey & Jacobs p. 202

[EH-2] "New Pictures: The Miracle of Life". Exhibitors Herald. 24 (14). Chicago: Exhibitors Herald Co.: 64 March 13, 1926. Retrieved April 7, 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[3] "The Miracle of Life". The Film Daily. 37 (3). New York City: Wid's Films and Film Folks, Inc.: 10 July 18, 1926. Retrieved November 7, 2023.

[4] Jackson, Robert (2017). Fade In, Crossroads: A History of the Southern Cinema. Oxford University Press. p. 253. ISBN 9780190660185.

[5] Butters, Gerald R. (2007). Banned in Kansas: Motion Picture Censorship, 1915-1966. University of Missouri Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-8262-1749-3.

[6] Library of Congress / FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: The Miracle of Life

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