Victor Fleming's THE AWAKENING (1928) Vilma Banky, Walter Byron, Louis Wolheim

Description

Vintage original 22 x 28 in. US half-sheet poster
from the lsilent film melodrama,
THE AWAKENING
, released in 1928 by United Artists and
directed by Victor Fleming
. In Alsace, which was under German occupation shortly before the outbreak of the First World War, Marie Ducrot (Vilma Banky) is a pretty young peasant woman who falls in love with Count Karl von Hagen (Walter Byron), a German army officer. Marie is seen when she visits von Hagen in his quarters. The people suffering under the occupation see Marie as a traitor and assault her physically. Marie disappears and is believed dead, but she has fled to a monastery, where she is accepted as a novice. The war breaks out and Von Hagen is wounded in fighting near the monastery, where Marie nurses him back to health. Von Hagen wants her to go to Germany with him and the French lieutenant Le Bête (Louis Wolheim) helps the two to reach the German lines. The couple get to safety, but Le Bête is killed by a sniper's bullet. The cast includes George Davis, William Orlamond, Carl von Haartman, Jack McDonald, and Yola d'Avril.
The design is striking and features a large image of
Vilma Banky
in the center as she literally reaches upwards in a pose that is representative of the film's title and she is flanked on either side by actors
Walter Byron
(left) and
Louis Wolheim
. The bright beams that seem to emanate outwards from the credits at the bottom add an Art Deco feel to the design. It is in near-fine condition with some areas of paper loss on the left border and a repaired corner that had come-off and was reinforced on the verso with archival tape; several large horizontal creases in the top border, some of which enter the upper background area; a 5 in. horizontal crease above Wolheim's head that ends at the right border; random signs of wear and discoloration in the borders; and a small tear on the bottom border and near the top right corner. The color tints are fresh and vibrant without any signs of fading.
The synchronized score for this film was produced by Hugo Reisenfeld and orchestra.
The Awakening
cost 2,000 to make and, after deducting costs of distribution, prints, and advertising, Samuel Goldwyn, Inc., pocketed only ,000 profit from the film's run. It was nominated for the Academy Award for "Best Production Design" at the 2nd Academy Awards. The Nominee, William Cameron Menzies, was also nominated the same year for the popular early sound crime drama,
Alibi
(1929).
A review in Variety described this film as "a pinch of "The White Sister,' a seasoning of "The Scarlet Letter,' a large chunk of all the war pictures since 1918, and several slices of small-time baloney."