Black Oxen


Black Oxen is a 1923 American fantasy/romantic drama silent film starring Corinne Griffith, Conway Tearle and Clara Bow. Directed by Frank Lloyd, the film is based on the controversial and best-selling 1923 novel of the same name by Gertrude Atherton.
Described as "subtle science fiction", the film takes its title from William Butler Yeats: "The years like great Black Oxen tread the world." It was produced by Frank Lloyd Productions and distributed by First National Pictures. A special Photoplay Edition of the novel was published by A. L. Burt Company, New York, illustrated with four stills from the film.

Plot

Lee Clavering, a playwright in New York, falls in love with an Austrian countess, Madame Zatianny. Janet Oglethorpe, an animated and precocious flapper, is also in love with Lee but he hasn't noticed yet. Unbeknownst to Lee, Madame Zatianny is actually 58 years old, and has retained her youth through a rejuvenating glandular treatment and X-ray surgery. Lee's plans to marry Madame Zatianny are thwarted when one of her former admirers reveals her embarrassing secret and, in the end, Lee discovers happiness with Janet.

Cast

In 1923 motion picture industry magazine promotions, Corinne Griffith was used to advertise the movie because she was a known star, and she was known to be one of the most beautiful actresses in cinema. Publications also used the W. B. Yeats couplet, "The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world // And God the herdsman goads them on behind." That is quoted on the title page of the novel in its first edition and at the opening of the film.

Preservation status

The George Eastman House retains a print of the film which is incomplete, comprising the first seven reels, but not the eighth. In 2010, it undertook restoration of the 35mm print, funded by The National Film Preservation Fund. The Gosfilmofond Russian State Archive also holds an incomplete copy, consisting of all reels with the exception of Reel 2. A DVD The New York Public Library has a 16mm print available in three film reels. A 60-minute version mastered by eBay retailer Buyers’ Gallery Video is available on DVD. No complete version of the film is currently commercially available
Black Oxen is one of about ten films starring Corinne Griffith, out of 58, that are available for viewing.