The Silent Enemy (1930 film)


The Silent Enemy is a 1930 American silent film directed by H.P. Carver and written by W. Douglas Burden, Richard Carver and Julian Johnson. The drama stars Chief Yellow Robe, Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance, Chief Akawanush and Mary Alice Nelson Archambaud. It premiered on May 19, 1930 at the Criterion Theater in New York City and was later distributed by Paramount Pictures in August of the same year.

Production

Shot in the Temagami region of Ontario, the film depicted the life of the Ojibwe prior to the arrival of European settlers and was unique for its early use of Indigenous actors. Burden relied on to the detailed accounts of French missionaries documented in The Jesuit Relations during the writing of the screenplay.

Release

Silent Enemy premiered on May 19, 1930 in New York City at the Criterion Theater. Having taken more than two years to film and edit, its release coincided with the rise of sound films, which impacted the success of the film despite strong critical praise.

Cast