Rex Ingram: Visionary Director of the Silent Screen

by Ruth Barton

Noted for his charisma, talent, and striking good looks, director Rex Ingram (18931950) is ranked alongside D. W. Griffith, Marshall Neilan, and Erich von Stroheim as one of the greatest artists of the silent cinema. Ingram briefly studied sculpture at the Yale University School of Art after emigrating from Ireland to the United States in 1911; but he was soon seduced by the new medium of moving pictures and abandoned his studies for a series of jobs in the film industry. Over the next decade, he became one of the most popular directors in Hollywood, directing smash hits such as The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), The Prisoner of Zenda (1922), and Scaramouche (1923).

In Rex Ingram , Ruth Barton explores the life and legacy of the pioneering filmmaker, following him from his childhood in Dublin to his life at the top of early Hollywood's A-list and his eventual self-imposed exile on the French Riviera. Ingram excelled in bringing visions of adventure and fantasy to eager audiences, and his films made stars of actors like Rudolph Valentino, Ramón Novarro, and Alice Terry―his second wife and leading lady. With his name a virtual guarantee of box office success, Ingram's career flourished in the 1920s despite the constraints of an increasingly regulated industry and the hostility of Louis B. Mayer, who regarded him as a dangerous maverick.

Barton examines the virtuoso director's career and controversial personal life―including his conversion to Islam, the rumors surrounding his ambiguous sexuality, and the circumstances of his untimely death. This definitive biography not only restores the visionary filmmaker to the spotlight but also provides an absorbing look at the daring and exhilarating days of silent-era Hollywood.

328 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2014

Reviews

[Lance J. Rapscher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb biography of a sadly forgotten silent luminary. While reading Barton's biography I couldn't help noticing the parallels to Director David Lean's career. His final picture based on Joseph Conrad's NOSTROMO, was scheduled to be filmed at the Victorine Studio; but sadly he died just before the start of filming

I have seen many of Ingram's films, courtesy of TCM, and they are outstanding; full of atmosphere and marvelous bits of acting that leave other contemporary silent pictures in the shade. Sadly, this gifted and unbelievably handsome man was not predisposed to working within the studio system. Part of it was temperament, part of it had to do with his antisemitism. He abhorred Louis B. Mayer, once calling him "Louis B. Merde." (Merde is French for shit!)

I can't recommend this book too highly. It is filled with wonderful insights about his wife, actress Alice Terry, Rudolf Valentino, Ramon Novarro, John Seitz (his legendary cameraman, who moved from Hollywood to Nice just to continue their association), and a host of others. This book is a feast for the silent film lover or anyone interested in motion pictures.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good bio of Irish-American film director Rex Ingram. It sheds some much needed light on the career of the unjustly forgotten director.