The Girl Without a Soul (1917)

Girl Without a Soul (2) The Girl Without a Soul (1917) – Silent

Run time: Approved | Drama
Director: John H. Collins
Writers: John H. Collins
Stars: Viola Dana, Robert D. Walker, Fred C. Jones
Storyline
The brilliant young American director, John H. Collins, who died at the age of 31 in the world-wide flu epidemic that followed World War I, produced several masterpieces in his short career, including BLUE JEANS and THE COSSACK WHIP (both of which have been shown by Toronto Film Society).  THE GIRL WITHOUT A SOUL, like several of his other films, stars his wife Viola Dana in the dual role of twin sisters Unity and Priscilla–the latter a talented musician who is the apple of their widowed father’s eye, while he dismisses Unity as a worthless household drudge, prompting rivalry and jealousy between the sisters.  The George Eastman Museum, the repository of much of Collins’ work, describes his films as showing both “a subtle understanding of human nature and often breathtakingly daring cinematography and editing.”

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