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Closed Gates
Closed Gates
	Poster for the film
Directed by	Phil Rosen
Screenplay by	Frances Guihan
Based on	a story by Manfred Lee
Starring	John Harron; Jane Novak; Lucy Beaumont
Cinematography	Herbert Kirkpatrick
Production; company	Sterling Productions
Release date	June 1, 1927 (US);
Running time	65 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Closed Gates is a 1927 American silent melodrama film based on a story by Manfred Lee and directed by Phil Rosen.^[2] It stars John Harron, Jane Novak, and Lucy Beaumont, and was released on June 1, 1927.

Cast list

John Harron as George Newell Jr.
Jane Novak as Alice Winston
Lucy Beaumont as Mary Newell
Sidney De Grey as George Newell, Sr.
LeRoy Mason as Harvey Newell
Rosemary Cooper as Martha Roberts
Ruth Handforth as Bridget
Bud Jamison as Pat

Plot

George Newell Jr. is the son of wealthy parents. In the days leading up to World War I, he disgraces himself and his family. In order to redeem himself, he enlists after the war breaks out. During battle he is injured and loses his memory. He is lovingly cared for by his nurse, with whom he falls in love. While at work, he collapses from exhaustion, and is taken to a sanitarium to recuperate. While there, his father and cousin, Harvey, see him, but do not reveal that they know him. However, the maid, Bridget learns of the younger Newell's plight and brings him back to the family home, where the sight of his mother's wheelchair jogs his memory, and he reconciles with his father.

Preservation

A print of Closed Gates is held in the French archive Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée in Fort de Bois-d'Arcy.^[3]

Reception

At the time of the film's release, The New York Times published a mostly negative review with the only positive remarks reserved for Jane Novak: "Were it not for Miss Novak there would not be a bright spot in this production."^[2] Photoplay called it a "fair little yarn", but warned viewers not to "expect too much".^[4]

References

^ "Closed Gates". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on April 21, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
^ ^a ^b "The Scapegrace". The New York Times. New York City. June 1, 1927. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
^ The Library of Congress / FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: Closed Gates
^ "Closed Gates—Sterling", Photoplay, p. 104, July 1927, retrieved February 1, 2023