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Movie

The Span of Life

1914 · 50 min

A grim, old-fashioned melodrama that piles on vice and madness, feeling stagy and earnest but with a dark pull.

Directed by
Edward MacKay
Genres
Drama
Starring
Lionel Barrymore, Gladys Wynne, Lyster Chambers
Overview
Unscrupulous gambler and drug addict Dunstan Leech has embezzled money entrusted to him. Hoping to cover the theft he plans to wed his mother’s ward Kate Heathcote, who is tutor to his disabled brother Cecil, only to discover she loves Richard Blunt. Unhinged, due to his drug use, he poisons his brother’s food to clear the way to an inheritance while his equally dishonest mother Mrs. Jelf attempts to frame Blunt for theft. That plan fails and Kate & Richard marry departing for the diamond mines of South Africa. Obsessed, Leech follows and kidnaps Kate and the couple’s child fleeing back to England pursued by Richard. Held hostage at Leech’s estate, his dying mother gives Kate the evidence to prove Dunstan’s culpability in Cecil’s slaying but driven mad with guilt and haunted by Cecil’s spirit he commits suicide, and the young family are reunited.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Edward MacKay
Genres
Drama
Starring
Lionel Barrymore, Gladys Wynne, Lyster Chambers
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • grief
  • obsession
  • betrayal
  • guilt
  • family
Places
  • single country house
  • big city
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
None
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language none
  • Violence mild
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror2
Humour1
Realism6
Romance4
Tension6
Darkness7
Complexity5
Emotional weight6

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
drama
Directed by
Edward MacKay
Starring
Lionel Barrymore, Gladys Wynne, Lyster Chambers, Ogden Childe
Runtime
50 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
No Language

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