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A lost Oscar-nominated epic you'll never see — cinema's ultimate ghost story.
TMDB
50
IMDb
50
Rotten Tomatoes
71

The Devil Dancer (1927)

exoticist fever dreamcolonial guilt tripshadow-soaked romance

Overview

DramaRomance

An English explorer disturbed by the practices of an isolated tribe attempts to rescue a native girl he has become fascinated with. THE DEVIL DANCER was highly praised at time of release for its exquisite cinematography, especially in the use of light and shadow. The film received an Academy Award nomination in this category. Sadly, it is among the lost. No prints or negatives are known to survive.

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Content warning
silent filmlost film

Standout Aspects

Cinematography

Oscar-nominated chiaroscuro that critics raved about — now vapor.

Acting

Gilda Gray's 'shimmy' made her the IT girl of 1927.

Best for:Solo: Contemplate what we lost while reading stills and reviews.·Rewatch: Revisit other Niblo silents to reconstruct the ghost.
Heads up:Disturbing: Exoticized portrayal of non-Western religion and 'savage' practices.
Fred Niblo

Director

Fred Niblo

ReleasedNov 3, 1927
Runtime1h 13m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Paceslow
Intensitymedium
Tonedark
Feelheavy
Samuel Goldwyn Productions

Top Cast

Gilda Gray

Gilda Gray

Takla (The Devil Dancer)

Clive Brook

Clive Brook

Stephen Athelstan

Anne Schaefer

Anne Schaefer

Tana (as Ann Schaeffer)

Michael Vavitch

Michael Vavitch

Hassim

Sôjin Kamiyama

Sôjin Kamiyama

Sadik Lama (as Sojin)

Claire Du Brey

Claire Du Brey

Audrey

Albert Conti

Albert Conti

Arnold Guthrie

Anna May Wong

Anna May Wong

Sada

Martha Mattox

Martha Mattox

Isabel

Kalla Pasha

Kalla Pasha

Toy

James B. Leong

James B. Leong

The Grand Lama

William H. Tooker

William H. Tooker

Lathrop

Nora Cecil

Nora Cecil

Julia

Barbara Tennant

Barbara Tennant

The White Woman

Ask about The Devil Dancer

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

The 'lost film' phenomenon: roughly 75% of all silent features are gone, including 80% of films from 1927-1929.

Trivia

Gilda Gray invented the 'shimmy' and was so famous she played herself in talkies — yet this, her dramatic showcase, evaporated.

Gallery

Reviews

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