Talk:The Ace of Hearts (1921 film)

The literary source may be mis-titled

The film is definitely based on a story by Gouverneur Morris, but according to the FictionMags Index, he has no story or serial entitled "The Purple Mask". The one "purple" story he does have is "The Purple Flask", which was serialized in two issues of Cosmopolitan, volume 63 numbers 4 and 5, August and September 1917.

I haven't confirmed that it is the source story, yet, but this seems like a thing to be checked.

DeeJF (talk) 02:25, 13 June 2022 (UTC)

On inspection of the "story so far" portion of the second installment of the serial, it seems clear that "The Purple Flask" is the source story, although the character names were changed for the film.

A group of New York radicals have decreed the death of the "man who has lived too long." Anton Webber is to commit the deed with a purple flask containing a high explosive. As a reward, Minna Bernstein is to marry him. Rodovitch is in love with Minna, and regrets that he is not to be the executioner. Minnie and Anton marry at once, and then the whole world seems different. The girl begs Anton to give up the project and go with her out West. But he will not. The appointed day arrives. Anton is a waiter in a restaurant where the victim comes at one o'clock. On the way to work he meets Rodovitch, and assures him that he will not fail. But before one o'clock a young engaged couple enter the restaurant and take a table next to that always occupied by the victim. “Better for me," thinks Anton , "to break my oath and be hunted to death.” On the stroke of one, the man who has lived too long appears.

Source.

DeeJF (talk) 17:09, 21 June 2022 (UTC)

References