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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 502

Desert Nights

192962 minUnited States
RomanceDramaAdventure
Video edition
YouTube
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs
61:30
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

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Synopsis

Diamond thieves posing as aristocratic visitors kidnap a mine manager and flee into the desert. Heat, desertion and a dwindling water supply gradually reverse the balance of power. Forced to rely on their prisoner's knowledge, the criminals discover that the jewels securing their escape have little value against thirst and mutual distrust.

Cast

DirectorsWilliam Nigh

Historical context

John Gilbert's final feature without spoken dialogue was released with synchronised music and sound effects. Much of its tension comes from changing alliances among three principal characters, using the desert to strip away the social authority the thieves initially pretend to possess.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceDuke Center for the Study of the Public Domain — US term reference

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The reference concerns the original work. Restorations, colorization, translations and other territories may have different conditions. This site uses the player enabled by the channel.

Availability checked on September 10, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

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