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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 869

The Docks of New York

192876 minUnited States
RomanceDrama
Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs
75:13
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Josef von Sternberg · Public domain

Synopsis

During a night's shore leave in New York, a ship's stoker pulls a woman from the water after her suicide attempt. Taking her to a waterfront room leads to an impulsive connection formed among sailors, saloon regulars and other temporary companions. The approach of the ship's departure tests whether the night's promises have any meaning beyond the hours that produced them.

Cast

DirectorsJosef von Sternberg

Behind the scenes

Jules Furthman adapts John Monk Saunders's The Dock Walloper for Sternberg. Smoke, crowded interiors and waterfront shadows give the brief relationship a world as carefully shaped as the characters' uncertain decisions.

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 referenceWikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

Photograph credit

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

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