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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 761

When a Man Loves

1927111 minUnited States
Romance
Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs
111:27
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Alan Crosland · Public domain

Synopsis

A young man preparing for a religious life abandons that path after meeting Manon on her way to a convent. Their brief happiness in Paris is threatened by her brother and by powerful men who want to possess her. Separation and misunderstanding eventually carry the lovers from aristocratic interiors to the danger of a convict ship.

Cast

DirectorsAlan Crosland

Inspirations

The film adapts Abbé Prévost's Manon Lescaut, but changes the tragic destination of the novel's lovers. John Barrymore and Dolores Costello reunite in a costume romance with synchronized music and effects rather than recorded dialogue.

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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