Torrent (film)
ARSGRATIAARTIS
TRADEMARK
Metro
Goldwyn
Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
PRESENTS
Ibañez' TORRENT
A Monta Bell PRODUCTION
WITH
RICARDO CORTEZ and GRETA GARBO
COPYRIGHT MCMXXVI IN U.S.A. BY METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED UNDER
International Convention of Buenos Aires
CONTROLLED BY LOEW'S INCORPORATED
PASSED BY THE NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW
ADAPTED FOR THE SCREEN
BY
DOROTHY FARNUM
FROM THE NOVEL BY
Vicente Blasco Ibañez
WARDROBE BY
KATHLEEN KAY & MAUDE MARSH
AND
MAX RÉE
TITLES BY
KATHARINE HILLIKER & H. H. CALDWELL
SETTINGS BY
CEDRIC GIBBONS & MERRILL PYE
A COSMOPOLITAN
PRODUCTION
CAST
DON RAFAEL BRULL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
RICARDO CORTEZ | |
LEONORA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
GRETA GARBO | |
REMEDIOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
GERTRUDE OLMSTED | |
PEDRO MORENO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
EDWARD CONNELLY | |
CUPIDO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
LUCIEN LITTLEFIELD | |
DOÑA BERNARDA BRULL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
MARTHA MATTOX | |
DOÑA PEPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
LUCY BEAUMONT | |
DON ANDRÉS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
TULLY MARSHALL | |
DON MATÍAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
MACK SWAIN | |
SALVATTI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
ARTHUR EDMUND CAREW | |
ISABELLA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
LILLIAN LEIGHTON | |
Spain——
Springtime under the blue skies of Valencia——cobbled streets and hanging balconies—hot sunlight and orange-blossoms——the soft air drenched with sweetness——
Through the fragrant valley about Alcira winds the Júcar; unruffled, placid now, but a raging torrent of death when the rains come down.
For a hundred years the Moreno farmhouse had defied storm and flood—
The farmer Moreno——and Cupido, the town barber and singing master.
. . . Lucien Littlefield
Doña Pepa Moreno—
Leonora's prayers were simple: That Don Rafael Brull would that day pass her way——
—That the voice which God had given her might bring wealth and ease to her parents.
"My Leonora has a nightingale in her throat!"
"Bah! She has a frog in her throat!"
"I tell you to sing from the diaphragm and you—you sing from the tonsils!"
"Dios mio! Are you a barber or a prima donna?"
"I am an artist! When art calls me, whiskers can wait!"
For generations the family of Brull had dominated that smiling countryside——
Doña Bernarda Brull rode like a queen through her wide-spread acres, taking advice when it pleased her from the family lawyer, Don Andrés.
. . . Tully Marshall
"Tell the Morenos that old story about the banker wanting his money. They can't blame you then——"
Don Rafael Brull followed his mother like a young crown prince learning to rule.
"Wine of Spain! It would make a bullfrog sing tenor!"
"Doña Bernarda has called about the mortgage money."
"That old buzzard!"
"It breaks my heart to bring you sad news—"
"——But the heartless banker who advanced the money demands that you be put out of your home."
"Señora, give us time! Leonora and I can sleep under the hedges, but my wife——"
"I will try to arrange for her to remain. She can scrub for her keep."
"Hush, Pedro! I am sure Doña Bernarda has done all she can for us."
"Trust me, Leonora! When I can win my mother's consent, we will go to the priest."
"Thank God for tragedy! It forces us to go forward."
"We shall somehow get to Paris and Leonora's voice will make our fortunes!"
"A cattle-boat leaves Valencia tonight! You can catch it if you hurry!"
"Will you carry a note to Don Rafael?"
"No answer——you needn't wait."
My Rafael:
We are homeless and my father wants me to leave for Paris within the hour. Remember your vows, my Rafael. Come to me.
"You were hanging around that Moreno girl again today."
"Is that why you are sending them away?"
"He got that letter from her!"
"So! She writes to you!"
"Is honorable love a crime?"
"Are you sure it is honorable love?"
"Have you no respect for your mother—when I starve and slave—"
"—To make you a great man—a deputy—like your sainted father!"
"I don't want to be a saint! I want to be myself!"
"Rafael! For your own good—listen!—"
"——She would drag you down!—Ruin your career!——"
"——The disgrace would kill me!——"
"It will keep you from harm."
"The devil loves a beautiful woman—who is poor. My last peseta to keep him from you!"
"Rafael did not come, Cupido."
Then a curtain of gray years. Behind it Leonora Moreno vanished; from it emerged a new star—La Brunna, the idol of Paris.
"Not before the stagehands, Salvatti!"
"They say that after her father died, Salvatti trained her voice for nothing."
"Tenors never do anything for nothing."
La Brunna's fame reached Alcira, but none dreamed she was the lost Leonora; least of all Rafael Brull—who went the way his mother wished.
VOTE FOR
RAFAEL BRULL
OUR
DEPUTY
His mother's choice——the gentle Remedios, heiress to the pork king.
"I said a prayer for your election."
Don Matías loved his daughter but the real passion of his life was hogs.
"When will your father give his consent to our betrothal?"
"Wait and see if he's elected."
"Next week—surely."
"Don't give in to a man before you marry him—"
"——Or afterward, either."
The Café Américain in Paris——
"They say she was deserted by a young Spaniard—and since then she has had many affairs."
I'm a-goin' home!
"Why not? You are an artist. This may help you to be a greater one."
"Leonora! You are making yourself conspicuous!"
"He sang of home! Home! The old white house—and orange-blossoms. I am going home, Salvatti!"
And so a great prima donna came home. Like the tail of a comet, her retinue streamed out behind—
"I knew it would keep you from harm!"
VOTEN POR
RAFAEL BRULL
NUESTRO
DIPUTADO
Election night—and the returns had swept a new deputy into office: the Honorable Don Rafael Brull.
VIVA
Rafael Brull
NUESTRO
DIPUTADO
Rafael Brull
VIVA
BRULL
DISCOS
NO.A13560
ARIA De CARMEN
CANCION DE
LA BRUNNA
OCOMPAÑADO AL PIANO
POR
SR. JUAN VALDEZ
La Brunna
RECORDS
NO.A-13560
ARIA FROM CARMEN
SUNG BY
LA BRUNNA
PIANO ACCOMPANIST
JUAN VALDEZ
"It is your voice! My Leonora—you are the great La Brunna!"
"That old vulture, Doña Bernarda, has succeeded in electing her squab to Congress!"
"—Your honor shall be mine. I will be in deed and in fact the Honorable Don Rafael Brull!"
"Rafael Brull——the honorable!"
"You ask too much—an extra hundred head of hogs in my daughter's dowry!"
"But—consider my son!"
"But——consider my hogs!"
"Look at the twist in that tail!"
"Tell me, Cupido, what did Leonora say when she heard I was deputy?"
"She just laughed."
"Poor girl——she did not look prosperous. What has she done, Cupido?"
"A La Brunna record!"
"You are—La Brunna!"
"La Brunna is my stage name."
"So—you have come in search of me, Rafael?"
"Still carrying my orange blossoms——"
"—But they are dead."
Next day the old garden was filled with melody—
"I will get some orange-blossoms for Remedios."
If I love you, then beware!
"Ah! The Honorable Deputy again!"
"I came—to pick some orange-blossoms."
"Think of it, Jocko! He came to pick orange-blossoms!"
"Well——go pick your orange-blossoms!"
"Remedios—will you marry me soon?"
Then a torrent—as furious and relentless as the passion that surged in the hearts of the lovers.
"Let's go to the Brull house—it's safer there!"
"The river is as mad as a wounded bull! Everything is going!"
"Leonora! Is she safe?"
"The dam is leaking! Her house will be in the path of the torrent!"
"I thought you were in danger—the torrent!"
"Why, Rafael, this old house has stood for a hundred years!"
"I'll find you some dry clothes."
"——You are not the same Leonora who went away."
"But you—you are the same careless boy who loved and forgot to keep faith!"
"Still, you tried to save my life and I am grateful."
"Does your mother know you are here?"
"My mother has nothing to do with it. I came—because——"
"You came—because—"
"——You love me!"
"I do love you, Leonora!"
"I believed in love once—and love failed me—"
"You are more beautiful than ever, Leonora!"
"—You like beautiful things?"
"——A Russian Grand Duke gave me this."
"Why not? A great sculptor modeled it. He admired my figure."
"Everything they say about you is true."
"Perhaps—and whose fault is it?"
The torrent became a memory—and cloudless skies smiled on the betrothal feast of Rafael and Remedios.
"See, Rafael, this is the mantilla I shall wear on our wedding night."
"It is very lovely, Remedios."
"It should be—it cost my father many pesetas."
"Will you excuse me, Remedios? I have a headache——"
Twilight and memories—the overpowering scent of orange-blossoms. An irresistible force drew him to the old garden.
"Rafael, I love you!"
Oh, take it—for it will not come again.
But Doña Bernarda was always to be reckoned with.
"Doña Pepa, disgrace has fallen on your house!"
"Your daughter! My son was with her here last night——until dawn!"
"How did she get her fine clothes—her jewels—the things she gives you?"
"You are a good woman, Doña Bernarda—you would not lie to me."
"You must go away—and never come back."
"Don't touch me!"
My Rafael,
I will not come between a son and his mother.
I leave today for Madrid.
The life of the great world again. Artists, bankers, noblemen—even royalty paid homage to La Brunna.
"They tell me you are leaving Madrid."
"Yes, Your Highness. I am going to America."
"Spain will miss you!"
"Don Rafael is here!"
"Leonora, I can't give you up! We must find a way!"
"The Paris Express leaves at six. Then Cherbourg——and America!"
"Bring me a spray of orange-blossoms. I want to be——like a bride."
"You will need those for your mother's grave if you persist in this madness."
"You cannot stop me now, Don Andrés! I am going on my own way!"
"A fortunate man, this Don Rafael!"
"It will kill your mother as surely as if you drove a dagger into her heart!"
"He is worthy, Your Highness. Help me to make him a great man."
"Dear lady, you have but to ask. His career shall be my personal concern."
"What can this woman do for you—but drag you down?"
"What of the people who made you deputy? They trusted you! And Remedios—you won her love!"
"You would blast your honor for a woman whose amours are the talk of all Europe?"
"It is not too late, Rafael—be a man!"
"Oh, God! Why can't I hate him?"
Life went on—year after year. For Rafael the treadmill of monotony—for Leonora the golden heights of song. Again Madrid——
GRAN COMPAÑÍA DE OPERA ESPAÑOLA
Leonora
La Brunna
Through all these years I have been chained to duty—but your memory has never faded. Let me see you for a moment. Rafael
"You are not—Rafael?"
"You are more beautiful than ever, Leonora! The years have passed you by."
"It is the business of a prima donna to remain young."
"And you——my poor Rafael! What have the years done to you?"
"You married her! The girl your mother chose."
"My wife is a good woman——"
"Children—I suppose?"
"Home—a good wife—money—a career—you have everything to make you happy."
"Everything—but love!"
"Don't be absurd! Would you have me rob a trusting wife of her husband—children of their father?"
"Love comes but once in a lifetime—and it has passed us by."
"Last act!"
"You see, Rafael——the last act! It is all over."
And so it goes. For those who miss the best, life deals a second best, in consolation.
"She must be very happy——she has everything she wants."
The End
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in 1926, before the cutoff of January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1958, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 65 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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