A pickpocket has finally earned his release from the South Seas penal colony ruled with calculated cruelty by Monsieur De Nou, but Bibi Ri won’t return to Paris without his girl. When De Nou, known for dispatching all problems via guillotine, claims her as his own, only one terrible outcome seems possible. Stunning photography, potent compositions, and a chilling performance by Gustav von Seyffertitz as the mercilessly corrupt governor make this recently restored jewel a must-see—even before the dramatic plot twist.
The Red Mark was produced by James Cruze, Inc. and released in the United States by Pathé Exchange, Inc. on 26 August 1928. The film was released in eight reels at a length of 7,937 feet (2,419 meters). This restoration is based on a tinted 35mm nitrate print in the collection of the Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center. The film was digitally scanned at 4K resolution and the image digitally restored. In accordance with archival restoration ethics, digital intervention was limited to mitigating damage and accumulated wear suffered by the original film materials. The color tinting has been reproduced and is based on the colors of the original nitrate print. For digital presentation, the colors have been digitally rendered. The restored 35mm print has been chemically dye-tinted. This restoration was completed in February 2024 as a collaboration between the Library of Congress and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
This restoration was made possible through the generous support of the National Film Preservation Foundation’s Roger Mayer Legacy Program.
