AllMovie

Those familiar with 20th Century-Fox's historical biopic Stanley and Livingstone might find the British silent Livingstone interesting. In the Fox film, the emphasis is on H. M. Stanley, the intrepid newspaperman who trekked into Darkest Africa in the mid-19th century to prove that renowned Scottish explorer David Livingstone was still alive. This 1925 film concentrates on the life and work of Livingstone, played by Douglas Pierce as a boy, and M. A. Weatherell as an adult. Produced on a massive scale and released at 10 reels, Livingstone was truly a "special" so far as the relatively uninspired British silent film industry was concerned. The film was reissued in 1933 with a new title (Stanley) and musical soundtrack.