AllMovie

This love story is based on the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus, the singer who regained his wife Eurydice from the land of the dead but lost her for good when he gazed back at her before she'd left the underworld. In this version, Orpheus is still a musician and a Greek: a flute-player (and steelworker) named Philip (Wilfred Lucas); his Eurydice is the French waitress Toinette (Carmel Myers). However, unlike the Greek original -- or the two celebrated 1950s renditions, Jean Cocteau's Orpheus and Marcel Camus' Black Orpheus -- this time the lovers overcome their separation and are happily reunited. Note the co-directing credit given actor Wilfred Lucas: Film historians today believe the citation reflects a contractual obligation rather than Lucas's actual role in making the film. Note also supporting actress Alice Rae who also performed as Alice Wilson (her real name, after her first marriage): In 1917 she married director Tod Browning; they stayed together until her death in 1944.