The Lost Years - Production & Contact Info (original) (raw)

The first scene shows the house of Mr. Leonard, a well-to-do lawyer. The father is seated, posed by his little son, a boy of ten years, whose talent and love for drawing leads him to sketch members of the household. The portrait of the ...See moreThe first scene shows the house of Mr. Leonard, a well-to-do lawyer. The father is seated, posed by his little son, a boy of ten years, whose talent and love for drawing leads him to sketch members of the household. The portrait of the father is finished, father and mother are delighted with this latest evidence of their son's artistic talent. A servant brings in a letter for the father. It is from the wife's brother, telling Mr. Leonard that he is sick and in trouble in New York. He begs his brother-in-law to come at once to his assistance, and to say nothing to his sister, Mr. Leonard's wife. Leonard bids good-bye to his wife without telling her where he is going. We next see the father on a ferryboat approaching New York City. A splendid view of vessels on the river and the wonderful skyscrapers in New York is shown in this picture. Reaching the city, Leonard goes to the address given by his brother-in-law, which is in the worst part of the great city. A thug volunteers to show Mr. Leonard to the street he is looking for; followed by two other thugs, Leonard is taken into a vacant room, in a tenement house, the thugs attack him, and after a terrific tight, Leonard is knocked senseless by a blow from a blackjack. The thugs steal his pocketbook, watch and even his clothes, and cover him up for dead in the deserted room. Two days pass. The wife is in anguish at having heard no word from her husband. She has appealed to the police to find Leonard and their report is that they can find no trace of him. Meanwhile, two boys looking for rags, in the tenement, uncover the body of Leonard. They run out and inform the police, who enter expecting to find the body of a murdered man. Leonard is alive, but his manner when the police question him, satisfies them that the blow he received has destroyed the unfortunate man's memory, since he cannot tell them who he is or how he came there. Twenty years pass. The son has become a well-known portrait painter. He is at work painting from life, an old man, a professional model. The model succumbs to the effect of the whiskey he has taken during the sitting, and is dismissed. The artist goes out on the street to find another old man for a model, and here we show one of the most pathetic scenes that has ever been thrown on the screen. Leonard, now a gray haired, worn out old ragpicker, comes along the street, followed and annoyed by a group of children, who almost pull the poor old beggar's clothes from his body. The artist drives the children away, and engages the old man as a model. We next see the father seated in the son's studio, posing for the painting, at which the son works industriously. The picture is complete. The son gives the old man more than his wages and bids him good-bye. After the old man has gone his mother enters. Proud of her son, and interested in everything he does, she is happy when he offers to show her his latest masterpiece. The mother looks at the picture of the old man; she staggers back and exclaims, "This is your father." The son dashes from the house, overtakes his father on the street and brings him back. The mother recognizes her husband, but she and all other happy recollections of the years past are lost to him. Our last scene shows the father in his son's home being questioned by a brain specialist. The doctor gets an idea. He has the mother bring him a portrait that the son drew the day the father disappeared. The old man gazes at the portrait and the mist lifts from his brain. He turns to his wife with a cry of joy and' embraces her. He has come back into his own. Written by Moving Picture World synopsis See less