The Wishing Ring: An Idyll of Old England
Director: Maurice Tourneur
Year Released: 1914
Rating: 2.5
Giles (Chester Barnett), the son of an Earl (Alec B. Francis), gets booted out of school for "gross misconduct" (read: having fun) so he comes back home to a peeved Pop where he works in the family garden and catches Sally (Vivian Martin), the daughter of a parson, stealing roses; courtship procedures ensue. Cutesy little movie by the elder Tourneur - son Jacques would specialize in horror movies - that's one of those "poor girl 'saved' by rich man (that she doesn't know is rich)" setups; the title artifact lends it a touch of magical realism. It was shot in northeastern New Jersey (!) over a century ago ... which was apparently the last time anything charming and wholesome ever came out of the Garden State (with no due apologies to Zach Braff and Tony Soprano).
