A Change of Administration
Set against the backdrop of a government in flux, A Change of Administration centers on a meticulous clerk in the War Department whose secure routine is upended by a political turnover. He is betrothed to the daughter of a seasoned ambassador, a romance shadowed by the looming changes in power.... Read more
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About A Change of Administration
Set against the backdrop of a government in flux, A Change of Administration centers on a meticulous clerk in the War Department whose secure routine is upended by a political turnover. He is betrothed to the daughter of a seasoned ambassador, a romance shadowed by the looming changes in power. When a new administration takes office, the clerk loses his post through no fault of his own, a casualty of policy and personnel shifts rather than performance. Faced with unemployment and social pressure, he must decide how to hold onto love and dignity as circumstances redraw his future. The story surveys duty, sacrifice, and the human cost of political change. The film likely leans on melodrama to convey the stakes of a life disrupted by policy.
Directed by Hardee Kirkland, this 1913 silent drama adapts a story by Gilson Willets. The cast features Charles Clary, Adrienne Kroell, Harry Lonsdale and William Stowell, with Rose Evans in a supporting role. The film exemplifies early studio era storytelling and production values. The production employs intertitles to relay the political context and the characters' motives, typical of the era.
Reception notes for this obscure release are scarce, but the film appears to reflect early 20th century preoccupations with civil service security and the personal cost of political change. Its themes center on loyalty, love under pressure, and the tension between public duty and private happiness and the social costs of ambition.
Box office data for this era is not well documented, and no reliable worldwide gross is recorded for A Change of Administration.
No major awards or nominations are recorded for this silent drama, which was produced in the early days of cinema before the modern awards system existed. Its significance lies in its portrait of political turnover and its place in Hardee Kirkland's early directing work.
Details
- Release Date
- April 05, 1913
- Runtime
- 19m
- Rating
- NR
- Type
- Movie
- Genres
- Drama
- Country
- United States
- Studio
- Selig Polyscope Company
- External Links
- View on IMDB
Cast
Charles Clary
Warren - the Old Clerk
Harry Lonsdale
The Mexican Ambassador
Adrienne Kroell
Inez - the Mexican Ambassador's Daughter
William Stowell
Lester - the Incoming Clerk
Rose Evans
The Wife of the Mexican Ambassador
Lafe McKee
John Marshall - Secretary of War
Thomas Commerford
James Wiley
Director: Hardee Kirkland
Written by: Gilson Willets