Black Oxen
Black Oxen is a 1923 American silent fantasy romance drama directed by Frank Lloyd. It stars Corinne Griffith, Conway Tearle, and Clara Bow, and is based on Gertrude Atherton’s controversial best-selling novel of the same name. The film is sometimes described as subtle science fiction and takes its title from a Yeats line: “The years like great Black Oxen tread the world.”
Plot in simple terms: Madame Zatianny, formerly Mary Ogden of New York, has undergone a rejuvenating medical treatment that makes her young again. She leaves Austria for the United States, where she meets and falls in love with young playwright Lee Clavering. Janet Oglethorpe, a lively flapper, also loves Lee. Mary plans to marry him, but a former lover, Prince Rohenhauer, warns her away. In the end, she breaks with Lee and returns to Austria, while Lee finds happiness with Janet.
Production and release: The film was produced by Frank Lloyd Productions and distributed by First National Pictures. It opened on December 29, 1923.
Preservation and availability: The George Eastman Museum has a print, but it is incomplete (ending after reel 7). A restoration was completed in 2010 with funding from the National Film Preservation Fund. Gosfilmofond in Russia and the New York Public Library also hold incomplete copies or prints (Gosfilmofond lacks Reel 2; NYPL has a 16mm copy on three reels). A 60-minute version is available on DVD from Buyers’ Gallery Video (via eBay). No complete version is commercially available. Among Corinne Griffith’s 58 films, Black Oxen is one of about ten that can be viewed today.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 00:50 (CET).