| One Law for Both | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Ivan Abramson |
| Produced by | Ivan Film Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
One Law for Both is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Ivan Abramson.
Elga Pulsaki (Rita Jolivet) and her brother Ossip (James W. Morrison) emigrate to the United States from Russia to escape persecution. Elga marries Norman Hutchinson (Vincent Serrano), but their marital bliss is torn asunder when Norman learns that Elga had had sex with a government official in Russia who had threatened her brother. Norman throws Elga out of the house, but Norman's sister reminds him that he did not suggest the same course of action for her when she realized her husband (Count de Fernac, played by Pedro de Cordoba) had previously fathered a child out of wedlock. Struck by cognitive dissonance—the unequal treatment of the sexes—Norman apologizes to Elga and they are reunited. [1] [2]
One Law for Both was director Ivan Abramson's most involved production to that point in terms of expense, length, and cast, featuring a well-known cast of respected actors. [3] The Moving Picture World found the finished product to be "far too long" with a "very slow and somewhat tedious" tempo, and with rapid unexplained jumping of scene between America and Russia. [4] But the New York press gave it very favorable reviews. [5]
Like many American films of the time, One Law for Both was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. The Chicago Board of Censors cut, starting with reel 3, several intertitles including "I will free all of the prisoners - for a price", "I am to become the wife of the noblest man in Poland and I will not come to him degraded", "The break of another day", "I, a spy, a traitor? Rather did I betray my honor to set you free", and "Elga forgive our accusation. You did not commit an act of shame", and the scene of a man drawing back portieres to a bedroom and the two following bedroom scenes; in reel 4 the intertitle "I must kill the man who robbed you of your honor" and the shooting of Slezak and his falling; in reel 5 the scene of a woman's gown falling off of her shoulders and the intertitle "I will expect you in the palace within an hour"; in reel 6 the vision scene of the bedroom in the governor's palace; and in reel 7 intertitles "I love my other papa better" and "Elga's was a sacrifice for others", two scenes of a man in the adventuress' bedroom, and a vision of the shooting. [6]
The film's preservation status is classified as unknown, [7] which suggests that it is a lost film.
Old Wives for New is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Prints of the film survive at the International Museum of Photography and Film at George Eastman House.
The Woman in the Web is a 1918 American drama film serial directed by Paul Hurst and David Smith. It was the 9th of 17 serials released by The Vitagraph Company of America. This World War I period serial about a Russian princess and the overthrow of the Tsar introduced the concept of the Red Menace to serials. The serial is now considered to be a lost film.
The Mystery Ship is a 1917 American adventure film serial directed by Harry Harvey and Henry MacRae. The film is considered to be lost.
The Brass Bullet is a 1918 American adventure film serial directed by Ben F. Wilson. It is now considered to be a lost film.
The Bull's Eye is a 1917 American film serial directed by James W. Horne. It is now considered to be a lost film.
The Fatal Ring is a 1917 American action film serial directed by George B. Seitz. Silentera.com reports that the UCLA Film and Television Archive may have a complete print.
The Seven Pearls is a 1917 American silent action film serial directed by Louis J. Gasnier and Donald MacKenzie. Fragments are held by the Library of Congress.
Hands Up is a lost 1918 American adventure film serial directed by Louis J. Gasnier and James W. Horne. The serial was Ruth Roland's breakthrough role.
Triumph is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Joe De Grasse, written by Fred Myton, starring Lon Chaney and Dorothy Phillips. The screenplay was adapted from a short story by Samuel Hopkins Adams. It was produced by Bluebird Photoplays and released by Universal Film Manufacturing Company. Only the first three of the five reels of this film survive, and the third reel is heavily decomposed. Two stills exist showing Lon Chaney as the terminally ill Paul Neihoff.
Broadway Love is a 1918 American silent romance film directed by Ida May Park and starring Dorothy Phillips, William Stowell, and Lon Chaney. It was written by Ida May Park, based on the novelette by W. Carey Wonderly.
The Secret of the Storm Country was a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Charles Miller and starring Norma Talmadge. The film is described as not a direct sequel but a "continuation" of the 1914 film Tess of the Storm Country, starring Mary Pickford. The film is now considered lost.
Thais is a 1917 American silent drama film produced by Samuel Goldwyn, and based on the 1890 novel Thaïs by Anatole France. This film featured opera prima donna Mary Garden, making her film debut at the then-lavish weekly salary of US$15,000. Other cast members include Lionel Adams, Crauford Kent, and Charles Trowbridge. This film is considered "one of the most colossal flops in movie history, both artistically and financially".
The Man From Montana is a 1917 silent black and white film directed by George Marshall. It stars Neal Hart and George Berrell. It is not known whether the film currently survives, which suggests that it is a lost film. The film should not be confused with the 1941 film Man from Montana.
Barbary Sheep is a 1917 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed through Artcraft Pictures, an affiliate of Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Maurice Tourneur and stars Elsie Ferguson in her motion picture debut. This picture is said to have George M. Cohan in his film debut as well. It is an adaptation of the 1907 novel Barbary Sheep by British writer Robert Hichens. It was thought to be a lost film until an 8-minute clip or fragment was found in the Gosfilmfond archive.
The Love That Lives is a 1917 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players Film Company and distributed through Paramount Pictures. The film stars Pauline Frederick and was directed by Robert G. Vignola. The film is based on the story "Flames of Sacrifice", by Scudder Middleton.
The Hell Cat is a 1918 American silent Western film produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures. Reginald Barker directed and Geraldine Farrar starred. It is not known whether the film currently survives.
The Hungry Heart is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Robert G. Vignola and written by Charles Maigne based upon the novel of the same name by David Graham Phillips. The film stars Pauline Frederick, Howard Hall, Robert Cain, Helen Lindroth, and Eldean Steuart. The film was released on November 5, 1917, by Paramount Pictures. It is not known whether the film currently survives, and it may be a lost film.
The Fighting Trail is a lost 1917 American silent Western serial film directed by and starring William Duncan. It was produced and distributed by the Vitagraph Company of America. It was released in 15 chapters.
The Woman Who Gave is a lost 1918 American silent melodrama film directed by Kenean Buel and starring Evelyn Nesbit, a former Gibson girl, "It girl" model and showgirl involved in a 1906 "trial of the century" that involved a killing and an allegation of rape – whose films often exploited the fame of her life story. The film was produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporation. The film went into release the day before fighting in World War I ended.
Lest We Forget is a 1918 American silent World War I espionage drama film directed by Leonce Perret and produced by and starring Rita Jolivet. The film was released by the Metro Pictures company. While the picture is essentially a spy film, it may also be considered a propaganda film popular during World War I.
