This article needs additional citations for verification .(September 2017) |
The Law of Compensation | |
---|---|
Directed by | Joseph A. Golden, Julius Steger |
Screenplay by | Edna G. Riley |
Story by | Wilson Mizner |
Produced by | Joseph Schenck |
Distributed by | Selznick Distributing Corporation |
Running time | 72 mins |
Country | United States |
Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
The Law of Compensation is 1917 American silent drama film based on a story by Wilson Mizner and directed by Joseph A. Golden. The film starred Norma Talmadge, who played a dual role, Fred Esmelton, and Chester Barnett. [1] It was produced by Joseph Schenck, the husband of its star Talmadge.
While her husband (Chester Barnett) is out of town, Ruth (Talmadge) is approached by Wells (Edwin Stanley), a small-time song plugger. He claims that he can make a musical comedy star of her if she will come up with some money. But when she tries to ante up the funds, her father (Frederick Esmelton) takes her aside and tells her the story of her mother (also played by Talmadge) who found herself in a similar situation. Her mother ran off with a man, Trevor (John Charles), who later deserted her; after her death, Ruth's father tracked Trevor down and killed him. With all of this in mind, Ruth wisely decides to send Wells on his way.
While the lives of the mother and daughter interact through their repetition and parellel situations, the story of the mother, while referenced in the first half of the film, is withheld from Flora and the audience until it is told to her in the second half of the film. [2] Although Talmadge is the star with two roles, the men of the film hold all the power and make all the decisions on behalf of the women; the one choice made by a woman, the mother Ruth, has immence consequences for her and her daughter as deviates it from the straight path. [2]
Prints of The Law of Compensation are held at the Library of Congress (incomplete) and the Museum of Modern Art, 35mm. [1] [3]
Norma Marie Talmadge was an American actress and film producer of the silent era. A major box-office draw for more than a decade, her career reached a peak in the early 1920s, when she ranked among the most popular idols of the American screen.
Camille is a 1926 American silent film based on the play adaptation of La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils, first published in French as a novel in 1848 and as a play in 1852. Adapted by Fred de Gresac, George Marion Jr., Olga Printzlau, and Chandler Sprague, Camille was a directed by Fred Niblo and starred Norma Talmadge as Camille and Gilbert Roland as her lover, Armand. It was produced by the Norma Talmadge Film Corporation and released by First National Pictures. The film's score was composed by William Axt.
Fred Esmelton was an Australian-born American film actor, as well as a stage actor and director. He appeared in 30 films, usually in supporting roles, between the years 1916 and 1931. He was born in Melbourne, Victoria and died in Los Angeles, California.
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.
Smilin' Through is a 1922 American silent drama film based on the 1919 play of the same name, written by Jane Cowl and Jane Murfin. The film starred Norma Talmadge, Harrison Ford, and Wyndham Standing. It was co-written and directed by Sidney Franklin, who also directed the more famous 1932 remake at MGM. The film was produced by Talmadge and her husband Joseph M. Schenck for her company, the Norma Talmadge Film Corporation. It was released by First National Pictures. Popular character actor Gene Lockhart made his screen debut in this film.
Dulcy is a 1923 American silent comedy film directed by Sidney A. Franklin and starring Constance Talmadge. The film was adapted from the Broadway production of the same name written by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly. The play opened in New York in August 1921 and ran for 241 performances.
The Brigand is a 1952 American adventure romance film directed by Phil Karlson. It is the second film that Anthony Dexter made for producer Edward Small for Columbia Pictures after his debut in Valentino.
The Lady is a 1925 American silent drama film starring Norma Talmadge and directed by Frank Borzage. Talmadge's own production company produced the film with distribution by First National Pictures.
Within the Law is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Norma Talmadge. In 2009 the film was released on DVD along with Talmadge's 1926 film Kiki. Jane Cowl had starred in the original 1912 Broadway production of Bayard Veiller's play of the same name about a young woman who is sent to prison and comes out seeking revenge.
Du Barry, Woman of Passion is a 1930 American pre-Code dramatic film starring Norma Talmadge, produced by her husband Joseph Schenck, released through United Artists, and based on a 1901 stage play Du Barry written and produced by David Belasco and starring Mrs. Leslie Carter.
The Branded Woman is a 1920 American silent drama film released by First National Pictures. It stars Norma Talmadge who also produced the film along with her husband Joseph Schenck through their production company, Norma Talmadge Productions. The film is based on a 1917 Broadway play Branded, by Oliver D. Bailey and was adapted for the screen by Anita Loos and Albert Parker who also directed.
Fifty-Fifty is an American silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan whose story was adapted for the screen by Robert Shirley. The Fine Arts Film Company production was made under the aegis of Triangle Film Corporation which released it on October 22, 1916. The leading roles are played by Norma Talmadge, J. W. Johnston, and Marie Chambers. A print of the film is in the George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection.
Yes or No? is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Norma Talmadge in a duo role. It is based on the 1917 Broadway play Yes or No by Arthur Goodrich. Talmadge and Joe Schenck produced the picture and released it through First National Exhibitors.
Panthea is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Norma Talmadge. This was the first film Talmadge made after leaving D.W. Griffith's company to form her own production company with Joseph M. Schenck. It is believed to be a lost film. It was last shown in Venice in 1958.
The Voice from the Minaret is a 1923 American silent romantic drama film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Norma Talmadge, Eugene O'Brien, and Winter Hall. The film is based on the play of the same name by Robert Smythe Hichens. The film is considered lost.
The Safety Curtain is a 1918 American silent melodrama film directed by Sidney Franklin and starring Norma Talmadge. Talmadge and her husband Joe Schenck produced the film and distributed through Select Pictures.
The Ghosts of Yesterday is a 1918 American silent adventure drama film directed by Charles Miller and starring Norma Talmadge, Eugene O'Brien, and Stuart Holmes. It is based on the play Two Women by Rupert Hughes.
She Loves and Lies is a 1920 American silent comedy drama film directed by Chester Withey and starring Norma Talmadge, Conway Tearle, and Octavia Broske.
The Song of Love is a 1923 American silent adventure drama film directed by Chester Franklin and Frances Marion, starring Norma Talmadge, Joseph Schildkraut, and Arthur Edmund Carewe. Frances Marion's screenplay is based on the 1922 novel The Dust of Desire by Margaret Peterson.
Silence is a 1926 American silent crime drama film directed by Rupert Julian and starring Vera Reynolds, H.B. Warner, and Raymond Hatton. Reynolds plays a dual role of a mother and, at a later date, her daughter. Long thought lost, a print was rediscovered in 2016.