Lois Weber is a stenographer in Phillips Smalley's office. When she sprains her ankle, Smalley drives her home and lets her work there for a few days. Gossips make an affair of this. His wife leaves him, his business collapses and he almost shoots himself. Meanwhile, Miss Weber marries "the first man who offers her protection"; a letter from Rupert Julian, asking her to wait, arrives after the ceremony.
Life continues seemingly well enough, but her new husband finds the letter from Julian: its last sentence.
The copy of the movie in PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS is in poor condition. It was one of the movies recovered from Dawson City, shows considerable damage and misses reel 4 and the ending. Dal Clawson's beautiful camerawork is mostly obscured, and the symbolic touches of the movie -- mostly a man wearing a suit made of twigs that covers everything but his mouth -- seem melodramatic and a bit silly. Nonetheless, in the movie that survives is a powerful message about the corroding effect of gossip and evil-mindedness. Miss Weber would explore this more conventionally in one of her last silent movies, SENSATION SEEKERS.
Life continues seemingly well enough, but her new husband finds the letter from Julian: its last sentence.
The copy of the movie in PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS is in poor condition. It was one of the movies recovered from Dawson City, shows considerable damage and misses reel 4 and the ending. Dal Clawson's beautiful camerawork is mostly obscured, and the symbolic touches of the movie -- mostly a man wearing a suit made of twigs that covers everything but his mouth -- seem melodramatic and a bit silly. Nonetheless, in the movie that survives is a powerful message about the corroding effect of gossip and evil-mindedness. Miss Weber would explore this more conventionally in one of her last silent movies, SENSATION SEEKERS.