A Mother's Confession
Encyclopedia
A Mother's Confession is a 1915
silent film
written and directed by Ivan Abramson
, and starring Christine Mayo
and Austin Webb.(21 August 1915). A Mother's Confession, The Moving Picture World
, is married to Lola (Christine Mayo
) and living in Chicago with their young son Harold. But Henry also marries rich heiress Louise Douglas in Denver (where he finds his mining interests to be worthless) to save his family from poverty. Both wives are kept in the dark about this bigamy. When Henry returns years later and confesses to Lola, he is accidentally killed by Lola's friend (and love interest) Fred Warren. Lola marries Fred after he is found not guilty of murder. Later, Lola's son falls in love with his half-sister Muriel Warren, and Lola rushes to stop the marriage--confessing her sins to the priest. Muriel becomes a nun, and Lola goes to live with Harold.
The film was banned by the British Board of Film Censors in 1916.
Chadwick Pictures re-released a re-edited version of the film in 1920 as A Wife's Story.
1915 in film
The year 1915 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 8 : D.W Griffith's The Birth of a Nation premieres at Clune's Auditorium Los Angeles and breaks box office and film length records, running at a total length of 3 hrs 10 minutes.* June 18 : The Motion Picture Directors...
silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
written and directed by Ivan Abramson
Ivan Abramson
Ivan Abramson was a director of American silent films active in the 1910s and 1920s.Abramson emigrated to the United States from Russia in the 1880s and soon became involved in Jewish newspaper field. In 1905 he founded an opera company. In 1914, he founded Ivan Film Productions to produce...
, and starring Christine Mayo
Christine Mayo
Christine Mayo was a silent film actress whose Hollywood career spanned the years from 1915–1924. She was featured in vampire roles produced by Fox Film Corporation, Metro Pictures, World Film Corporation,and Ivan Film Productions, Inc...
and Austin Webb.(21 August 1915). A Mother's Confession, The Moving Picture World
The Moving Picture World
The Moving Picture World was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. By 1914, it had a reported circulation of approximately 15,000.The publication was founded by James Petrie Chalmers, Jr...
Plot and background
Typical of Ivan Abramson's exploitation dramas, this film chooses to explore the ills of illegal marriage. Henry Patterson, played by Otto KrugerOtto Kruger
Otto Kruger was an American actor who began his career in 1915. His career was most prolific during the 1930s and 1940s.-Career:...
, is married to Lola (Christine Mayo
Christine Mayo
Christine Mayo was a silent film actress whose Hollywood career spanned the years from 1915–1924. She was featured in vampire roles produced by Fox Film Corporation, Metro Pictures, World Film Corporation,and Ivan Film Productions, Inc...
) and living in Chicago with their young son Harold. But Henry also marries rich heiress Louise Douglas in Denver (where he finds his mining interests to be worthless) to save his family from poverty. Both wives are kept in the dark about this bigamy. When Henry returns years later and confesses to Lola, he is accidentally killed by Lola's friend (and love interest) Fred Warren. Lola marries Fred after he is found not guilty of murder. Later, Lola's son falls in love with his half-sister Muriel Warren, and Lola rushes to stop the marriage--confessing her sins to the priest. Muriel becomes a nun, and Lola goes to live with Harold.
The film was banned by the British Board of Film Censors in 1916.
Chadwick Pictures re-released a re-edited version of the film in 1920 as A Wife's Story.
Cast
- Christine MayoChristine MayoChristine Mayo was a silent film actress whose Hollywood career spanned the years from 1915–1924. She was featured in vampire roles produced by Fox Film Corporation, Metro Pictures, World Film Corporation,and Ivan Film Productions, Inc...
as Lola Patterson - Austin Webb as Fred Warren
- Otto KrugerOtto KrugerOtto Kruger was an American actor who began his career in 1915. His career was most prolific during the 1930s and 1940s.-Career:...
as Henry Patterson - Margaret Adair as Muriel Warren
- Carrie ReynoldsCarrie ReynoldsCarrie Reynolds was a stage actress in Broadway shows from the mid 1880s until the early 20th century. She was described as a graceful and strking blonde and a dainty and winsome actress. She was trained in light opera...
- Sidney L. Mason
- Ned Nye
External links
- A Mother's Confession at American Film InstituteAmerican Film InstituteThe American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...