''One Law for Both'' is a

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Fo ...

American silent drama film directed by

Ivan Abramson Ivan Abramson (1869 – September 15, 1934) was a director of American silent films in the 1910s and 1920s.Klein, Uru (10 December 2009)Cinema in the time of war, ''Haaretz'' Abramson emigrated to the United States from Russia in the 1880s and s ...

Plot

Elga Pulsaki (

Rita Jolivet Marguerite Lucile Jolivet (25 September 1884 – 2 March 1971), known professionally as Rita Jolivet, was a British actress in theatre and silent films in the early 20th century. She was known in private life as the Countess Marguerita de C ...

) and her brother Ossip (

James W. Morrison James W. Morrison (November 15, 1888 – November 15, 1974) was an American actor and author. He appeared in 187 films between 1911 and 1927. Biography Morrison was born in Mattoon, Illinois, United States, on November 15, 1888. He went to th ...

) emigrate to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

from

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

to escape persecution. Elga marries Norman Hutchinson (

Vincent Serrano Vincent Serrano (February 17, 1866 – January 11, 1935) was an American actor in plays and silent films. Biography Serrano's best-known role was as Lieutenant Denton in the Augustus Thomas play ''Arizona'', which had its New York opening in Se ...

), 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 In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance is the perception of contradictory information, and the mental toll of it. Relevant items of information include a person's actions, feelings, ideas, beliefs, values, and things in the environmen ...

—the unequal treatment of the sexes—Norman apologizes to Elga and they are reunited.Gevinson, Alan
American Film Institute catalog
p. 739 (1997)(19 May 1917)
Ivan Films Corp - One Law for Both (synopsis)
''

The Moving Picture World The ''Moving Picture World'' was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, ''Moving Picture World'' frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios. I ...

'', p. 1917

Cast

at Elga Pulaski *

as Ossip Pulaski *

Leah Baird Leah Baird (born Ada Frankenstein; June 20, 1883 – October 3, 1971) was an American actress and screenwriter. Life Baird was born in Champaign County, Illinois. on June 20, 1883, the daughter of William Frankenstein and Bertha Schreiver Fran ...

as Helen *

as Norman Hutchinson *

Paul Capellani Paul Capellani (September 9, 1877 – November 7, 1960) was a noted French silent film actor. His brother was the director Albert Capellani and his uncle the film director Roger Capellani who died May 1940 at the Battle of Dunkirk. He starred ...

as Baron Jan Slezak * Helen Arnold as Magda * Pedro de Cordoba as Count de Fernac *Margaret Greene as Renee *

Anders Randolf Anders Randolf (December 18, 1870 – July 2, 1930) was a Danish American actor in American films from 1913 to 1930. Biography Anders was born in Viborg, Denmark, where he became a professional soldier in the Danish army and a world-class swo ...

as The Governor, General Gourko *Hassan Mussalli as Feodor Wolski *Walter Gould as Henri

Reception

''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.(5 May 1917)
Ivan's "One Law for Both" Finished
''

'', p. 817 ''

'' 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.(19 May 1917)
"One Law for Both"
''

'' But the New York press gave it very favorable reviews.(2 June 1917)
One Law for Both Well Received
''

'', p. 1466 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.

Status

The film's preservation status is classified as unknown,Progressive Silent Film List: ''One Law for Both''
at silentera.com, retrieved October 20, 2011 which suggests that it is a

lost film A lost film is a feature Feature may refer to: Computing * Feature (CAD), could be a hole, pocket, or notch * Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob * Feature (software design) is an intentional distinguishing char ...

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0008388 1917 films American black-and-white films American silent feature films Films directed by Ivan Abramson Silent American drama films 1917 drama films 1910s American films