''Should a Woman Divorce?'' is a

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

written by Ivan Abramson and directed by

Edwin McKim Samuel Edwin McKim (October 31, 1868 – March 31, 1942) was an actor and director of American silent films. He had directed films for Lubin Manufacturing Company, among other companies. McKim was the father of actress Ann Dvorak, born during his m ...

, and starring Lea Leland and Leonid Samoloff.

Plot

Grace Roberts (played by Lea Leland), marries rancher Edward Smith, who is revealed to be a neglectful, vice-ridden spouse. They have a daughter, Vivian. Dr. Franklin (Leonid Samoloff) whisks Grace away from this unhappy life, and they move to New York under aliases, pretending to be married (since surely Smith would not agree to a divorce). Grace and Franklin have a son, Walter (

Milton S. Gould Milton S. Gould (October 8, 1909 – March 22, 1999) was a prominent New York City trial attorney. Early life Milton S. Gould was born on October 8, 1909. He graduated from Cornell Law School in 1933. Career Gould started his career as an atto ...

). Vivian gets sick, however, and Grace and Franklin return to save her. Somehow this reunion, as Smith had assumed Grace to be dead, causes the death of Franklin. This plot device frees Grace to return to her father's farm with both children.Connelly, Robert B
The silents: silent feature films, 1910-36, Volume 40, Issue 2
p. 253 (1998)

Cast

*Leonid Samoloff as Dr. Franklin *Lea Leland as Grace Roberts *

Anna Lehr Anna Lehr (November 17, 1890 – January 22, 1974) was an American silent film and stage actress.''At The Majestic'', ''Sheboygan Press'', May 24, 1916, p. 2 Biography Born in New York City to Austrian immigrant parents, Frank Lehr and Emilie Fr ...

*Mabel Wright *Ordean Stark as Vivian *Robert Taber *Frederic Roberts *

as Walter (child actor, grandson of Abramson, later became a prominent attorney)

Background and reception

The film was not favorably reviewed by critics, as Robert B. Connelly's 1998 volume on silent films succinctly describes it as a "stinker." '' Variety'' noted that "it needed five parts (reels) to unwind this Immoral and Impossible story, and still it didn't answer "Should a Woman Divorce?"Variety Film Reviews, 1907-1980: 1907-1920
(1983) ("SHOULD A WOMAN DIVORCE? It all depends. ... It needed five parts to unwind this Immoral and Impossible story, and still it didn't answer "Should a Woman Divorce? One or two of the principals seemed capable of giving a good performance If they bad the opportunity. One was the young girl friend of the wife. A couple of rural bumpkins were quite painful in their comedy efforts, and "Should a Woman Divorce?" may be said to be bad enough to be classed with the foreign feature films. They could place this film in the same Packard car and use ......") Hanford C. Judson of ''Moving Picture World'' described the film as "crammed full of humanity, but has no social propaganda at all. It is simply a story that Ivan Abramson has made up, using what license he needed, such as total disregard of American divorce laws, to make his picture entertaining." Judson also noted the picture's "distinct Semitic atmosphere" despite its supposed farming area setting, which is an astute observation as Jewish writer/producer Ivan Abramson had emigrated from Russia and this was one of his first films. Actor Leonid Samoloff was an accomplished

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

who had also emigrated from Russia.Judson, Hanford C. (14 December 1914)
"Should a Woman Divorce"
'' Moving Picture World''(23 April 1915)
"Should a Woman Divorce" Feature Film at Berkeley
''Berkeley Daily Gazette'' (review appears to be adapted from the ''Moving Picture World'' review)Leonid Samoloff and Assisting Artists
''The Lyceum Magazine'' (March 1917, p. 57) The film was directed by

, husband of actress

, who are perhaps best known as the parents of actress

Ann Dvorak Ann Dvorak (born Anna McKim; August 2, 1911 – December 10, 1979) was an American stage and film actress. Asked how to pronounce her adopted surname, she told ''The Literary Digest'' in 1936: "My fake name is properly pronounced ''vor'shack ...

. Some sources list "Edward McKim" as the director of the film, but that appears to be an error.Should A Woman Divorce?

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

website, Retrieved October 18, 2011 Abramson's grandson

was cast in the role of Grace's son Walter.Pizzitola, Louis
Hearst over Hollywood
p. 133 (2002)

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0004591
Should a Woman Divorce?
at

1914 films American black-and-white films American silent feature films 1910s American films