''The Law of the Land'' (or Law of the Land) is a 1917 silent film starring stage actress turned screen vamp

Olga Petrova Olga Petrova (born Muriel Harding; 10 May 1884 – 30 November 1977) was a British-American actress, screenwriter and playwright. Life and career Born Muriel Harding in England, she moved to the United States and became a star of vaudeville u ...

. The film was directed by Maurice Tourneur and produced by

Jesse Lasky Jesse Louis Lasky (September 13, 1880 – January 13, 1958) was an American pioneer Film producer, motion picture producer who was a key founder of what was to become Paramount Pictures, and father of screenwriter Jesse L. Lasky Jr. Early life ...

. The story is based on the 1914 play ''The Law of the Land'' by

George Broadhurst George Howells Broadhurst (June 3, 1866 – January 31, 1952) was an Anglo-American theatre owner/manager, director, producer and playwright. His plays were most popular from the late 1890s into the 1920s. Biography Broadhurst was born in Wal ...

and starred Julia Dean in Petrova's role. Some scenes of this film were shot in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. This film is now

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

Plot

As described in a film magazine, Margaret Harding (Petrova) becomes the wife of Richard Harding (Standing) to save her mother from ruin. The only happiness in her life is her young son, and one night when Harding threatens to whip the boy to death Margaret shoots him. Geoffrey Morton (Hamilton), who loves Margaret, and Margaret are charged with the crime. However, when Margaret explains to the police inspector (Hatch) the true state of affairs, and when her son shows marks where his father had hit him, Margaret and Geoffrey are exonerated and reunited.

Cast

- Margaret Harding *

Wyndham Standing Charles Wyndham Standing''Silent Film Necrology'', 2nd Edition by Eugene Michael Vazzana, c. 2001 page 497 (23 August 1880 – 1 February 1963) was an English film actor. Early years Standing was born in London, England and died in Los An ...

- Richard Harding *

Mahlon Hamilton Mahlon Preston Hamilton, Jr. (June 15, 1880 – June 20, 1960), was an American stage and screen actor. He was the son of a bartender born in Baltimore, Maryland, the eldest of four children, with the rest of the siblings being girls. Census ...

- Geoffrey Morton *J.D. Haragan - Brockland *Robert Vivian - Chetwood * Riley Hatch - Inspector Cochrane (billed as William Riley Hatch) *

William Conklin William Conklin (December 25, 1872 – March 21, 1935) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 80 silent films between 1913 and 1929. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and died in Hollywood, California. Partial filmography * ''Ariz ...

References

External links

*
synopsis at AllMovie
1917 films American silent feature films Films directed by Maurice Tourneur American films based on plays Lost American drama films 1917 drama films Silent American drama films American black-and-white films 1917 lost films 1910s American films {{1910s-drama-film-stub