Avenged (1910 film)
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''Avenged'' is a 1910 American silent
short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...
drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film is a
melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...
focusing on John Warren, a young clerk, who is struck by a taxi cab while crossing the street. The chauffeur who struck him, Allen, decides to flee as a crowd gathers around John. Allen ditches his taxi on a country road and takes a train, successfully escaping. Six years later, the poor, ill and crippled John has become a
timekeeper A timekeeper is an instrument or person that measures the passage of time. Person A timekeeper is a person who measures time with the assistance of a clock or a stopwatch. In addition, a timekeeper records time, time taken, or time remaining duri ...
in a mining town. John's wife, who has taken care of him, sickens and dies. Allen, unaware of John's identity, attempts to comfort him and listens to John's story. After learning Allen wrecked his life, John attempts to shoot him, but the specter of his wife stays his hand. John goes to her grave, forgives Allen, and dies. No cast or production credits are known for this film. Released on October 7, 1910, the film was a distinct departure from other Thanhouser releases and was sharply criticized by reviewers. The film is presumed
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.


Plot

Though the film is presumed
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 ...
, a synopsis survives in '' The Moving Picture World'' from October 8, 1910. It states: "John Warren, a prosperous young clerk, is run down by a taxi cab while crossing a city street. The
chauffeur A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine. Originally, such drivers were often personal employees of the vehicle owner, but this has changed to speciali ...
, Allen, afraid of the consequences of his carelessness, makes his escape when he sees a crowd gathering around his victim. He abandons his machine on a lonely country road, and catching a westbound train, succeeds in making good his escape. Six years later finds John, now a cripple, living in a mining town with his devoted wife. Here John, incapacitated from other work, lives out a miserable existence as the
timekeeper A timekeeper is an instrument or person that measures the passage of time. Person A timekeeper is a person who measures time with the assistance of a clock or a stopwatch. In addition, a timekeeper records time, time taken, or time remaining duri ...
at the mine. Here, also, Allen comes, applying for work as a miner. They do not recognize each other. John, poor and ill, is visited by another misfortune. His beloved wife, who has clung to him through all the years of his adversity, sickens and dies. His one joy in life is taken from him. John refuses to be comforted by Allen, who feels deep sympathy for the poor cripple. While reciting his sad history to Allen, John learns for the first time that Allen is the man who, by crippling him, wrecked his life. At last the vengeance he has sought all these years is within his reach. He raises his gun to end Allen's existence, when a vision of his wife appears, breathing the message, 'Vengeance is Mine, sayeth the Lord.' John rushes from the house to the grave of his loved one, and there, after forgiving Allen, dies at peace with mankind."


Production

The writer of the scenario is unknown, but it was most likely
Lloyd Lonergan Lloyd Lonergan (March 3, 1870, Chicago, Illinois - April 6, 1937, New York City) was one of the most prolific scenario and screenwriters in American silent film. A brother-in-law of Edwin Thanhouser he worked for the Thanhouser Company based ...
. He was an experienced newspaperman employed by ''
The New York Evening World ''The Evening World'' was a newspaper that was published in New York City from 1887 to 1931. It was owned by Joseph Pulitzer, and served as an evening edition of the ''New York World.'' History The first issue was on October 10, 1887. It was pub ...
'' while writing scripts for the Thanhouser productions. The film director is unknown, but it may have been
Barry O'Neil Barry O'Neil (September 24, 1865 – March 23, 1918) was a film director and writer. His real name was Thomas J. McCarthy. He directed several Thanhouser films including the production company's first two-reeler,https://www.thanhouser.org/TCOCD/Nar ...
. Film historian
Q. David Bowers Quentin David Bowers (born October 21, 1938) is an American numismatist, author, and columnist. Beginning in 1952, Bowers’s contributions to numismatics have continued uninterrupted and unabated to the present day.
does not attribute a cameraman for this production, but at least two possible candidates exist.
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was the first cameraman of the Thanhouser company, but he was soon joined by
Carl Louis Gregory Carl Louis Gregory (1882–1951) was an American cinematographer and director. Early life Carl Louis Gregory was born in Walnut, Kansas, in 1882. He ventured into photography while he was 11 years old. He grew up in Geneva, Ohio, the only boy am ...
who had years of experience as a still and motion picture photographer. The role of the cameraman was uncredited in 1910 productions. The cast credits are unknown, but many 1910 Thanhouser productions are fragmentary. In late 1910, the Thanhouser company released a list of the important personalities in their films. The list includes G.W. Abbe, Justus D. Barnes,
Frank H. Crane Frank Hall Crane (January 1, 1873 – September 1, 1948) was an American stage and film actor and director.
,
Irene Crane Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United States ...
,
Marie Eline Marie Eline (February 27, 1902 – January 3, 1981) was an American silent film child actress and sister of Grace Eline. Their mother was an actress. Eline acted on stage for three years before she acted in films. Nicknamed "The Thanhouser ...
,
Violet Heming Violet Heming (27 January 1895 – 4 July 1981) was an English stage and screen actress. Her name sometimes appeared as Violet Hemming in newspapers. Biography Born Violet Hemming in Leeds, Yorkshire, she was the daughter of Alfred Hemming w ...
, Martin J. Faust, Thomas Fortune, George Middleton, Grace Moore,
John W. Noble John Winthrop Noble (born Winfield Fernley Kutz; June 24, 1880 – September 10, 1946) was an American film director and screenwriter during the silent era. Career John Winthrop Noble was the professional name of Winfield Fernley Kutz (someti ...
, Anna Rosemond, Mrs. George Walters. In one scene, the appearance of the wife was described as being facilitated by "trick printing", and was possibly created by a
double exposure In photography and cinematography, a multiple exposure is the superimposition of two or more exposures to create a single image, and double exposure has a corresponding meaning in respect of two images. The exposure values may or may not be ide ...
. Bowers notes that the sister was listed as the wife in the official synopsis, but it is unlikely that such a distinction in cast roles was ever made in the inter-titles due to the confusion. Bowers stated that names were used in to keep track of who was who, but patrons were unaware of the characters' names.


Release and reception

The single reel drama, approximately 1,000 feet long, was released on October 7, 1910. The film likely had a wide national release, with advertising theaters known in
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
,
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
,
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
, and
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. The film received negative reviews in trade publications and it was deemed a distinct departure from the nature of other Thanhouser releases. The film's plot was criticized by reviewers for being concerned main character's misery. In response to the illogical plot, '' The New York Dramatic Mirror'' reviewer stated, "Why the cripple should go West as soon as he is able to hobble isn't clear; perhaps the West is such a delightfully vague term that it induces haziness of reasoning." The reviewer also noted the inexplicable reason why Allen, who originally fled, would suddenly consent to be willingly murdered by John. The reviewer opined that the story was almost maudlin in places and the acting was not sincere because the actors knew the plot was absurd. '' The Moving Picture World'' also reviewed the film quite negatively, "Possibly the dramatic qualities of this picture are sufficient reason for its existence; but it has no other reason. It is not entertaining. It is not instructive. It cannot amuse. The shadow of death pervades it and the horror tragedy is the principal factor. It is such a departure from the usual Thanhouser that it seems as though the regular producer was absent when it flipped past the company's censor." Advertisers for the film listed it in a variety of ways from a strong drama to having real mining activities. The film is presumed
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 ...
.


See also

*
List of American films of 1910 A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...


Notes


References

{{reflist, 30em 1910 films 1910 drama films Silent American drama films American silent short films American black-and-white films Thanhouser Company films Lost American films Melodrama films 1910 lost films Lost drama films 1910s American films 1910s English-language films American drama short films English-language drama films