''Broken Laws'' is a 1924 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by Roy William Neill, remarkable for the appearance of

Dorothy Davenport Fannie Dorothy Davenport (March 13, 1895 – October 12, 1977) was an American actress, screenwriter, film director, and producer. Born into a family of film performers, Davenport had her own independent career before her marriage to the film a ...

, who is billed as "Mrs. Wallace Reid".Progressive Silent Film List: ''Broken Laws''
at silentera.com ''Broken Laws'', with its plot of parental overindulgence, is the second of Davenport's "social conscience" releases, to be followed by ''

The Red Kimono ''The Red Kimono'' (spelled as "''The Red Kimona''" in the opening credits) is a 1925 American silent drama film about prostitution produced by Dorothy Davenport (billed as Mrs. Wallace Reid) and starring Priscilla Bonner. This is the debut ...

'' (1925), based on a true-life story of

white slavery White slavery (also white slave trade or white slave trafficking) refers to the slavery of Europeans, whether by non-Europeans (such as West Asians and North Africans), or by other Europeans (for example naval galley slaves or the Vikings' t ...

.McCaffrey, Donald W. and Jacobs, Christopher P. ''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema''. Greenwood Press, p. 101.

Plot

As described in a review in a film magazine, Christmas Eve finds Ralph Allen (Wallace) breaking the speed laws and eluding the police. In his car are his son Bobby (Moore) and Patsy Heath (Walsh), the daughter of a neighbor. The Allens go to a jazz party at the Heaths. Bobby has declared that there is no Santa Claus and has ruined the Christmas tree, climbs out of the house and goes to the Allens to watch the party. He and Patsy are trying to imitate the adults when they are discovered. Bobby is taken back home, and exposes himself to the rain for spite and becomes ill. When he recovers, his mother spoils him and he gets into trouble at school. When eighteen, his mother buys Bobby (Rankin) a car and he begins to lead a wild life, exerting a bad influence on Patsy (Corbin). Finally, his mother and Patsy's father (Marmont) go to rescue them from a questionable roadhouse. Speeding home, Bobby speeds and runs into a wagon, killing an old woman. He is tried and convicted of manslaughter. His mother realizes that she is also guilty as she indulged him and never taught him to respect the law or authority. Suddenly, she awakes and finds that the killing was just a dream. Calling Bobby to her room, she gives him a sound

spanking Spanking is a form of corporal punishment involving the act of striking, with either the palm of the hand or an implement, the buttocks of a person to cause physical pain. The term spanking broadly encompasses the use of either the hand or im ...

and sends him back to school to apologize.

Cast

Production

Davenport's husband was the star Wallace Reid, who died of

morphine Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a pain medication, and is also commonly used recreationally, or to make other illicit opioids. T ...

addiction in January 1923. By June 1923, Davenport had co-produced, starred in and toured the country with ''

Human Wreckage ''Human Wreckage'' is a 1923 American independent silent drama propaganda film that starred Dorothy Davenport and featured James Kirkwood, Sr., Bessie Love, and Lucille Ricksen. The film was co-produced by Davenport and Thomas H. Ince and di ...

'', a moralistic warning about the terrors of drug addiction. The film's sensational tone, and the roadshow engagement with her personal appearances, were a direct precursor to the later 1930s

exploitation films An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...

Kroger Babb Howard W. "Kroger" Babb (December 30, 1906 – January 28, 1980) was an American film producer and showman. His marketing techniques were similar to a travelling salesman's, with roots in the medicine show tradition. Self-described as "America's ...

and others.

Preservation

According to the Silent Era website, a print exists in the

Cinematheque Royale de Belgique CINEMATEK (Dutch: Koninklijk Belgisch Filmarchief; French: Cinémathèque royale de Belgique; English: Royal Belgian Film Archive) is a film archive in Brussels, Belgium. The archive was established in 1938 under the name Royal Belgian Film Archi ...

References

External links