A century-old lost film about the one fear women couldn't voice in 1917.
Because of the loss of three generations of women in her family during childbirth Ellen Locke is frightened to have kids. Frustrated by her decision, her husband John finds himself drawn to his old love, Constance, now a widow with a child who bears her name. After her sister Marion dies in childbirth, Ellen becomes more obsessed, however one day when Ellen is driving little Constance home they have a car accident. An incident in the hospital changes her perspective leading to a reconciliation with John.
Acting
Alice Brady's face doing what dialogue couldn't.
Production
Surviving only in fragments — every frame is haunted.
Director
John B. O'Brien
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This is considered a lost film — only stills and a synopsis survive, making every description an act of reconstruction.
Released when maternal mortality was the second leading cause of death for women, the film's frank terror was dangerously radical for 1917.
US
