David W. Griffith made two versions of this film, the 1914 version, starring Lilian Gish and Donald Crisp, has been almost entirely lost. This 1928 remake is constructed as a comedy, with witty intertitles, and is broadcast with the main purpose of entertainment. The choice of actors fully illustrates this difference in register between the two versions.
The estranged husband, who in the 1914 film was played by the huge Donald Crisp, is here played by a short, stocky, vulnerable and often ridiculous Jean Hersholt. The ‘temptress’ of 1914, played by the young Fay Tincher, remained a forgettable figure despite her charm. In the 1928 version, the role was given to sex symbol Phyllis Haver and this character became a key element of the film. Griffith, who of course did not totally abandon his value system, decided to change the register halfway through the film, as the prejudice suffered by the traitor’s family did not lend itself well to the tone of the comedy.
– REMAKE OF THE 1914 FILM.
subject: Daniel Carson Goodman
script: Gerrit J. Lloyd
photography: Billy Bitzer, Karl Struss
music by: Hugo Riesenfeld - Uncredited
mounting: James Smith
scenography: Park French, William Cameron Menzies
other titles: Frauen sind schamlos , Komödie einer Liebe, L'éternel problème, The Battle of Sexes
color: Bianco & Nero
taken from: "The Single Standard" by Daniel Carson Goodman
production company: Art Cinema
