Mrs. Dane's Defense (1918) Famous Players Film Co. Distributor: Paramount Pictures Corp.; Famous Players-Lasky Corp. Presenter: Adolph Zukor. Director: Hugh Ford. Scenario: Margaret Turnbull. Camera, Ned Van Buren. Cast: Pauline Frederick, Frank Losee, Leslie Austen, Maude Turner, Ormi Hawley, John L. Shine, Ida Darling, Cyril Chadwick, Amelia Summerville, Frank Kingdon, Howard Hall, Grace Reals, Mary Navarro. 5 reels. This film appears to be LOST

This was the last of Frederick's eleven films with Hugh Ford, who co-directed her first film.

A lobby card from the film courtesy of Derek Boothroyd

Review from Variety, January 11, 1918

That Pauline Frederick is the star of this Famous Players-Paramount release is conducive of an added interest in a story which on the speaking stage was a successful play. There is an element of suspense about the story that carries one along, although the suspense tends to a slight dragginess at times. "Mrs. Dane's Defense" originally had Margaret Anglin as its star. The picture version was adapted by Margaret Turnbull and Hugh Ford directed the production. It is a picture that will particularly appeal to women audiences, although the role the star has is not particularly a sympathetic one. Miss Frederick as Felicia Hindemarsh has accompanied a Mrs. Trent to Canada from England as companion. Mr. Trent becomes interested in her and the result is that there is an issue. Mrs. Trent upon the discovery of her husband's unfaithfulness commits suicide and Felicia travels about Canada for three years with the scandal ever cropping up. Finally she visits a cousin, who is a widow and in ill health, who on her death wills her all to Felicia, who returns to England with her new wealth and determines to establish herself in society. She falls in love with Lionel Cartaret, the adopted son of Sir Daniel Cartaret, and the boy falls equally hard for her, jilting a young girl. But although Felicia has taken the name of her deceased cousin and is posing as Mrs. Dane, her past finds her out through the medium of a visitor from Canada. The result is the breaking off of her engagement to Lionel and her return to her child which she has left with the nurse of her childhood. It is her determined efforts to deny the fact she is Felicia Hindemarsh and retain the boy's love that give the piece its title. She sure does frame an alibi that looks perfect for the time being, until Sir Daniel starts to cross-examine her and pins her down to the truth. The earlier sections move speedily enough, but once one gets into the English society end things begin to drag. There is a preponderance of minor detail in several scenes that slow the telling to a great extent. In production the scenes are for the greater part interiors with the exception of a well chosen location showing the lawn of an English country place which is very atmospheric. He interior are all in good taste and befitting the story. The supporting cast Miss Frederick has includes several exceedingly good types. Frank Losee as Sir Daniel carries his role convincingly, while Leslie Austin playing the juvenile lead both looked and acted his role cleverly, but it remained for Cyril Chadwick to land as an English fop. It was the cleverest character bit of the production. Ormi Hawley looked pretty as the young fiancee who was deserted for Mrs. Dane. The camera work for the greater part was adequate and acceptable. In the matter of direction the suicide scene in the early Canadian scenes was a little too theatric, as was also the playing of the role of Mr. Trent by Howard Hall. The picture is a good feature of program value, especially so because of the following of the star.

Reviews from Moving Picture World

"Mrs. Dane's Defense"
Paramount Releases Five-Reel Number featuring Pauline Frederick in Famous Play by Henry Arthur Jones.
Reviewed by Robert C. McElravy.

Patrons of moving pictures will welcome an opportunity to witness a film version of "Mrs. Dane's Defense," one of the strongest dramatic successes ever written, by Henry Arthur Jones. It is the story of a woman who sinned and who lied desperately to cover up her past when real love came to her. In film form the story has some advantages over the stage version, and in certain respects it perhaps falls below its original high mark. But it is all intensely interesting and in line with the best that is offered in either style of entertainment.

[Omitted, photo of Frederick seated and two men standing. Caption: Scene from "Mrs. Dane's Defense" (Paramount)

Pauline Frederick gives a satisfying picture of Mrs. Dane, a pretty creature, struggling like a captive bird in the meshes of the net her own early error has woven about her. Her first appearance, as Felicia Hindemarsh, when she comes with her child to her cousin, the real Mrs. Dane, for protection gets an instant hold upon the sympathies. All of the forepart of the production is elaborately and powerfully worked out. If there is a tenuous effect anywhere, in comparison with the stage version, it is in the memorable scenes where Sir Daniel Carteret so mercilessly probes her tissue of falsehoods and wrings a confession of the truth from her unwilling lips. At most, this part of the drama will merely call up an interesting contrast in the minds of observers who saw the original play; so far as winding up the problem itself is concerned, the effect achieved is entirely satisfactory.

The settings and social atmosphere, particularly in the scenes located in England, are very pleasing, and the cast is an agreeable one throughout.

Frank Losee plays the part of Sir Daniel, one of the most important in the story; Leslie Austen appears as Lionel, the son, and Cyril Chadwick as James Risbee. Others appearing are Ormi Hawley, Maud Turner Gordon, Amelia Summerville and Howard Hall. The scenario adaptation was made by Margaret Turnbull and the direction was in charge of Hugh Ford.

MRS. DANE'S DEFENSE
Adolph Zukor Presents Pauline Frederick in an Adaptation of Henry Arthur Jones' Great Play, Made by Margaret Turnbull

The Story: One of the most famous stories of an English dramatist who delights in presenting the problems of life in caustic fashion, masking his preachments with vivid and gripping stories of human interest. Felicia Hindemarsh is not made to pay the price of her early indiscretions. She pays for supposing that these indiscretions could be hidden, and it is the hiding of her identity behind that of her cousin, Mrs. Dane, which is condemned. It may be regarded as a problem play or merely as a gripping human document.

For the Program: A stage classic that is classic still.
The story of a woman's last stand

Advertising Phrases: A famous play from Famous Players.
The woman pays--for women make her pay.

Feature These Players Pauline Frederick, who wears some unusually gorgeous gowns.
Frank Losee in a strong character part.
Amelia Summerville, Ormi Hawley, Ida Darling, and Grace Reals.

Stunt Suggestions: Use this copy for mailing cards or throwaways. "Are you a woman? Will you come to Mrs. Dane's defense? See the reason at the (house and date)." Induce some woman's club to discuss the play at a meeting prior to showing, or offer free matinee tickets that the members may see the play to be discussed, always working the papers in this connection. Borrow or roughly make large balance scales for lobby display. On one weight paint "Happiness," and on the heavier, "Deception." On the card, "Deception outweighed happiness in Mrs. Dane's defense. Henry Arthur Jones' absorbing study of a social problem. (Date.) With Pauline Frederick."

Advertising Aids: Two each one, three and six-sheets. One 24-sheet. Lobby displays 8x10, 11x14, 22x28. Eight by ten photos of star. Cuts and mats on stars and production, five of each one-column, three two-column, and two three -column. Heralds. Advertising layouts. Window cards. Slides. Press book.

Released January 7.

"Mrs. Dane's Defense"
Paramount Presents Pauline Frederick in a Screen Version of the Famous Play by Henry Arthur Jones.
Reviewed by Louis Reeves Harrison.

The Famous Players feature, "Mrs. Dane's Defense," in the stage version, is the story of a wayward woman most cleverly camouflaged in the medium of language, so admirably handled that audience sympathy goes out strongly to the sinning woman, who, having skillfully covered her past, hopes to make amends as a true wife in honorable marriage with a man she sincerely loves. A whispered scandal and a lot of human envy arrange the forces of good society against her, and her finer aspirations are dashed to the ground when a shrewd lawyer, the foster-father of her intended, insists upon disproving the scandal in public. She makes a game defense, but it crumbles at last under the lawyer's searching examination, and she goes back to obscurity and the care of an illegitimate child.

[Omitted, photo of Frederick grasping the shoulder of a man with his back turned. Caption: Scene from "Mrs. Dane's Defense" (Paramount)]

The problem presented in the stage version is whether a woman who has been more sinned against than sinning, who has profited by her experience, shall be given opportunity to make amends in a normal life in accord with social conventions, or whether she shall be forever discarded for having broken the most sacred of them all. Jones presents the problem with skill and high suspense. The screen version disposes of any mystery at the outset, instead of presenting it to arouse uncertainty and curiosity and gradually unravelling [sic] the plot, a change of structure which contributes materially to loss of interest in the outcome. It is a case of a badly written scenario, which pretends to follow the stage version, and which does, except in the prime essential of story interest on the screen--suspense.

In spite of this destructive blunder, the author's purpose is felt--it is felt rather than seen, and very largely through fine interpretation of the leading role by Pauline Frederick. Supported by a company of very high quality in every role, with admirably chosen and entirely effective backgrounds, Miss Frederick presents the character of the erring woman with both dignity and force, an impersonation of exceptional merit. So tense are the situations devised by the author and offered under skilled Paramount direction that the play was well received by a large audience at the Strand.

Last revised, May 2, 2009