The Derelicts

1914

YOUR RATING

Death before dishonor is the choice of a young factory girl, but she is saved from both by a young sea captain and turned into another life, in which she seems happy until an old enemy reapp... Read allDeath before dishonor is the choice of a young factory girl, but she is saved from both by a young sea captain and turned into another life, in which she seems happy until an old enemy reappears in the person of her former employer, whose business interests have brought him to th... Read allDeath before dishonor is the choice of a young factory girl, but she is saved from both by a young sea captain and turned into another life, in which she seems happy until an old enemy reappears in the person of her former employer, whose business interests have brought him to the far corner of the world where the new Eden is. The strange circumstances of his coming, ... Read all

Director
- Travers Vale
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

YOUR RATING

Director
- Travers Vale
Stars

2User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos

User reviews2

Featured reviews

deickemeyer

The interest in the story is kept up

A two-part picture play which has exceptional attractions in its variety of unusual contrasted scenic selections, on both sea and land. Throughout the two reels the interest in the story is kept up in a clever way by the director, and sympathy for the little heroine impresses itself upon the spectator. Strange circumstances and persecutions keep up the suspense, which culminate in an enticing manner. - The Moving Picture World, October 17, 1914

5boblipton

Editing Problems

Louise Vale turns down the advances of her shop boss, Franklin Ritchie. He tries to have his way with her anyway. In walks ship captain George Morgan. Ritchie wants to charter his boat for a trip to the South Seas. Seeing what is what, Morgan socks him in the jaw, says Ritchie will never charter his boat and flees with Mrs. Vale. Soon, she tries to kill herself just by his boat, so he and his passenger, missionary Jack Roberts rescue her. Soon Morgan and Louise are married and setting off to his island home. Ritchie shows up, when the passenger ship he was on, burns, Ritchie was the only survivor, and he's picked up by Morgan's boat. He's still a nasty piece of work.

It's a complicated two-reel movie, and there is a lot of confusion in the course of events in the second reel. D.w. Griffith had left Biograph earlier in the year because he wanted to make features, and they thought it a foolish idea. He last Biograph was released in April, and the bosses had to scramble. I don't know whether director Travers Vale got his wife the lead on this picture, or it was the other way around, but while the acting and the camerawork is fine, this is not up to earlier standards.

The following year, after Griffith had a smash hit with BIRTH OF A NATION, his bosses decided they could make features too. While technically they could, they stank at it.