''The Hidden Scar'' is a 1916 silent

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film directed by

Barry O'Neil Barry O'Neil (1865 – 1918) was a film director and writer. His real name was Thomas J. McCarthy. He directed several Thanhouser films including the production company's first two-reeler, ''Romeo and Juliet''. He went on to work for Lubin and ...

and starring

Ethel Clayton Ethel Clayton (November 8, 1882 – June 6, 1966) was an American actress of the silent film era. Early years Born in Champaign, Illinois, Clayton attended St. Elizabeth's school in Chicago. Career Clayton debuted on stage as a professional a ...

and

Holbrook Blinn Holbrook Blinn (January 23, 1872 – June 24, 1928) was an American stage and film actor. Early years Blinn was the son of American Civil War veteran Col. Charles Blinn and actress Nellie Holbrook-Blinn. He was born in San Francisco and attende ...

. It was distributed by the

World Film Company The World Film Company or World Film Corporation was an American film production and distribution company, organized in 1914 in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Short-lived but significant in American film history, World Film was created by financier and f ...

. An incomplete copy of the film is preserved at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

in Washington D.C. and

National Archives of Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. Th ...

in Ottawa. Prints and/or fragments were found in the

Dawson Film Find The Dawson Film Find (DFF) was the accidental discovery in 1978 of 372 film titles preserved in 533 reels of silent-era nitrate films in the Klondike Gold Rush town of Dawson City, Yukon, Canada. The reels had been buried under an abandoned hock ...

in 1978.

Plot

Janet Hall is a young girl who is seduced and wronged by Henry Dalton, and she gives birth to an illegitimate child. She makes a living dancing in a cabaret, which she despises, and dedicates herself to their child. She begs Dalton to marry her, to give their child a family name, but he refuses and offers her money instead. He is mortally wounded by ruffians and on his death-bed leaves her a cottage in the country and an annuity. There she meets and falls in love with the young minister of the local church named Dale Overton. Initially, she refuses to marry him on account of her distasteful past, but after hearing him preaches charity, forgiveness and tolerance, she agrees to get married. Later her husband learns of her unsavory past, and he renounces her. Stuart Doane, Overton's friend, comes to her defense, stating that he is a hypocrite, who preaches forgiveness but cannot accept his own wife's past. Overton's parents discourage him from associating with her, but overcomes their pressure and his own disgust and learns to forgive Janet. The strain put upon her by the situation causes her to become very ill, and Overton has an epiphany; charity and kindness are more important than all else. Janet awakes to both her husband and his parents kneeling at her bedside, who had all been praying for her recovery and they thank God that her life had been spared.

Cast

- Janet Hall *

- Stuart Doane *

Irving Cummings Irving Cummings (October 9, 1888 – April 18, 1959) was an American movie actor and director. Career Born in New York City, Cummings started his acting career at age 16 in ''Diplomacy (play), Diplomacy''. His Broadway theatre, Broadway, p ...

- Dale Overton *

Montagu Love Montagu Love (15 March 1877 – 17 May 1943) was an English screen, stage and vaudeville actor. Early years Born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, Love was the son of Harry Love and Fanny Louisa Love, née Poad; his father was listed as accountant ...

- Henry Dalton *

Madge Evans Madge Evans (born Margherita Harrison Evans; July 1, 1909 – April 26, 1981) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress.Obituary '' Variety'', April 29, 1981. She began her career as a child performer and model. Biography C ...

- Dot *

Edward Kimball Edward Marshall Kimball (June 26, 1859 – January 4, 1938) was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1912 and 1936. Like many older actors of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, he enjoyed a varied stage ...

- Reverend James Overton *Eugenie Woodward - Mrs. Overton

Reception

Motion Picture News The ''Motion Picture News'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1913 to 1930. History The publication was created through the 1913 merger of the ''Moving Picture News'' founded in 1908 and ''The Exhibitors' Times'', founde ...

reviewer Theodore Osborn Eltonhead found the film to contain "a good, tense, dramatic story, well produced, ably directed, and excellently acted."

New York Clipper The ''New York Clipper'', also known as ''The Clipper'', was a weekly entertainment newspaper published in New York City from 1853 to 1924. It covered many topics, including circuses, dance, music, the Outdoor recreation, outdoors, sports, and ...

gave the film a positive review, finding the film to be "not out of the ordinary" and "well handled." Margaret I. MacDonald for

Moving Picture World The ''Moving Picture World'' was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, ''Moving Picture World'' frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios. ...

gave the film a mixed review, as she found the scenario to be "poorly constructed" and ended her review by saying "Much could be done to improve the action of this production which in its present shape carries too little significance."

References

External links

The Hidden Scar at IMDb.com
1916 films American silent feature films American black-and-white films World Film Company films Silent American drama films 1916 drama films Films directed by Barry O'Neil 1910s American films 1910s English-language films Films shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey Films shot at Peerless Studios English-language drama films {{1910s-US-film-stub