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The Broken Oath
(1910) United States of America
B&W : One reel / [?] 950 or 952? feet
Directed by Harry Solter
Cast: Florence Lawrence, King Baggot
Independent Moving Pictures Company, Incorporated, production; distributed by [?] Independent Moving Pictures Company, Incorporated [IMP]? / Released 14 March 1910. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Drama: Crime.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? A young Neapolitan, full of the romance and adventuresome blood of his native heath, joins a secret society, and we witness his initiation. Later the leading lights of the organization undertake to blackmail a merchant, but they fail and resolve to bring about his demise. The band returns to headquarters, and the drawing of balls from a black bag decides who shall commit the deed. They all pull forth black balls until the young man’s turn comes, and his fingers are holding a white ball! It is the fateful one. He is the chosen assassin, and the members of the band withdraw from the room. He hastens to the home of his sweetheart and tells her what has occurred; he must keep his pledge by turning murderer. She pleads, entreats, and her parents join her, and they finally induce him to break his oath. He promises them that he will. But this scene has been witnessed by two members of the society, and they take the news back to their chief. From that moment on the society plots to put him out of the way. In their first effort they entice him away on the pretext of treating him, and get him into a deserted house. As soon as he is in he realizes his peril, but too late. He is bound and suspended before a clock-like contrivance that is rigged with a pistol, and he must gaze as the hands go round to the fateful hour, eight, when the pistol, aimed at him, will shoot. Luckily, his sweetheart learns of the trick, and following various clues, reaches the house, and none too soon: for as she pushes the clock over, the pistol explodes. She was just in time. By this time the plotters are more anxious to be rid of him, and they try again. They pounce on him as he walks on the street, and throw him into a closed carriage. They take him to a hut, and all preparations are made to blow it up with him. A small boy who knows him has seen this, however, and has ridden with them, concealed on the rear axle of the vehicle. He runs back home, tells the girl of it, and after a daring and perilous adventure she manages again to rescue her lover, the house being blown to bits together with the chief of the band. // [From a 1910 IMP advertisement] A powerful melodrama dealing with a young chap, his sweetheart and a secret society. There’s action from the first foot of film and it keeps you five millions miles up in the air until the happy finale. This is the kind of film dozens of our customs have been begging us to produce. Watch for it.
Reviews: [The Moving Picture World, 26 March 1910, page ?] A powerful melodrama which deals in a graphic way with a young man, his sweetheart and a secret society in which he held membership. The action is so strong that it keeps one interested and guessing as long as the film runs. To break a secret society oath requires a good deal of nerve, and there are certain situations connected with a sweetheart which also require nerve. Where these two come together it is quite likely to be doubly interesting. Then, too, there are the Imp actors to perform their parts so sympathetically that one takes pleasure in watching them intently to follow all the little details. This picture is certain to prove popular, and everyone will appreciate its merits after the picture has been seen. The photography is an improvement on some previous Imp releases, but it could be be made better in some places now.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 10 September 2023.
References: Blum-Silent p. 18; Robinson-Palace p. 160; Webb-Hollywood p. 180 : Website-AFI; Website-IMDb.
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