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Her Mother’s Daughter
Also known as [The Nun]
(1915) United States of America
B&W : Three reels
Directed by Paul Powell
Cast: Dorothy Gish [Marie], Mary Alden [Marie’s mother], F.A. Turner [Marie’s grandfather], Jennie Lee [the mother superior], W.E. Lawrence [the nephew of the village priest]
Reliance Motion Picture Corporation production; distributed by Mutual Film Corporation. / Scenario by Russell E. Smith. Cinematography by Blake Wagner. / Released 8 December 1915. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Drama.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? Marie is a village girl, very religious. Her mother, fearing some man will make her unhappy (as she had been made by a man) made her promise on her deathbed that she would enter a nunnery. Marie considers that promise sacred and will allow nothing to interfere with her keeping that promise. Her grandfather is charged with seeing that she keeps her word, and his advice having been refused by his own daughter, Marie’s mother, he intends that this time it will be heeded. Meeting and loving a young man visiting her village (a nephew of the village priest), Marie rebels against giving him up and, sealing herself up in a nunnery for life. But her promise to her mother stands between and her grandfather chides her and tries to force her to a realization that breaking the promise she made would mean everlasting damnation. She is still undecided, however, and grandfather, to save her soul, falsely accuses the young man of being untrue to her and by a ruse proves it to her and she is forced to believe. The crafty old man also falsely proves to the young man, by a forged note, that she is untrue and is going into the nunnery to expiate her sin. Broken-hearted, the young man goes away and equally broken-hearted, Marie goes into the nunnery and is on probation until she is considered fit to become a full-fledged nun. Later, she becomes a nun in full orders, the youngest of the convent. The young man, a musician, writes a great opera and marries the star as a marriage of convenience, and lives not far from the convent. His wife does not love him. He realizes her motive for marrying him and is unhappy. He lives only in the dear, dead past and in dreams of Marie, whom he has never ceased to love. He has hidden away the forged letter the uncle wrote and often takes it out and weeps over it. Marie, too, even in full orders, cannot always forget him. At night in her cell she weeps and pours forth her agony of soul and heart and prays for peace from its suffering, and finally finds it completely in her religious life and affairs and puts the man out of her heart completely. One day the uncle dies and tells the priest of his act in separating Marie and the boy. The priest tells Mother Superior, who is afraid to tell Marie, but she has overheard and realizes the position she and the young man are in, but is content, although sorry for the young man. Later, the young man’s wife lies ill and is dying. A nun is delegated to nurse her and Marie is sent. The young man and Marie meet face to face across the bedside of the dying wife. Marie tells the young man of the truth of the affair, and he urges on her that her vows were taken under a misapprehension. The wife dies; Dorothy refuses the love and happiness thus offered her, and finally renounces her love and goes back to the convent. Some years later, show Dorothy in the garden of the convent, telling her beads. Outside is the young man, alone, walking past the walls of the convent. He goes on and up upon a hill which looks down upon the convent. The garden can be seen from there. Dorothy can see the hill from her garden spot. She sees a figure on the hill; it holds out its arms to her; she gazes, then turns away; he, too, turns away. And that is how they live their lives, apart.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 13 May 2020.
References: Weaver-Twenty p. 145 : Website-IMDb.
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