The Futility of Revenge - Production & Contact Info

The Futility of Revenge (1914)
Short | Short

Primary photo for The Futility of Revenge

The Futility of Revenge (1914)

Short | Short

At the opening of the story we have Richard Dent leading a double life. To his wife and little daughter he is an honest man, a good husband and father. In the quiet of the night lie is the enemy of society, a crook. When his wife and babe ...See moreAt the opening of the story we have Richard Dent leading a double life. To his wife and little daughter he is an honest man, a good husband and father. In the quiet of the night lie is the enemy of society, a crook. When his wife and babe sleep, he hies himself out to follow the dictates of a distorted moral standard. Of an evening we find him entering the house of the judge. He piles up the stolen property and is about to leave when the master of the house interrupts. There is a quick dash, but the judge has seen his face. The next day we are carried into Richard Dent's home. Dent is concerned lest he be apprehended; he sees through the window detectives watching the house. In that moment he confesses his guilt to his wife. Though horror-stricken, the wife responds by forcing him to the couch with the admonition to say he has been sick. The detectives are admitted. The wife meets them and gives every assurance that her husband has been at home for the past two days. Her lies are about to succeed in their purpose, the detectives are about to depart, when in runs her little girl carrying some of the jewels which the father had hidden in the closet. Dent is given fifteen years. His wife, as an accessory to the crime, is given five years in prison. Dent pleads for her in vain. Later, when he learns that his wife has died of a broken heart, he swears an unholy revenge upon the Judge who has done the sentencing. Sixteen years elapse. Judge Powers' son, Walter, has been causing the old man worry; he refuses to settle down to business. Dent, who has now been freed, returns to the home town and lays his plans to hurt the Judge by ruining his boy. About this time, Dent has a peculiar encounter in one of the public squares. A girl attempts to pick his pocket. He takes the girl home, instead of handing her over to the police, learns that she is known as "Flashy Nell," a petty thief, and arranges to use her as an accomplice in the carrying out of his scheme. In a scene, stirring in every essential, in a cabaret, Nell makes the acquaintance of the Judge's son and brings about the introduction of Dent. Later, Walter, his son, is invited to the home of Dent to play cards. It is only a question of time until Walter is heavily indebted to Dent. Dent, on the other hand, demands payment and threatens exposure. The Judge refuses the demand for money from his son and the son in turn steals from him. At night he confesses his guilt to Nell who, realizing that she loves him, urges him to return the stolen money. Here a horrible sight awaits him. In the front of his father's safe the butler lies dead. Walter is accused. Nell seeks the intercession of Dent in vain. She defies Dent and assures the Judge that she has committed the crime. The trial of the Judge's son is commenced. Nell takes the stand. Her real name is asked. Dent, crushed at the thought that he has used his own daughter, whom he did not know, as a tool, confesses that he is the murderer and in that moment he cries, "I know the futility of revenge." As an epilogue we have Walter and Nell commencing life anew together. Written by Moving Picture World synopsis See less

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Cast	+ Add Cast
5 cast members

Name	Known for
Alexander Gaden Richard Dent Richard Dent See fewer	The Skull (1914)
Dorothy Phillips Nora Dent - the Wife / The Dent Daughter (dual role) Nora Dent - the Wife / The Dent Daughter (dual role) See fewer	Broadway Love (1918)
Howard Crampton The Judge The Judge See fewer	20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916)
Walter F. Scott The Judge's Son The Judge's Son See fewer	Hold Your Man (1929)
Helen Case Flashy Nell Flashy Nell See fewer	The Adventures of Ruth (1919)