Mater dolorosa

One of Abel Gance's little acorns which led to the great oak that is NAPOLEON, his masterpiece.

A doctor's wife has an affair with her husband's best friend, who shoots himself after she refuses to run away with him. The erstwhile suitor swears his lover to secrecy concerning the affair before he dies, in order to spare the doctor's feelings. However, the doctor learns of the ill-fated trysts by accident, and demands to know the name of her former beau. His wife refuses to break her vow to her lover.....and suffers the consequences....

A standard melodrama, heightened by atmospheric lighting at certain points. Interesting primarily because of the subsequent fame of the director.

IMDB gives a running time of 80 mins, but my Grapevine Video VCD copy (playable on most DVD machines) only amounts to 54 mins. Perhaps a less truncated copy with English inter-titles is out there somewhere.