His Regeneration (1915)

An unrepentant crook enters a dance hall and gets in a fight over a girl. As he, unknowingly, breaks into her house, another bloody mess stains the residence's thick carpets. Can a simple act of kindness pave the way for his regeneration?

Director:

Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson (uncredited)

Stars:

Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson, Lee Willard, Marguerite Clayton

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson	...	The Regenerate (as G.M.Anderson)
Lee Willard	...	His Partner
Marguerite Clayton	...	The Girl
Hazel Applegate	...	The Maid
Charles Chaplin	...	A Customer

Storyline

A rough criminal gets into an argument over a girl in a dance hall. The argument turns into a fight, and the criminal is shot. As everyone else looks on, a young woman comes to his aid, and it turns out that he is not seriously wounded. He still remembers the woman who helped him when, later, he is committing a burglary and gets a surprise that will change his life.

---

Plot Keywords:

directed by star | 

---

Genres:

Short | Western

---

Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Official Sites:

Instagram

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 May 1915 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jego regeneracja

Filming Locations:

Niles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

15 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charles Chaplin who appears uncredited as a customer in the bar, was a business associate of 'G.M. Anderson', who appeared in a cameo in Chaplin's film The Champion (1915). The main titles to this film read "...slightly assisted by Charles Chaplin", which suggests that Chaplin possibly hand a hand in the story or direction of this film, especially as he used the same story again for his later comedy Police (1916).

---

Connections

Featured in Image Makers: The Adventures of America's Pioneer Cinematographers (2019)

User Reviews

Not Bad, But Could Have Been Better

This works all right, although it could probably have been better. The story concerns a brutish criminal (Broncho Billy Anderson) who goes through some experiences that cause him to reconsider his way of life - the kind of story that was fairly common in the two-reel features of the era. One problem is that for quite a while it wavers inconsistently between tension and slapstick, so that it's hard to tell where it is going. It's interesting to see Charlie Chaplin in a couple of the scenes, but he's really just a sidelight.

The story itself has a worthwhile point, but would have been even more effective in more skilled hands. Someone like D.W. Griffith could have made it easier for the audience to overlook the crucial coincidences in the plot, and could have evoked more emotion in the climactic scenes. It's not a bad movie, though; it's just that there are obvious ways it could have been better.