The Girl and the Judge; or, A Terrible Temptation (1910) User Reviews

The energy and fervor characteristic of the Vitagraph players

[deickemeyer · 27 February 2015]

A strongly dramatic picture, worked out with the energy and fervor characteristic of the Vitagraph players. A love story is no novelty, even though it is always new, but the fatal discharge of a pistol by the heat generated by the lens of a microscope is a novelty, and is used to good advantage. The dramatic scenes attending the conviction and sentence of an innocent man for murder, with the repentance of the judge and his explanation of how the pistol was discharged are all so dramatic that one can scarcely distinguish between them. The girl chooses the judge, assuming that the love which prompted the judge's action must be deep. This ending is different from established precedent, and really makes a strong climax. One is ready to see the girl walk away with the released prisoner, and when she goes away with the judge it really gives a slight wrench to one's feelings. Unconsciously, almost, one begins speculating upon whether this course was right, paying tribute in this way to the strength of the film and the fidelity of the acting. - The Moving Picture World, February 12, 1910