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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 1078

Paid

193086 minUnited States

Video edition: Wikimedia Commons
Original language: English
This copy runs: 85:40
Subtitles: No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Sam Wood · Public domain

Synopsis

After serving a sentence for a crime she did not commit, Mary Turner joins former prisoners in a scheme exploiting broken promises of marriage. She hopes to use the law against the society that punished her. Revenge gradually collides with the possibility of a different future.

Cast

Joan Crawford

Robert Armstrong

Douglass Montgomery

DirectorsSam Wood

Inspirations

Joan Crawford stars in Sam Wood's adaptation of Bayard Veiller's play Within the Law. The premise turns legal knowledge into a means of retaliation for a woman whom the justice system has failed.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film reference Wikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 15, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

Joan Crawford — Studio Publicity · Public domain
Robert Armstrong — Trailer screenshot · Public domain
Douglass Montgomery — https://www.flickr.com/photos/truusbobjantoo/54187084971 · Public domain

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