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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 777

The Lure of Drink

191537 minUnited Kingdom

Video edition: Wikimedia Commons
Original language: No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs: 36:33
Subtitles: No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · A. E. Coleby. · Public domain

Synopsis

Ned has given up drinking and hopes to build a stable home with Peggy, a widow raising a daughter. Another woman's resentment draws him back toward alcohol, endangering his work and family. The story follows the household's decline through the streets and workplaces of London, presenting relapse as the central threat to its fragile security.

Cast

Blanche Forsythe

Roy Travers

DirectorsA.E. Coleby

Historical context

This is a temperance melodrama, using extreme consequences to argue against alcohol. Recruitment posters and the conclusion also connect its idea of personal reform with the demands of the First World War.

Behind the scenes

The film was produced by William Barker and includes street and dock locations in Ealing, preserving views of the area during its early filmmaking period.

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 BFI Replay — The Lure of Drink Reelstreets — The Lure of Drink locations

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 12, 2026.

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