His Dominant Passion (1914)
Dominated by an overpowering desire for wealth, John Brack, a small town financier, moves, with his wife, to New York, where he feels there is a better field for his talents. At first he is successful, but afterwards meets with reverses in Wall Street and goes to his friend, Henry Van Ess, for financial aid. The latter refuses a loan on the plea that his money is tied up in unset stones. The sight of the stones is too much for Breck in his need, and he grabs the box. In the struggle with Van Ess, the latter is choked into insensibility and the lamp overturned. The house is set afire and Breck escapes with the box, which he hides near a peculiarly shaped tree in the woods. Van Ess is rescued from the burning house, and before lapsing into insensibility, manages to gasp out the name, "John Breck." Breck is apprehended and taken into custody. At his trial, nothing comes out about the theft, for Van Ess's memory is gone, but Breck gets twenty years for assault and arson. During his incarceration, Breck constantly dreams of what he will do with his hidden wealth, when his sentence expires. When he has been in prison two years, his wife dies of a broken heart. At the expiration of his term, filled with anticipation, he goes to the hiding place and digs up his jewels, which he takes at once to a jeweler's to be appraised. He is stunned to learn they are only paste. Maddened by disappointment and blasted hopes, he wanders back to the old town where his wife and child are buried. There, casting himself down on his wife's grave he dies.
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Domestic
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Worldwide
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GenresDrama
Short
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| William Humphrey | Director |
| James Oliver Curwood | Writer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| William Humphrey | |
| Leah Baird | |
| J. Herbert Frank |
