Is "Love's Prisoner" the newly discovered classic that some romantic silent film fans would like you to believe? Why, far from it. Rather, this commonplace crook melodrama starring the already waning Olive Thomas remains a perfect example why the once so proud Triangle Film Corp. dismantled its talent roster and sold all physical assets to Sam Goldwyn mere months after it was released in June of 1919. Here's the downtrodden Olive with a father in prison and two younger sisters to care for. She obtains a job hawking cocoa in a drugstore but before you can say "gold digger" she nabs herself a titled gentleman who obligingly leaves her a wealthy widow. Then she remembers how the other half lives and decides to play Robin Hood. Does she fall in love with the detective (Joe King) assigned to hunt her down? We don't really know; "Love's Prisoner" survives sans the final reel. But bad melodrama being what it is, she probably does. Of course, anything with the star-crossed Olive Thomas has a certain historic value -- even if she appears far from the raving beauty of legend -- but "Love's Prisoner" is hopefully not a typical example of the lady's cinematic oeuvre.
Review of Love's Prisoner
