
Public Domain
The Sorrows of the Unfaithful
1910 · Biograph Company · Dir. D.W. Griffith
In a quaint fishing village Bill and Mary are childhood sweethearts. Ten years roll by, and the boy, now a young man, gives the girl a ring and they now renew their vows. They are both very happy until fate interferes. Bill, while strolling on the shore, espies a raft with an object on it that looks like a human being, far out at sea. He swims to the raft and finds an exhausted fisherman lying prone upon it. Pushing the raft to the shore, he, with the aid of others, revives the stranger. Joe is the stranger's name and he and Bill become staunch friends. Mary becomes smitten with Joe and cruelly casts Bill aside.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the current copyright laws of the United States, all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain. This film, directed by D. W. Griffith for the Biograph Company and starring Mary Pickford and Henry B. Walthall, was released on August 22, 1910.
Because the film was released in 1910, its maximum possible copyright term (even if it had been properly renewed under the 1909 Act) has long since expired. The film is widely accessible through public domain archives like the Internet Archive and the Library of Congress, which preserves original 35mm paper print fragments and nitrate elements.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.