Poor Relations

For the novel by Compton Mackenzie, see Poor Relations (novel).

Poor Relations is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by King Vidor.^[1] Produced by the Brentwood Corporation, the film starred Vidor’s wife Florence Vidor and featured comedienne ZaSu Pitts.^[2]

Poor Relations
Contemporary advertisement
Directed by	King Vidor
Written by	King Vidor
Starring	Florence Vidor
Cinematography	Ira H. Morgan
Distributed by	Robertson-Cole
Release date	November 1, 1919 (1919-11-01)
Running time	50 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent with English intertitles

The picture is the final of four Christian Science precept films that represent a brief phase in Vidor’s output championing the superiority of self-healing through moral strength and supplemented by the benefits of rural living.^[3]

Plot

Country girl Dorothy Perkins succeeds as an architect in the city, but then is scorned by her old-money in-laws.^[4]

Cast

• Florence Vidor as Dorothy Perkins
• Lillian Leighton as Ma Perkins
• William De Vaull as Pa Perkins (as William Du Vaull)
• Roscoe Karns as Henry
• ZaSu Pitts as Daisy Perkins
• Charles Meredith as Monty Rhodes

Reception

The reviews were "poor". Exhibitors Trade Review observed that "the slender, fragile story has just about all it can do to make its way through the new-mown hay atmosphere."^[5]

Theme

Poor Relations provides an early example of Vidor’s “feminist” presentation of professional and independent women, emphasizing reciprocal exchanges between the sexes.^[6]