Shall We Forgive Her? (1917): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1917, Shall We Forgive Her? is a drama film directed by Arthur Ashley, running about 50 minutes.

What it’s about. When Grace Raymond follows Neil Garth, her hard-drinking fiancé, West, she finds him living in a squalid desert cabin. Forced to choose between being raped by outlaws or giving in to Neil's sexual demands, Grace moves in with her fiancé. A year later, Grace rescues James Stapleton, a gold miner, from a desert death and helps him to escape from Neil's greedy clutches. Before Neil can punish her, she knocks him out and flees to New York, where she meets and then marries Oliver West, a jeweler with failing vision. To help with his medical bills, Grace sells a short story, but Neil shows up and threatens to expose her past unless she gives him her earnings. Eventually, Oliver finds out about Grace and Neil and goes blind from the shock. Determined to win Oliver back, Grace enlists the help of Stapleton, now a rich broker, to thwart Neil and secure a sight-restoring operation for Oliver. When Oliver hears Neil's confession of Grace's difficult past, he finally forgives her.

Who’s in it. Shall We Forgive Her? stars June Elvidge as Grace Raymond, Arthur Ashley as Neil Garth, John Bowers as Oliver West and Charles Clary as Uncle John, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 10.0/10, Shall We Forgive Her? sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Shall We Forgive Her? page.

If you liked it. Fans of Shall We Forgive Her? tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.