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According to Law was intended to cast doubts upon the efficiency of the "legitimacy" laws in force in 1916. The film is sympathetic towards children born out of wedlock, children whose mothers die at birth, and children of divorce. Still, the filmmakers never lose sight of the fact that a social tract goes down easier with a sturdy coating of entertainment values. The 5-reel According to Law was produced by the American arm of the French Gaumont studios. It was directed by Richard Garrick, who years later became a prolific character actor, playing the doctor in the final scene of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) and appearing prominently in several 20th Century-Fox productions of the early 1950s.