Elinor Glyn's bodice-ripping novel Three Weeks was the sort of book that became a best-seller, even though no proper person would admit to having read it. The novel was filmed twice during the silent era, and although the 1922 version was the more famous of the two, the 1915 adaptation apparently had a lot going for it as well. Put simply, this is the story of Sonia (Madeline Traverse), the Queen of Vesseria, who is married to the King (George Pierce), a man she does not love. But Sonia is in love with Paul Verdayne (Mahlon Hamilton), a dashing young Englishman. For three passionate weeks, Sonia turns her back on her royal responsibilities to enjoy a romp in the sack with Paul, with a bed of roses (really!) serving as their trysting place (they also cavort on a floor-length tigerskin rug). At the end of the three weeks, Sonia sorrowfully renounces Paul and returns to her loveless marriage. Carefully weeding out the more "scandalous" passages of Mme. Glyn's novel, the screenwriter also added a prologue, set 22 years before the main action.
by Hal Erickson
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