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The Nth Commandment

Name: The Nth Commandment
Director: Frank Borzage
Released: 1923
Duration: 80 min

Representation Score

3.3/10

Limited

1923

Director

Frank Borzage

Runtime

80 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The Nth Commandment operates as a traditional melodrama that emphasizes emotional transcendence. By focusing on a choice to support a partner with a serious illness, the film shifts away from idealized romance toward a more realistic portrayal of sacrifice. However, the film is constrained by the social norms of its time. It lacks complexity in representing multiple aspects of identity and does not address broader societal issues. The emphasis is on individual resilience rather than systemic change. Ultimately, while the film challenges the expectation of effortless romantic success, it adheres to the conventional dramatic structures of the early 1920s.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Nth Commandment have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ identities or relationships. The central romance revolves around a traditional marriage.

How does The Nth Commandment portray gender?

Fair

The story challenges traditional gender roles by emphasizing emotional depth over social status. The protagonist chooses empathy and service over ambition.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Nth Commandment?

Minimal

There is no indication of a diverse cast. The production seems to follow the homogeneous casting practices common in the 1920s.

How does The Nth Commandment represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story delves into themes of economic struggle and personal morality. It prioritizes emotional truth over material success and social standing.

Does The Nth Commandment include disability representation?

Fair

The main character deals with tuberculosis, which is a central part of the narrative rather than a minor detail.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional romantic clichés by highlighting empathy over social status.
Centers the narrative on a chronic illness rather than treating it as a minor detail.
Explores the value of human connection amid physical and economic hardship.

Limited or Absent

Does not include LGBTQ+ identities or stories.
No evidence of racial or ethnic diversity in the cast.
Emphasizes individual sacrifice rather than addressing systemic issues.

Official Synopsis

A department store clerk decides to marry a withdrawing colleague with tuberculosis, over another dashing, ambitious suitor, leads to a life of hardship and struggle. Though The Nth Commandment survives incomplete, enough exists of director Frank Borzage’s last film while under contract with William Randolph Hearst’s Cosmopolitan Pictures for scholar Hervé Dumont to declare “it the first truly Borzagian work.”

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