The first of 23 Theda Bara films to be directed by J. Gordon Edwards (the step-grandfather of Blake Edwards), this film was also the first to have a happy ending. Bara once again seeks vengeance on a cheating husband (Stuart Holmes), but instead of routinely destroying a series of men, Bara's Francesca Brabaut falls in love with a nice artist and lives happily ever after. The Galley Slave was based on a Victorian stage play and enjoyed less than booming business. As a consequence, Theda's employer, Fox, quickly ordered up the much more lurid Destruction (1915). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi