[4] As described in a film magazine,[5] disgusted by the unattractive, slovenly appearance of his wife Sophy (Ashton), Charles Murdock (Dexter) goes on a long hunting trip.

Viola shoots Berkeley when she finds him in another woman's bedroom and Juliet Raeburn's name is connected to the scandal by a false report.

Despite subject matter considered particularly immoral by the public, critics praised Cecil B. DeMille for his direction and for how deftly he navigated the risks in presenting such a narrative, Jeanie MacPherson for her adaptation of the novel, and the leading actors for their performances.

Edward Weitzel, in his review for The Moving Picture World, summarizes his impressions of the story thusly: The author has uncovered some of the ugliest sores on American social life and has treated his theme with absolute frankness.

[8] Complete prints of Old Wives for New are held by the Academy Film Archive and the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York.