The Finger of Justice

Last updated
The Finger of Justice
The Finger of Justice (1918) - 1.jpg
Advertisement for film
Directed by Louis Chaudet
Written by Grace Sanderson Michie
Produced byRev. Paul Smith
Starring Crane Wilbur
Henry A. Barrows
Jane O'Rourke
CinematographyLenwood Abbott
Production
company
Paul Smith Pictures
Distributed by Arrow Film Corporation
Release date
  • July 1918 (1918-07)
Running time
7 reels
CountryUnited States
Language Silent (English intertitles)

The Finger of Justice is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Louis Chaudet. [1] The film is based upon the campaign to close down the red-light district of the Barbary Coast of San Francisco. [2]

Contents

Plot

As described in a film magazine, [3] William Randall (Barrows), a political boss, allows evil to flourish in his city district while he enjoys great profits. The arrival of the Reverend Noel Delaney (Wilbur) and his fight against the underworld frightens the political leader. When he finds his daughter Betty (Booker) has been lured into one of the dives, he goes to her rescue and is killed. His death awakens the people and shortly Delaney's efforts are successful.

Cast

Reception

Although the film was about an anti-vice campaign, the subject of prostitution created issues in showing the film. The film was scheduled to premiere on 29 June 1918 at the Lyric Theatre in New York City, but New York did not authorize showing the film. [1] Although the film was endorsed by the Superintendent of Police in Washington, D.C., [1] it was banned in Maryland, New York, and Chicago. [2]

Preservation

A copy of the film has been released on DVD.

Related Research Articles

Her Moment is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Frank Beal and starring William Garwood and Anne Luther. It is not known whether the film currently survives.

<i>The Scarlet Drop</i> 1918 film

The Scarlet Drop is a 1918 American silent Western film directed by John Ford and featuring Harry Carey. Just over 30 minutes of footage of the film now survives in the Getty Images Archive.

<i>Hell Bent</i> (film) 1918 film

Hell Bent is a 1918 American Western film directed by John Ford and featuring Harry Carey. A print of the film exists in the Czechoslovak Film Archive.

<i>A Womans Fool</i> 1918 film

A Woman's Fool is a 1918 American silent Western film directed by John Ford featuring Harry Carey. The film is considered to be lost.

<i>The Squaw Man</i> (1918 film) 1918 film

The Squaw Man is a 1918 American silent Western film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It is a remake of DeMille's 1914 film of the same name, which is based upon a 1905 play by Edwin Milton Royle. The film was reportedly made as an experiment to prove DeMille's theory that a good film is based on a good story. It cost $40,000 to make and grossed $350,000. It would be remade again by DeMille in 1931. The 1918 The Squaw Man is a lost film with only the last reel extant.

<i>The Prince and Betty</i> (film) 1919 film

The Prince and Betty is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Robert Thornby. It features Boris Karloff in an uncredited role. It is based on the 1912 novel The Prince and Betty written by P. G. Wodehouse.

<i>The Jury of Fate</i> 1917 film

The Jury of Fate is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Tod Browning. Mabel Taliaferro plays a brother and sister dual role in the film, which is set in Canada. With no prints of The Jury of Fate located in any film archives, it is a lost film.

<i>The Eyes of Mystery</i> 1918 film by Tod Browning

The Eyes of Mystery is a lost 1918 American silent mystery film directed by Tod Browning starring Edith Storey.

<i>Revenge</i> (1918 film) 1918 film

Revenge is a 1918 American silent Western film directed by Tod Browning.

<i>The Rescue</i> (1917 film) 1917 film

The Rescue is a 1917 American silent drama film written and directed by Ida May Park and starring Lon Chaney, William Stowell and Dorothy Phillips. The screenplay was based on a story by Hugh McNair Kahler. The film is today considered lost. A photo exists showing Lon Chaney in his role as Thomas Holland, a rare occasion when Chaney did not play a villain.

<i>Mr. Fix-It</i> 1918 film by Allan Dwan

Mr. Fix-It is a 1918 American silent comedy film starring Douglas Fairbanks, Marjorie Daw, and Wanda Hawley, directed by Allan Dwan.

<i>The Hell Cat</i> (1918 film) 1918 American film

The Hell Cat is a 1918 American silent Western film produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures. Reginald Barker directed and Geraldine Farrar starred. It is not known whether the film currently survives.

<i>Selfish Yates</i> 1918 film

Selfish Yates is a 1918 American silent Western film starring William S. Hart. It was directed by and co-produced by Hart along with Thomas H. Ince. Paramount Pictures handled distribution.

<i>The Countess Charming</i> 1917 American film

The Countess Charming is a lost 1917 American silent comedy film directed by Donald Crisp and written by Gelett Burgess, Carolyn Wells, and Gardner Hunting. The film stars Julian Eltinge, Florence Vidor, Tully Marshall, George Kuwa, Edythe Chapman, and Mabel Van Buren. The film was released on September 16, 1917, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>The Narrow Trail</i> 1917 film

The Narrow Trail is a 1917 American silent Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer and William S. Hart and written by William S. Hart and Harvey F. Thew. The film stars William S. Hart, Sylvia Breamer, Milton Ross, and Bob Kortman. The film was released on December 30, 1917, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>The Spirit of 17</i> 1918 American film

The Spirit of '17 is a lost 1918 American silent drama film directed by William Desmond Taylor and written by Judge Willis Brown and Julia Crawford Ivers. The film stars Jack Pickford, Clarence Geldart, Edythe Chapman, L.N. Wells, Charles Arling, and Virginia Ware. The film was released on January 26, 1918, by Paramount Pictures and, like several other films released shortly after the American entry into World War I, had a patriotic theme. Several of the intertitles of this film had messages at the bottom which encouraged young men to enlist.

<i>The Family Skeleton</i> 1918 American film

The Family Skeleton is a surviving 1918 American silent drama film directed by Victor Schertzinger and Jerome Storm and written by Thomas H. Ince and Bert Lennon. The film stars Charles Ray, Sylvia Breamer, Andrew Arbuckle, William Elmer, Otto Hoffman, and Jack Dyer. The film was released on March 31, 1918, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>His Majesty, Bunker Bean</i> (1918 film) 1918 American film

His Majesty, Bunker Bean is a 1918 American silent comedy film directed by William Desmond Taylor and written by Julia Crawford Ivers and Harry Leon Wilson. The film stars Jack Pickford, Louise Huff, Jack McDonald, Frances Clanton, Peggy O'Connell, and Edythe Chapman. The film was released by Paramount Pictures on April 8, 1918.

<i>Quicksand</i> (1918 film) 1918 American film

Quicksand is a lost 1918 American silent drama film directed by Victor Schertzinger and written by John Lynch and R. Cecil Smith. The film stars Henry A. Barrows, Edward Coxen, Dorothy Dalton, Frankie Lee, and Philo McCullough. The film was released on December 22, 1918, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Counsel for the Defense</i> 1925 film by Burton L. King

Counsel for the Defense is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Burton L. King and starring Jay Hunt, Betty Compson, and House Peters. It is based on the 1912 novel of the same name by Leroy Scott.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Progressive Silent Film List: The Finger of Justice at silentera.com
  2. 1 2 Campbell, Russell (1997). "Prostitution and Film Censorship in the USA" . Screening the Past (2): C/4–5. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  3. ↑ "Synopses of Current Publications: The Finger of Justice". Exhibitors Herald. New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company. 7 (4): 53. July 20, 1918.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.