Traffic in Souls

Last updated
Traffic in Souls
Traffic in Souls poster.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by George Loane Tucker
Written byWalter MacNamara (scenario)
Story byGeorge Loane Tucker
Produced byWalter MacNamara
Jack Cohn (uncredited)
Starring Jane Gail
Ethel Grandin
William H. Turner
Matt Moore
CinematographyHenry Alder Leach
Edited byJack Cohn (uncredited)
Music byPhilip Carli (1994 release)
Production
company
Distributed by Universal Film Manufacturing Company
Release date
  • November 24, 1913 (1913-11-24)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)
Budget$5,700 [1]
Box office$450,000 [2] [1]
Full movie
Lorna Barton (played by Ethel Grandin) is tempted by the procurer Bill Bradshaw (William Cavanaugh) in a cafe. Traffic in Souls 1913.jpg
Lorna Barton (played by Ethel Grandin) is tempted by the procurer Bill Bradshaw (William Cavanaugh) in a cafe.

Traffic in Souls (also released as While New York Sleeps) is a 1913 American silent crime drama film focusing on forced prostitution (white slavery) in the United States. Directed by George Loane Tucker and starring Jane Gail, Ethel Grandin, William H. Turner, and Matt Moore, Traffic in Souls is an early example of the narrative style in American films. The film consists of six reels, which was longer than most American films of the era. [3]

Contents

A copy of Traffic in Souls is preserved at the Library of Congress and the Film Preservation Associates. [4] In 2006, the film was added to the National Film Registry for preservation in the Library of Congress because it "presaged the Hollywood narrative film" and drew attention through its riveting depiction of the methods used to entrap young women into prostitution. [5] [6]

Plot

The storyline concerns two young Swedish women immigrants who are approached by men soliciting for white slavery under the guise of a legitimate work offer. In the scenes filmed at Battery Park, after the women are transported there from Ellis Island, real immigrants can be seen in the background. [7]

The entire film takes place over the course of three days and consists of a prologue; the main narrative in which one of the sisters is kidnapped by a pimp and the other sister and her boyfriend rush to rescue her in time and the pimp is killed; and an epilogue in which the viewer finds out the consequences from a trashed news article. The film concludes with a joke ending, an ending to a thriller that at the time was not the cliché it has become now. [8]

Cast

Production

Traffic in Souls was based on a story by the film's director George Loane Tucker. The scenario was written by Walter MacNamara who also served as producer with Jack Cohn. [9] Executive producers include King Baggot, Herbert Brenon, William Robert Daly, and Carl Laemmle.

The film was shot and produced by Universal Film Manufacturing Company in Fort Lee, New Jersey, where many early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based at the beginning of the 20th century. [10] [11] [12] Additional footage was shot on location at Ellis Island and Manhattan. Its subjects were working women who had immigrated to the United States, and it was released at a time when the country was undergoing a "moral panic" over the issue of prostitution. [13] While the film was passed by the National Board of Review as suggesting methods of controlling prostitution or reform of a prostitute, [14] the film's release eventually resulted in the adding of "white slavery" to the list of topics banned under the Hays Code. [3] [15]

Terry Ramsaye, an early film historian, wrote in his book A Million and One Nights, that TrafficIn Souls was made in under four weeks with a small budget of $5,000. He also claimed that all the money came from George Loane Tucker, Herbert Brenon, William Robert Daly, King Baggot, and Jack Cohn. Furthermore, he also wrote that the film had to be made in secret because Carl Laemmle (the future head of Universal Film) tried to stop the film's production and did not want to release it when completed. [16] While Ramsaye's account of the Silent Era is influential, many of his claims have been challenged or rejected by contemporary scholars. Film historian Kevin Brownlow found evidence that the film actually started with $25,000 provided by theater magnate Lee Shubert, former U.S. Representative Joseph L. Rhinock, and others. And rather than being made in secret, the film actually had a large cast and expensive shooting locations in two states, while Laemmle supported the film because the public's intense interest in white slavery promised substantial profits. [17]

The film is notable for its pioneering use of camera movement while shooting scenes. Most films made prior to 1913 relied heavily on scenes shot head-on with a stationary camera. Some filmmakers had been moving, tilting or panning their cameras to track a moving object or follow action. For example, Harold M. Shaw panned his camera during one of the final moments of The Land Beyond the Sunset (1912) while Alice Guy-Blaché mounted a camera on the back of a moving truck in Matrimony's Speed Limit (1913). What made Henry Alder Leach's cinematography so groundbreaking is how he deliberately choreographed his camera movements to convey meaning and anticipate action—a technique that predicted the future of film-making. [9]

Release

Traffic in Souls opened on November 24, 1913, at Lou Fields's Theatre at 1215 Broadway in New York City. The film was made for $5,700, and reportedly earned $400,000 during its theatrical run, helping to make Universal a major player among movie studios. [4]

Home media

Traffic in Souls was released on VHS by Kino International accompanied by a piano score by Philip Carli in 1994. [9] [18] Flicker Alley released the film, along with The Italian (1915) and three shorts, as part of a two DVD set entitled Perils of the New Land in August 2008. Film historian Shelley Stamp provided expert audio commentary for the 2008 release. [19]

Reception

Author and film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film two and a half out of four stars, calling it "a trashy, corny guilty pleasure." [20]

Related Research Articles

<i>Blacksmith Scene</i> 1893 American film

Blacksmith Scene is an 1893 American short black-and-white silent film directed by William K.L. Dickson, the Scottish-French inventor who, while under the employ of Thomas Edison, developed one of the first fully functional motion picture cameras. It is historically significant as the first Kinetoscope film shown in public exhibition on May 9, 1893, and is the earliest known example of actors performing a role in a film. It was also the first U.S. motion picture film ever copyrighted that same year. 102 years later, in 1995, Blacksmithing Scene was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It is the second-oldest film included in the Registry, after Newark Athlete (1891).

<i>A Corner in Wheat</i> 1909 American film

A Corner in Wheat is a 1909 American short silent film which tells of a greedy tycoon who tries to corner the world market in wheat, destroying the lives of the people who can no longer afford to buy bread. It was directed by D. W. Griffith and adapted by Griffith and Frank E. Woods from a novel and a short story by Frank Norris, titled The Pit and A Deal in Wheat.

<i>The Land Beyond the Sunset</i> 1912 American film

The Land Beyond the Sunset is a 1912 short, silent drama film which tells the story of a young boy, oppressed by his grandmother, who goes on an outing in the country with a social welfare group. It stars Martin Fuller, Mrs. William Bechtel, Walter Edwin and Bigelow Cooper. Produced by Edison Studios in collaboration with the Fresh Air Fund, the screenplay was written by Dorothy G. Shore and directed by Harold M. Shaw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickelodeon (movie theater)</span> Type of early movie theater

The nickelodeon was the first type of indoor exhibition space dedicated to showing projected motion pictures in the United States and Canada. Usually set up in converted storefronts, these small, simple theaters charged five cents for admission and flourished from about 1905 to 1915. American cable station Nickelodeon was named after the theater.

<i>A Bronx Morning</i> 1931 film

A Bronx Morning is a 1931 American Pre-Code avant-garde film by American filmmaker Jay Leyda (1910–1988).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Baggot</span> American actor and director (1879–1948)

William King Baggot was an American actor, film director and screenwriter. He was an internationally famous movie star of the silent film era. The first individually publicized leading man in America, Baggot was referred to as "King of the Movies," "The Most Photographed Man in the World" and "The Man Whose Face Is As Familiar As The Man In The Moon."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbert Brenon</span> Irish film director

Herbert Brenon was an Irish-born U.S. film director, actor and screenwriter during the era of silent films through 1940.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independent Moving Pictures</span> American film studio

The Independent Moving Pictures Company (IMP) was a motion picture studio and production company founded in 1909 by Carl Laemmle. The company was based in New York City, with production facilities in Fort Lee, New Jersey. In 1912, IMP merged with several other production companies to form Universal Film Manufacturing Company, later renamed Universal Pictures Company with Laemmle as president.

<i>The Blue Bird</i> (1918 film) 1918 film by Maurice Tourneur

The Blue Bird is a 1918 American silent fantasy film based upon the 1908 play by Maurice Maeterlinck and directed by Maurice Tourneur in the United States, under the auspices of producer Adolph Zukor. In 2004, this film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in its National Film Registry.

<i>The Evidence of the Film</i> 1913 American film

The Evidence of the Film is a 1913 American silent short crime film directed by Lawrence Marston and Edwin Thanhouser, starring William Garwood.

<i>Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde</i> (1913 film) 1913 American film

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a 1913 horror film based on Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 gothic novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Directed by Herbert Brenon for producer Carl Laemmle's company IMP, the production stars King Baggot in the dual role of Jekyll and Hyde. The film was re-released in the United States in August 1927.

<i>The Sex Life of the Polyp</i> 1928 film

The Sex Life of the Polyp is a 1928 short film written and performed by Robert Benchley, based on a routine he first did in 1922. The short, which was adapted from an essay by Benchley, documents a dim-witted doctor attempting to discuss the sex life of a polyp to a women's club. This was the second of Benchley's 46 comedy short films, with six made for Fox, one each for Universal Pictures and RKO Radio Pictures, 29 for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and nine for Paramount Pictures.

Hands Up! is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Clarence Badger, co-written by Monte Brice and Lloyd Corrigan, and starring Raymond Griffith, one of the great silent movie comedians. The film features fictional incidents involving actual historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Brigham Young, and Sitting Bull.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Loane Tucker</span> American film director, actor and screenwriter

George Loane Tucker was an American actor, silent film director, screenwriter, producer, and editor.

<i>Mighty Like a Moose</i> 1926 film

Mighty Like a Moose is a 1926 American silent comedy short film written by Charley Chase that was directed by Leo McCarey. It was released by Pathé Exchange on July 18, 1926.

Matrimony's Speed Limit is a 1913 silent short film produced and directed by pioneering female film maker Alice Guy-Blaché. It was produced by Solax Studios when it and many other early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based in Fort Lee, New Jersey, at the beginning of the 20th century. It is one of only about 150 films surviving out of the more than one thousand produced and/or directed by Guy-Blaché.

<i>Ivanhoe</i> (1913 American film) 1913 film by Herbert Brenon

Ivanhoe is a 1913 American silent adventure/drama film starring King Baggot, Leah Baird, Herbert Brenon, Evelyn Hope, and Walter Craven.

The Scarlet Letter (1911) is a silent drama motion picture short starring King Baggot, Lucille Young, and William Robert Daly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick A. Thomson</span> American film director

Frederick A. Thomson (1869–1925), sometimes spelled Thompson, was a director of silent films in the United States. He began his directing career in theater.

Gold Is Not All is a 1913 Canadian short drama silent black and white film directed by Wilfred Lucas and produced by Carl Laemmle.

References

  1. 1 2 Ramsaye, Terry (1926). A Million and One Nights: A History of the Motion Picture. Vol. 2. New York City: Simon and Schuster. pp. 616–17.
  2. ↑ Dick, Bernard K. (2015). City of Dreams: The Making and Remaking of Universal Pictures. University Press of Kentucky. p. 61. ISBN   9780813158891.
  3. 1 2 Brewster, Ben (Autumn 1991). "'Traffic in Souls': An Experiment in Feature-Length Narrative Construction". Cinema Journal. 31 (1): 37–56. doi:10.2307/1225161. JSTOR   1225161.
  4. 1 2 "Progressive Silent Film List: Traffic in Souls". silentera.com.
  5. ↑ "Films Added to National Film Registry for 2006" (Press release). Library of Congress. December 27, 2006. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  7. ↑ Grieveson, Lee (1997). "Policing the Cinema: Traffic in Souls at Ellis Island, 1913". Screen. 38 (2): 149–171. doi:10.1093/screen/38.2.149 . Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  8. ↑ Grieveson, Lee; Krèamer, Peter (2004). The Silent Cinema Reader. New York: Routledge. pp. 226–237. ISBN   978-0-415-25284-3.
  9. 1 2 3 Eagan, Daniel (2010). America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry. A&C Black. pp.  30–31. ISBN   978-0-826-42977-3.
  10. ↑ Koszarski, Richard (2004). Fort Lee: The Film Town. Indiana University Press. ISBN   978-0-86196-652-3.
  11. ↑ "Studios and Films". Fort Lee Film Commission. Archived from the original on 2011-04-25. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
  12. ↑ Fort Lee: Birthplace of the Motion Picture Industry. Arcadia Publishing. 2006. ISBN   978-0-7385-4501-1.
  13. ↑ Olund, Eric (October 2007). "Traffic in Souls: the 'New Woman,' Whiteness and Mobile Self-Possession". Cultural Geographies. 16 (4): 485–504. doi:10.1177/1474474009340088. S2CID   144157846.
  14. ↑ Campbell, Russell (1997). "Prostitution and Film Censorship in the USA" . Screening the Past (2): C/2–3. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  15. ↑ Matsubara, Hiroyuki (2006). "The 1910s Anti-Prostitution Movement and the Transformation of American Political Culture" (PDF). The Japanese Journal of American Studies (17): 56. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
  16. ↑ Ramsaye, Terry, 1885-1954. (1964) [1954]. A Million and One Nights : a History of the Motion Picture. London: F. Cass. pp. 616–17. ISBN   0714615889. OCLC   875116390.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ Eagan, Daniel. (2010). America's Film Legacy : the Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry. National Film Preservation Board (U.S.). New York: Continuum. p. 30. ISBN   9781441116475. OCLC   676697377.
  18. ↑ "Flicker Alley 2008 DVD edition". silentera.com. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  19. ↑ Kehr, Dave (August 11, 2008). "New DVDs: 'Perils of the New Land'". The New York Times . Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  20. ↑ Leonard Maltin; Spencer Green; Rob Edelman (January 2010). Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide. Plume. p. 699. ISBN   978-0-452-29577-3.
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.