Suspense - 1913 - USA

Suspense - 1913 - 6/10

 
“I am leaving without  notice.  No servant will stay in this lonesome place.”
After she departs, the homeless vagrant approaches the house.
Inside, a young mother and infant.
Pioneering film has sharp editing, excellent camera angles.
Also, early use of tri-screen.
Good mix of tension with hectic car sequences.

A Window On Washington Park - 1913 - USA

A Window On Washington Park - 1913 - 6/10

 
The young millionaire (in 1913!) suffers ennui, stares out at the wintry park.
Spies an older man, clearly a gentleman, now enduring harder days.
Invites him inside, shares a meal, hears the story.
Of an over-possessive father, whose sternness caused his daughter to elope.
Silent tale brushes Melodrama with broad theatrical strokes.
Spare sets and painted backdrops.
I predict Artificial Intelligence will routinely clean print damage in a few years.

Inside The White Slave Traffic and Traffic In Souls - 1913 - USA

Two “docu-dramas” released during the frenzied phenomena of white slavery paranoia.

Inside The White Slave Traffic - 1913 - 5/10

 
Inside The White Slave Traffic is the briefer and more crude of the pair.
An exploitation quickie, this roused censors and authorities wherever it was screened.
Female is lured into prostitution - where she remains for the remainder of the movie.
Despite two lost reels, this shows tricks for luring girls, slang words, and the nationwide network of slavers.
Outdoor photography in this captures dirt streets, boardwalks, horse and wagons.

*  *

Traffic In Souls - 1913 - 6/10

 
Traffic In Souls is a better film, storywise and budget wise.  At 88 minutes, this is also an early feature.
There are multiple storylines: the rich family, the two sisters, and two sets of girls who arrive in New York.
Methods and roles within the slave ring are displayed, also some eavesdropping technology.
Acting in both films is melodramatic.  (Pickford would largely change that.)
DVD of Traffic In Souls has an insightful commentary by historian Shelley Stamp.
Most of her comments pertain to social mores of 1913, film reaction, and white slave hysteria.

While I prefer Silent films from the 20's, the earlier films have their own creaky charm.
The look and attitudes hark back to the Edwardian or Gilded Age.
Moralizing inter-titles, declarative gestures, formal manners, swept away in the Roaring 20's.