Perils Of The New Land: Films of the Immigrant Experience (1910 - 1915) - Traffic in Souls / The Italian

PERILS OF THE NEW LAND is a remarkable double feature from the early days of cinema that represents America's two oldest surviving movie companies, Paramount and Universal (both founded 1912). The Universal offering, TRAFFIC IN SOULS was once available on VHS. The version here is essentially the same just buffed up a little for its DVD presentation. This 1913 film about prostitution rings using newly arrived immigrant women was a hot topic then and it still plays well today thanks to understated performances and a DRAGNET like documentary approach. The extensive NYC locales complete this celluloid time capsule which is complimented by Philip Carli's piano score. It's great to finally have this on DVD. Now if we can just get Thomas Ince and Reginald Barker's 1916 anti-war epic CIVILIZATION on disc then the transfer of the old FIRST AMERICAN FEATURES series would be complete.

Speaking of Ince and Barker, they are the ones responsible for the other feature on this 2 DVD set, THE ITALIAN. This 1915 Paramount release about an Italian family's efforts to survive in the New World features George Beban, an actor who specialized in "ethnic" characterizations along with Clara Williams (HELL'S HINGES). They are both quite good giving what for the time were very natural and subdued performances. The ersatz Italian scenery and costumes are quite convincing and once we get to NYC it could almost be a setting out of the Italian neorealist films of the 1940s and 50s. The ethnic style title cards may bother some people today but that's how it was back then. THE ITALIAN is greatly aided by a fine score from Rodney Sauer which helps to enhance the mood generated by this rather downbeat film. Producer Thomas Ince was no stranger to realistic, unhappy endings (DRUMMER OF THE 8TH, CIVILIZATION) making him the flipside of D.W. Griffith and more relevant for a present day audience. Hopefully more of his films will become available so that he will be remembered for something other than his mysterious death in 1924.

The set concludes with three shorts from the Thomas Edison company (1910, 1912, 1915) which are taken from 35mm source materials and look absolutely stunning. They too are accompanied by Rodney Sauer and the Mont Alto orchestra and they nicely round out the set. Once again Flicker Alley has come up with a real winner and a must have for anyone interested in the history of American film. Right now the marriage between Film Preservation Associates and Flicker Alley seems to be a match made in heaven. Here's to a long and successful partnership.

It was very exciting to see this nice new 2-disc set featuring two outstanding films from the early days of feature films under a common theme, combining both history and social issues as well as good quality drama and filmmaking. Both "The Italian" and "Traffic in Souls" have been available before, but on these new DVDs the picture quality is near-perfect with very good musical accompaniment, as well as optional audio commentary to enlighten the viewer on many background details. Both films are very different but complement each other and have a theme in common, namely the dangers new migrants to America faced in the early years of the 20th century. "Traffic in Souls" surprised and impressed me greatly due to the very advanced and sophisticated handling of complex issues and a story with various sub-plots perfectly interwoven with excellent cross-editing techniques - and this for 1913, only a year after feature-length films officially came onto the scene! Back then, films were still made with the intention of educating the public and getting a social or moral lesson across to the audience, and while "Traffic in Souls" also had this purpose, it is no less a riveting and exciting crime drama for the entire 90-minute duration of the film. Its purpose was to warn the public of the dangers facing independent young women who come to a big city like New York from either the country or from overseas because they fall easy prey to organized prostitution - called `white slavery' in those days. The film follows three different cases, one of which is of two young women arriving from Sweden who are quickly swept into a brothel, then called a `den of iniquity', due to their ignorance and good faith in strangers. But a more complex and interesting story unfolds with the leader of the criminal organization being a prominent and respected member of society, and the sister of one of the innocent misled victims helping to catch the gang leaders by means of high-tech gadgets. These might look clumsy today, but I was still impressed by this fascinating aspect of the film, along with many other facets of the story, including an exciting and dramatic climax. In fact, "Traffic in Souls" could be compared to the best crime movies of the 1940s or later, and is still compelling viewing in our day, having lost nothing with the passage of time because similar issues and themes are still with us today.

In contrast to the fast-paced action and suspense of "Traffic in Souls", "The Italian" is a beautiful and sentimental film aimed at reaching the audience's heart by making the characters very real and human. Produced by Thomas Ince, a filmmaking pioneer in Hollywood alongside D.W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille, this is another wonderful success of early feature films, mainly due to an artistic approach to cinematography and above all, the lead role of the Italian played so vibrantly by former stage actor, George Beban. Already renowned and respected for his theatre roles depicting foreigners, he was surely the perfect choice for "The Italian" because he is thoroughly convincing as the stereotypical passionate, gesticulating and hot-blooded Italian. But like the innocent newcomers in "Traffic in Souls", difficulties face the Italian and his bride in the slums of New York where they struggle to survive and face only hardship and tragedy. It is a soul-stirring and heart-rending story beautifully told, and I found that the very well suited audio commentary by a knowledgeable Italian enhanced by appreciation of this film even more. In contrast, the audio commentary for "Traffic in Souls" is a much more studious essay on the history and social climate of the period in question, but also perfectly suited to the film and adds much deeper dimension to its historic significance. With an extra three Edision short films from this early period, as well as a beautiful booklet reproducing the program books and notes for both films, this is a delightful set for film lovers and anyone interested in the history and development of cinema.

Most people think of 1915's Birth of a Nation as the first real feature film, but Traffic in Souls came first, in 1913. The product description does a good job of giving you details of the story, so let me just say I was surprised by this 95 year-old film's technique and sophistocation. The actors behave naturally, and the film was edited rather well. The film has a documentary style to it that should be familiar to you if you have viewed the films in Treasures III: Social Issues in American Film, 1900-1934. I'm anxious to replace my old worn out VHS copy of this film with a DVD.

"The Italian" is another very early feature length film made in 1914 with a very good reputation. It stars George Beban as Beppo, "The Italian", a man who comes from Italy to America to earn enough money so that he can win the hand of his beloved Annette. Beppo, initially a vigorous and joyful soul, eventually becomes a beaten man due to a series of tragedies he endures in America. There are several silent films that still exist that talk about the immigrant experience in America, but this one is unique because it shows the immigrant's life in the Old World, along with the natural beauty of the place compared to early twentieth century New York City and its barren appearance. Insightful commentary is provided.

As for the Edison shorts, I've checked in my Edison DVD set, Edison - The Invention of the Movies (1891-1918), and I don't recall seeing these nor are they mentioned in the disc content listings. Thus you can be pretty sure that you're not duplicating anything there. Police Force, New York City (1910) is really a kind of documentary. McQuade of the Traffic Squad (1915) is a short drama about a police officer, his girlfriend, and her brother that makes his sister an unwitting accomplice in his association with some burglars. Neither of these Edison shorts really has anything to do about the immigrant experience, but they are interesting examples of short films in the 1910's. Notice how these very early films rely almost completely on pantomime and have very few title cards.

As for the stars, don't expect to see early appearances by Mary Pickford, Lionel Barrymore, or any of the other big stars that made appearances in the early silents. All of the actors in these films are unknowns.

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