Traffic in Souls 1913
8 March 2010
One Comment
5.0
Product Description
Traffic in Souls (Enhaced) 1913 This film has been enhanced using a Video Enhancement Program that reduces noise and enhances video quality. Even though the United States is the land of opportunity and offers many immigrants options for a better life, many people are unaware of the dangers that can befall them as they enter the country. Such is the case for many immigrant girls who are whisked away by William Trubus and his International Purity and Refo… More >>
I’m very glad I came across “Traffic in Souls” because I thoroughly enjoyed it and was surprised how very good and entertaining such an early feature film could be. Not only is it an excellent crime drama in itself, it has special significance for its adventurous exposure of the real-life crime problem at that time, namely white slave traffic. The film depicts the various ways in which innocent young women were tricked and abducted, then held captive in a “den of iniquity” for the slavery market. Emigrants arriving in New York were targeted, as were naive women from the country, and even a shop assistant who falls victim to the charms of one of the operators. Another true-to-life aspect emphasized in this film is that the “man higher up” in the racket is a prominent and honorable member of society who pretends to be taking the lead in ridding the city of white slave trafficking. The film also gives us a closer, more personal look into the lives of the two families involved, making it much more than just a crime story about the cops getting the bad guys in the end. Another fascinating aspect, I found, was the means by which the main members of the operation where ultimately convicted, namely by recording their conversations with the latest technology of the time; the phonograph recording. Futhermore, the film quality is very good throughout, and the new piano musical score by Philip Carli is also excellent, making this a really worth while film to add to any good movie collection.
Rating: 5 / 5