Thursday, September 1, 2011

Traffic in Souls (1913)


Universal Film Manufacturing Company
Directed by George Loane Tucker
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Flicker Alley)

Two Swedish girls, in pigtails and traditional dress, step off the boat at Ellis Island. They are tricked into going to a house where they are to be indoctrinated as prostitutes. Luckily a keen-eyed policeman spots what's happening and saves them. Meanwhile, a girl who works in a candy story is not so lucky. She is locked in a room and threatened to be whipped if she does not put on some provocative clothing. Her sister happens to get a job as the secretary for her captor and secretly records him having incriminating conversations on a dictaphone. The police arrive and bust up the ring. Despite the subject matter it's more of a social drama than exploitation, with some interesting glimpses of NYC and Ellis Island.

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