A Soul Enslaved

1916 silent film directed by Cleo Madison
  • January 24, 1916 (1916-01-24) (U.S.)
Running time
5 reelsCountryUnited StatesLanguageSilent (English intertitles)

A Soul Enslaved is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by actress-turned-director (and suffragist) Cleo Madison, and written by screenwriters Adele Farrington and Olga Printzlau. Madison also stars. The Universal film is believed to be lost.[1][2]

Plot

The film—which explores themes of hypocrisy, double standards, and gender norms—features Madison as an activist fighting for better working conditions at her factory job. Madison's character is having an affair with the factory's owner, and she later moves on and marries a man who is unaware of her past. When he discovers that she was previously a "kept woman," he leaves her, only to return after reflecting that he once seduced and abandoned a young woman who committed suicide.[3]

Cast

  • Cleo Madison as Jane
  • Tom Chatterton as Richard Newton
  • Douglas Gerrard as Paul Kent
  • Lule Warrenton as Jane's Mother
  • Patricia Palmer as Nellie
  • Alfred Allen as Ambrose
  • Irma Sorter as Young Jane

Production

The film was Madison's directorial feature debut.[4][5] Production was delayed by nearly 10 days after Madison was struck in the eye by a fishing hook in a freak accident. The incident nearly cost her her sight in that eye.[6]

References

  1. ^ Dixon, Wheeler W. (1999). Disaster and Memory: Celebrity Culture and the Crisis of Hollywood Cinema. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231113175.
  2. ^ Photoplay Magazine. Cloud Publishing Company. 1916.
  3. ^ Cooper, Mark Garrett (2010-10-01). Universal Women: Filmmaking and Institutional Change in Early Hollywood. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252090875.
  4. ^ "1 Nov 1915, Page 8 - The News-Review at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-12-29.
  5. ^ "1 Mar 1916, Page 11 - The Charlotte News at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-12-29.
  6. ^ Sink, Alice E. (2013-11-12). On This Day in Piedmont Triad History. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781625842176.
  • A Soul Enslaved at IMDb
  • Synopsis at AllMovie