Cast

*William H. Thompson: Boss Jim McManus *

Anna Lehr Anna Lehr (November 17, 1890 – January 22, 1974) was an American silent film and stage actress.''At The Majestic'', ''Sheboygan Press'', May 24, 1916, p. 2 Biography Born in New York City to Austrian immigrant parents, Frank Lehr and Emilie Fr ...

: Berna *

Jack Standing Jack Standing (10 February 1886 – 25 October 1917) was an English born American actor. Biography The son of stage actor Herbert Standing and brother of Wyndham Standing (1880–1963), who also was a famous actor in the early days of film, J ...

: Nicolay Turgenev *

Dorothy Dalton Dorothy Dalton (September 22, 1893 – April 13, 1972) was an American silent film actress and stage personality who worked her way from a stock company to a movie career. Beginning in 1910, Dalton was a player in stock companies in Chicago; Te ...

: Ellen McManus *

Clyde Benson Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a to ...

: Jacob Weil *

J.P. Lockney John P. Lockney (March 17, 1867, date of death unknown) was an American actor of the silent film era. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1915 and 1937. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Partial filmography * '' The Bride of Ha ...

: Peter Saranoff *

J. Barney Sherry J. Barney Sherry (March 4, 1874February 22, 1944) was an American actor of the silent film era. He appeared in more than 210 films between 1905 and 1929. He was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from card ...

: Judge Sims

The film

''Civilization's Child'' is a

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

from 1916 directed by

Charles Giblyn Charles Giblyn (September 6, 1871 – March 14, 1934) was an American film director and actor of the silent era. He directed nearly 100 films between 1912 and 1927. He also appeared in 23 films between 1914 and 1934. He was one of the foun ...

under the supervision of

Thomas H. Ince Thomas Harper Ince (November 16, 1880 – November 19, 1924) was an American silent film - era filmmaker and media proprietor. Ince was known as the "Father of the Western" and was responsible for making over 800 films. He revolutionized the mo ...

. Like other films produced by

Kay-Bee Pictures Kay-Bee Pictures was a film company. Its executives included Thomas Ince. The company's mottos included "Every picture a headliner" and "Kay-Bee stands for Kessel and Baumann and Kessel and Baumann stands for quality", referring to Adam Kessel a ...

the film was praised at the time for its artistic title cards, created by

Irvin Willat Irvin V. Willat (November 18, 1890 – April 17, 1976) was an American film director of the silent film, silent film era. A short biography reprinted from ''Blue Book of the Screen'' (1923). He directed 39 films between 1917 and 1937. Early i ...

. A reviewer in ''

Moving Picture World The ''Moving Picture World'' was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, ''Moving Picture World'' frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios. I ...

'' mentioned one title card where "the efforts of a ward politician to get an unprotected girl into his clutches was symbolized by a realistic picture of a spider endeavoring to entice an unsuspecting little fly into the meshes of his web". No copies of the film are known to survive.""Artistic Subtitles". ''The Moving Picture World'', 30 December 1916, p.1966"

Plot

After an idyllic childhood in the mountains of Russia, Berna accompanies her uncle to Kiev, to the Jewish part of the city. Many Jewish residents of Kiev are killed by the Cossacks and Berna flees, taking ship for the United States. In New York, she is exploited by a local boss, Jim McManus, who seduces her and puts her out onto the street as a prostitute. Some time later, Berna marries Nicolai Turgenev, a young musician, and has a baby by him. But Ellen, McManus's daughter, falls in love with Nicolai and succeeds in drawing him away from his family. Meanwhile, McManus has become a judge; he ratifies their separation and grants Nikolai a divorce so that he can marry McManus's daughter and adopt Nikolai's and Berna's child. Driven mad by desperation, Berna goes to the judge, accuses him of being the cause of her ruin, and kills him.

Production

The film was produced by

and by the New York Motion Picture Co.

Distribution

The film was distributed by Triangle Distributing, and opened in cinemas on April 23, 1916.

References

External links

*
Film listing on American Silent Feature Film Database

1916 films 1916 drama films Silent American drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films directed by Charles Giblyn Lost American films 1916 lost films Lost drama films 1910s American films {{1910s-drama-film-stub