''Her Moment'' is a 1918 American silent

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

film directed by

Frank Beal Frank Beal (September 11, 1862 – December 20, 1934) was an American actor and film director of the silent film era. Biography Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1862, Beal began acting in 1880 and gained fame as a director and an actor. In 1908, ...

and starring

William Garwood William Davis Garwood, Jr. (April 28, 1884 – December 28, 1950) was an American stage and film actor and director of the early silent film era in the 1910s. Between 1911 and 1913, Garwood starred in a number of early adaptions of popula ...

and

Anne Luther Anna Luther (July 7, 1893 – December 16, 1960), sometimes credited as Ann Luther or Anne Luther, was an American actress. She was known as "the Poster Girl". Early life and career Anna Luther was born in Newark, New Jersey on July 7, 1893, a ...

. It is not known whether the film currently survives.

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, after her sweetheart Jan Drakachu (Garwood) emigrates to America, Katinka Veche (Luther) falls into the hands of Victor Dravich (Brownlee), a man of despicable character who takes her from one place to another before finally coming to Arizona. Jan has become a successful mining engineer and is sent to Arizona to look after the firm's mining interests. One night when he is intoxicated Jan is brought to Katinka's shack and, realizing her past, she does not reveal herself to him. Jan returns to New York City and, after the death of Dravich, is where Katinka also goes. When they meet Katinka discovers that she has nothing to fear and that Jan loves her as much as ever.

Cast

Anna Luther Anna Luther (July 7, 1893 – December 16, 1960), sometimes credited as Ann Luther or Anne Luther, was an American actress. She was known as "the Poster Girl". Early life and career Anna Luther was born in Newark, New Jersey on July 7, 1893, a ...

as Katinka Veche *

as Jan Drakachu *Alida B. Jones as Minka (credited as Alida Jones) *

Anne Schaefer Anne Schaefer (July 10, 1870 – May 3, 1957) was an American actress. She appeared in 147 films between 1911 and 1938. She was the aunt of fellow actresses Eva and Jane Novak. Schaefer was born to German parents, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Schafer, ...

as Jan's Mother (credited as Ann Schaeffer) *

Frank Brownlee Frank Brownlee (October 11, 1874 – February 10, 1948) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1911 and 1943. He was born in Dallas, Texas and died in Los Angeles, California. Selected filmography * '' Sol ...

as Victor Dravich *

Bert Hadley Robert C. Hadley (April 12, 1882 – December 30, 1968) was an American stage and early silent film actor who appeared in over sixty motion pictures between 1912 and 1927. Hadley quit acting as he approached middle age to later become a succes ...

as Boris *J.L. Franck as Father Benoni *

William Lowery William Lowery (July 22, 1885 – November 15, 1941) was an American silent film actor. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and was signed by the Thanhouser Company in 1914. Lowery's parents were actors, and he first acted at age 9. He enliste ...

as Ulaf (credited as William A. Lowery) *William Bytell as Sherwin Matthews *

Leon De La Mothe Leon De La Mothe (born Louis Kent; December 26, 1880 – June 12, 1943) was an American film director, actor and screenwriter of the silent era. He directed 40 films between 1915 and 1925. He also appeared in 28 films between 1915 and 1928. ...

as Sando Gryj (credited as Leon Kent) *Eugene Owen as Warren McLeod *Scott R. Beal as Roy Clint *

Murdock MacQuarrie Murdock MacQuarrie (August 25, 1878 – August 20, 1942) was an American silent film actor and director. His name was also seen as Murdock McQuarrie. MacQuarrie was born in San Francisco, California, and attended school there. He was the ...

as Mr. Johnson (credited as Murdock McQuarrie)

Reception

The film industry created the

National Association of the Motion Picture Industry The National Association of the Motion Picture Industry (NAMPI) was an American film industry self-regulatory body created by the Hollywood studios in 1916 to answer demands for film censorship by states and municipalities. History The system consi ...

(NAMPI) in 1916 in an effort to preempt

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

by states and municipalities, and it used a list of subjects called the "Thirteen Points" which film plots were to avoid. ''Her Moment'', with its

white slavery White slavery (also white slave trade or white slave trafficking) refers to the slavery of Europeans, whether by non-Europeans (such as West Asians and North Africa, North Africans), or by other Europeans (for example naval galley slaves or th ...

plot line, is an example of a film that clearly violated the Thirteen Points and yet was still distributed. Since the NAMPI was ineffective, it was replaced in 1922. Like many American films of the time, ''Her Moment'' was also subject to restrictions and cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors on its first review refused to issue a permit for showing the film as it features white slavery and the sale of women for immoral purposes. After a reexamination, the Chicago board issued a permit with the following cuts: Reel 4, entire incident of man going upstairs after speaking with Dravich, speaking to servant in upper hall, all scenes of encounter with Katinka and all scenes showing him with torn face after encounter with her, scene of young women at windows as Katinka is brought to whipping post, filing Katinka teeth, Reel 5, the two intertitles "Why have they brought me here?" and "Last night they lashed me" etc., Reel 6, striking of Katinka, and, Reel 7, the intertitle "And because of this you demand my name" etc.

References

External links

* *{{allmovie, 94921, Synopsis 1918 drama films 1918 films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Silent American drama films Films directed by Frank Beal 1910s American films