''The Curse of Iku'' is a 1918 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Frank Borzage Frank Borzage (; April 23, 1894 – June 19, 1962) was an Academy Award-winning American film director and actor, known for directing '' 7th Heaven'' (1927), '' Street Angel'' (1928), '' Bad Girl'' (1931), '' A Farewell to Arms'' (1932), ''Man's ...

and featuring Borzage,

Tsuru Aoki was a Japanese stage and screen actress whose career was most prolific in the United States during the silent film era of the 1910s through the 1920s. Aoki may have been the first Asian actress to garner top billing in American motion pictures. ...

, and

Thomas Kurihara was a Japanese actor and film director. Life Thomas Kurihara, birth name Kisaburō Kurihara (栗原喜三郎), was born in Hadano, Kanagawa. Kurihara's father was a wood trader, but he failed in business. Kurihara went to United States an ...

in lead dual roles. It is not known whether the film currently survives.Progressive Silent Film List: ''The Curse of Iku''
at silentera.com

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 ...

, Carroll (Borzage), an American sailor, is shipwrecked on the coast of Japan, and is befriended by a Japanese prince. As Americans are banned from the country, he is sentenced to being tortured but Iku, his prosecutor, is killed. Iku dies cursing Carroll, who escapes with Iku's sister, Omi San (Aoki). Fifty years later Iku the third is sent to America to learn its customs. He falls in love with Virginia Stafford and, learning that she is the fiancé of Allan Carroll III (Borzage) and remembering his ancestor's band of hate, he kidnaps Virginia, takes her to Japan and marries her according to Japanese custom. Carroll comes to Japan and locates Virginia. A terrible struggle ensues in which Iku meets his death and Virginia is rescued. With the death of Iku, the curse is lifted.

Cast

as Allan Carroll / Allan Carroll III *

as Omi San *

(credited as Thomas Kurihara)

Production

In 1919 the film was reedited down to six reels with new intertitles, which changed the location of the action to the Malaysian coast, and released under state's rights basis with the title ''Ashes of Desire''.

Reception

Like many American films of the time, ''The Curse of Iku'' was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors required cuts, in Reel 1, of the Japanese man murdering foreigner and wiping bloody sword, Reel 3, four closeup torture scenes showing young woman and flash four others, four scenes of crucifixion, Reel 4, all scenes of white woman in Japanese man's room, all scenes of Japanese man looking through keyhole into young woman's room and reflection in his eye, Reel 5, two scenes of Japanese man pouring chloroform on handkerchief, three scenes of slugging woman's father, attack on young woman in automobile and chloroforming her, scene of man being dragged from river, Reel 6, Japanese woman with hypodermic needle in hand, the intertitle "Iku gives you choice; will you be his dutiful wife or the plaything of the rabble?", two scenes of young American woman fighting with Japanese man, closeup of "woman tamer" leering through barred doors, Reel 7, stabbing of Japanese woman, two closeups of fight where daggers are used, and closeup of Japanese man with blood flowing from mouth.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Curse of Iku, The 1918 drama films 1918 films Silent American drama films American silent feature films Films directed by Frank Borzage American black-and-white films 1910s American films