Traffic in Souls
Encyclopedia
Traffic in Souls is a 1913 narrative
feature film focusing on forced prostitution (white slavery) in the US and filmed around Ellis Island
in New York City
. Its subjects were working women and immigrants and it was released at a time when the country was undergoing a "moral panic" over the issue of prostitution. The film's release eventually resulted in the adding of "white slavery" to the list of topics banned under the Hays Code.
In 2006, the film was added to the National Film Registry
for preservation in the Library of Congress
because it "presaged the Hollywood narrative film" and drew attention through its riveting depiction of the methods used to entrap young women into prostitution.
It was an early example of the narrative style in American films. It was six reels, long for an American film at the time.
The storyline concerns two young Swedish women who are approached by men soliciting for white slavery under the guise of a legitimate work offer. In the scenes filmed at the Battery
, after the women are transported there from Ellis island, real life immigrants can be seen in the background. The entire film takes place in three days and consists of a prologue, the main narrative in which one of the sisters is kidnapped by a pimp and the other sister and her boyfriend rush to rescue her in time and the pimp is killed, and an epilogue in which the viewer finds out the consequences from a trashed news article. It concludes with a joke ending, an ending to a thriller that at the time was not the cliché it has become now.
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
feature film focusing on forced prostitution (white slavery) in the US and filmed around Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Its subjects were working women and immigrants and it was released at a time when the country was undergoing a "moral panic" over the issue of prostitution. The film's release eventually resulted in the adding of "white slavery" to the list of topics banned under the Hays Code.
In 2006, the film was added to the National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
for preservation in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
because it "presaged the Hollywood narrative film" and drew attention through its riveting depiction of the methods used to entrap young women into prostitution.
It was an early example of the narrative style in American films. It was six reels, long for an American film at the time.
The storyline concerns two young Swedish women who are approached by men soliciting for white slavery under the guise of a legitimate work offer. In the scenes filmed at the Battery
Battery Park
Battery Park is a 25-acre public park located at the Battery, the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York City, facing New York Harbor. The Battery is named for artillery batteries that were positioned there in the city's early years in order to protect the settlement behind them...
, after the women are transported there from Ellis island, real life immigrants can be seen in the background. The entire film takes place in three days and consists of a prologue, the main narrative in which one of the sisters is kidnapped by a pimp and the other sister and her boyfriend rush to rescue her in time and the pimp is killed, and an epilogue in which the viewer finds out the consequences from a trashed news article. It concludes with a joke ending, an ending to a thriller that at the time was not the cliché it has become now.