Hypocrites (1915) / Eleanor's Catch (1916)
by Lois Weber, Cleo Madison
List Price:
Our Price: $17.99
You Save: $1.96 (10%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $10.50 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Courteney FooteDirector: Cleo Madison, Lois Weber
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 65 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-04-22
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: KINO VIDEO
Movie Reviews of Hypocrites (1915) / Eleanor's Catch (1916)
Movie Review: A great tribute to Lois Weber, pioneer filmmaker
Summary: 4 Stars
"Hypocrites" stands out as the most special and unusual of the five films in this "First Ladies - Early Women Filmmakers" series by Kino Video, but it is just what I had expected of Lois Weber, who wrote and directed this `shocking and controversial film' in 1915. As America's first and most prolific female director of the silent era, Lois Weber should be better remembered than she is, but only a few of her films have survived, which makes "Hypocrites" a special treat. Weber was known for addressing all kinds of social and moral issues in her films, and the mere title of this film is already a clear indication of the soul-searching message she sought to convey to the public. But the message is veiled in symbolism and requires some deeper thought to fully appreciate and understand how hypocrisy is found in every aspect of our lives. One of the controversial issues in 1915 when this film was released was the nude young woman - albeit transparent and ghostly - who represents `the virgin truth' which most people find shocking because their mentality and way of life have become so far removed from plain, simple honesty. Dishonesty and corruption as found in politics, high society and in family life are laid bare in the Virgin Truth's mirror, and parallel stories depict other aspects, such as the Biblical account of taking the broad road which is easy, or the narrow way which is difficult.
It may come across as an overbearing lecture - just as the opening scenes which show a sincere minister giving a sermon on hypocrisy, only to find his congregation squirming, angry and uneasy, and even seeking to get rid of him afterwards. But as a rare glimpse into the mind and work of Lois Weber, as well as an historic statement about mentality and early cinema, "Hypocrites" is a valuable film. Unfortunately, some scenes especially at the beginning show some deterioration which can't be restored, but for the most part the picture is good and clear, and it is accompanied by a nice, suitable piano score. After 50 minutes of seeing how false and hypocritical the world is, the second 15-minute film on this DVD, "Eleanor's Catch" feels like a breeze, with a simple, short story and an unexpected twist at the end. A popular actress in the 1910s, Cleo Madison also directed many films, and in this 1916 short film, she made a statement for women's equality in the workforce, making this also a landmark film fit for the "First Ladies" series.
Summary of Hypocrites (1915) / Eleanor's Catch (1916)
The most important and prolific of all American women directors of the silent era, Lois Weber entered films in 1907 at Gaumont, working alongside Alice Guy-Blach?. In the ensuing years, she and her husband Phillips Smalley acted in, directed, wrote and edited films for Gaumont, Rex and Universal. By 1914, Weber was a well-known director when she went to work for the Bosworth Company to make HYPOCRITES. HYPOCRITES is an amazingly complex film in both narrative and technique, following the parallel stories of an early Christian ascetic and a modern minister, with most actors in dual roles. Gabriel (Courteney Foote) is a medieval monk who devotes himself to completing a statue of Truth, only to be murdered by a mob when his work turns out to be an image of a naked woman. The contemporary Gabriel is the pastor of a large urban congregation for whom religion is a matter of appearances, not beliefs. The hypocrisy of the congregation is exposed by a series of vignettes in which the Naked Truth, literally portrayed by a nude woman, reveals their appetites for money, sex and power. HYPOCRITES was a shocking and controversial film whose release was held up for many months by the difficulty of distributing a film with full nudity. Weber s sincerity and reputation allowed her to use something that in the hands of a male director would have been considered scandalous and immoral. Widely admired at the time for extraordinary use of multiple exposures and intricate editing, HYPOCRITES propelled Weber to the front ranks of silent directors. ELEANOR'S CATCH is a delightful short, directed by and starring Cleo Madison. A successful actress, Madison was one of many women who directed films at Universal, particularly in the mid 1910s. In this two-reeler, she stars as a young city girl dragged into a life of crime by a ne er-do-well suitor. A terrific surprise ending gives Eleanor and Cleo an early claim to promoting women s equality in the workforce.Classics DVD Video
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in Classics DVD Video
CasablancaBOGART,HUMPHREY; Release date: 2000-02-15; DVD
Best price: $3.10
Price in other shops:
Alice in Wonderland (Masterpiece Edition)Release date: 2004-01-27; DVD
Best price: $11.49
Price in other shops:
To Kill a Mockingbird (Collector's Edition)Universal; Release date: 1998-04-29; DVD
Best price: $9.49
Price in other shops:
Mary Poppins (45th Anniversary Special Edition)Release date: 2009-01-27; DVD
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops:
Peter Pan (2-Disc Platinum Edition)DRISCOLL,BOBBY; Release date: 2007-03-06; DVD
Best price: $12.75
Price in other shops:
Sleeping Beauty (Two-Disc Platinum Edition)Buena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2008-10-07; DVD
Best price: $6.94
Price in other shops:
The Ten Commandments (50th Anniversary Collection)Paramount; Release date: 2006-03-21; DVD
Best price: $14.75
Price in other shops:
The Sound of Music (Two-Disc 40th Anniversary Special Edition)ANDREWS,JULIE; Release date: 2005-11-15; DVD
Best price: $13.44
Price in other shops:
Stanley Kubrick - Warner Home Video Directors SeriesWarner Brothers; Release date: 2008-01-22; DVD
Best price: $24.71
Price in other shops:
Pinocchio (Two-Disc 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition)Release date: 2009-03-10; DVD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
Similar DVD Movies
Perils Of The New Land: Films of the Immigrant Experience (1910 - 1915) - Traffic in Souls / The ItalianRelease date: 2008-07-15; DVD
Best price: $28.42
Price in other shops:
Murnau, Borzage and Fox Box SetTwentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2008-12-09; DVD
Best price: $125.95
Price in other shops:
The Outlaw and His Wife (1918) / Victor Sjostrom (1981)Release date: 2008-07-29; DVD
Best price: $16.71
Price in other shops:
Georges Melies: First Wizard of Cinema (1896-1913)Release date: 2008-03-11; DVD
Best price: $66.11
Price in other shops:
Houdini: The Movie Star (Three Disc Collection)Release date: 2008-04-08; DVD
Best price: $24.78
Price in other shops:
A Man There Was (1917) / Ingeborg Holm (1913)Release date: 2008-07-29; DVD
Best price: $16.71
Price in other shops:
The Dragon PainterDragon; Release date: 2008-03-18; DVD
Best price: $18.22
Price in other shops:
La RoueRelease date: 2008-05-06; DVD
Best price: $29.76
Price in other shops:
The Red Kimona (1925)Release date: 2008-04-22; DVD
Best price: $10.00
Price in other shops:
Ocean Waif (1916) / 49-17 (1917)Release date: 2008-04-22; DVD
Best price: $10.98
Price in other shops: