Hypocrites / Eleanor's Catch
by Lois Weber, Cleo Madison
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Courteney FooteDirector: Cleo Madison, Lois Weber
Brand: Kino International
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 65 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-04-22
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: 6022
Studio: KINO VIDEO
Product features:
- HYPOCRITES/ELEANOR'S CATCH (DVD MOVIE)
Movie Reviews of Hypocrites / Eleanor's Catch
Movie Review: two very good films directed by incredible artists
Summary: 5 Stars
This terrific DVD has two very interesting pictures on it: Hypocrites written and directed by Lois Weber and Eleanor's Catch directed by Lois Weber and Cleo Madison. The plots for both films move along rather well; I was certainly never bored. The quality of the print for Hypocrites was not too good especially in the first fifteen or so minutes of the film; I'm sorry to see that this is the restored version of the print! As for Eleanor's Catch, however, we get a film that has been preserved far better; and it has some great surprise action along the way that kept my interest going. The casting for both films was rather well done, too. This DVD is of particular import because the two films here were directed by women at a time when women lacked true power in Hollywood just as they lacked power in almost all other fields, too. Moreover, there are very few surviving films directed by Lois Weber and Cleo Madison despite the fact that they turned out quite a few films; their work was largely lost over time. What a shame!
In Hypocrites, this excellent film starts with a minister (Courtenay Foote) giving a sermon in Church about hypocrisy and the importance of Truth. Unfortunately, his message is largely lost on the churchgoers who are bored or even asleep during his sermon! After the service is over there's even talk amongst the members of getting rid of the minister by asking for his resignation. The minister is also upset; he wants his church members to truly value Truth--and it is from this point that the movie progresses to show that the path to Truth and morality is literally an uphill battle that may cost you your more worldly goods; but of course the moral of the story is that Truth is worth it. As you may know, there was a somewhat scandalous aspect to this film; Truth is portrayed by a naked woman. Thus we can see The Naked Truth!
The film then jumps backward in time to what looks like the medieval era; we see Gabriel the Ascetic (also played by Courtenay Foote) who painstakingly crafts a sculpture of pure Truth--in the form of a naked woman. Outraged, the crowd that has gathered to see the sculpture promptly murders Gabriel by stoning and spearing him; but this is not all. The final segment of the film holds much for us to see.
In addition, Eleanor's catch is also very well done. We meet Eleanor (director Cleo Madison) who lives in the slums with her mother (Lule Warrenton). Eleanor and her mother get by as they wash other people's clothes; so when the sharp, smooth talking "Flash" Darcy (William V. Mong) comes into her life Eleanor is thrilled to have a man who gives her things like fancy dresses and a night out on the town. Of course, this makes Eleanor's steady boyfriend "Red" (Edward Hearn) quite jealous and another issue arises when we meet Eleanor's poverty stricken sister Jennie (Margaret Whistler), who has been reduced to begging on the street for small change. As is the case with Hypocrites, the way the story plays out is fascinating.
There are no extra features; but these two films are really very good and they stand well on their own.
Overall, Hypocrites and Eleanor's Catch are strong movies from two female directors who were successful in Hollywood at a time when women were not exactly powerful. Lois Weber and Cleo Madison deserve to be remembered well for their outstanding work in motion pictures; and this DVD proves that they had genius. I highly recommend this DVD for silent movie fans; and people who enjoy movies directed by women during the silent film era will find this to be a solid addition to their DVD collections.
Summary of Hypocrites / Eleanor's Catch
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-Blaché. 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.Similar DVD Movies
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