Traffic in Souls

Two social reform dramas, both included in the National Film Registry, are collected in this two-disc set from Flicker Alley. Reginald Barker (uncredited) directs the Thomas Ince production "The Italian" (1915), starring George Beban as a simple gondolier who immigrates to America to make good and marry his sweetheart, Annette (Clara Williams). His dreams of success quickly meet reality when he faces the poverty of life in the slums of New York's East Side (recreated in Hollywood through vivid sets and locations). The story itself is pure melodrama -- a sick baby, a violent robbery, an unjust arrest -- but don't expect a neat little happy ending. The print was restored from three sources, but most of it is copied from an original nitrate print and looks quite strong, and the lively compilation score is performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. Also features the even more lurid "Traffic in Souls" (1913), a white slavery thriller, and three early Edison Company shorts ("The Police Force of New York City," "The Call of the City" and "McQuade of the Traffic Squad"), and each feature has optional commentary.