Perils of the New Land: Films of the Immigrant Experience (1910-1915)

STREAM DIGITAL EDITION 2-DISC DVD EDITION This two-disc DVD set features The Italian (1915) and Traffic in Souls (1913), two riveting and important social dramas of the American silent screen from the earliest years of feature-length cinema, when movies were more dedicated to advocacy and reform than to escapist entertainment. First released near the end of a long period of unrestricted emigration from Europe to the United States, these two films depict new immigrants to America and the hazards that await them. Both are honored with inclusion in The National Film Registry (which selects up to twenty-five “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant films” each year). In addition to the features, this set presents three theme-related bonus films from the pioneer Edison company: Police Force, New York City (1910), The Call of the City (1912), and McQuade of the Traffic Squad (1915). The Italian, produced for Paramount Pictures by Thomas H. Ince and directed by Reginald Barker,