Underplayed Gems

The Morals of Hilda (1916)

The Morals of Hilda poster
Directed by
Lloyd B. Carleton
Genre
silent film
Country
United States
Runtime
50 min
Rated
NR
Elsewhere
IMDb
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The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A couple from a country with different customs moves to America and struggles with American values. After the man dies at sea, the woman gives birth and abandons her baby. The child is adopted by her former employer and she watches him grow up from afar before making a sacrifice for him.

melodramatictragicsentimentalstarkbleakmoralizingdatedrestrained

What happens

The Morals of Hilda is a 1916 American silent film directed by Lloyd B. Carleton. The melodrama is based on the story of Henry Christeen Warnack and features Gretchen Lederer, Lois Wilson and Emory Johnson. August and Hilda were living together while saving money to get married. In their country, it did not discourage living arrangements like theirs. Since finding work was difficult in their village, they immigrated to America. American values challenged them by asserting that only wed couples can live together and have children. Seeking employment, Hilda secures a position as a domestic, while August has trouble. Hilda discovers she is pregnant. A desperate August goes to sea and dies in a shipwreck. Hilda gives birth to a baby boy but becomes distraught upon learning of August's fate. Realizing she cannot support the child alone, she sets the boy adrift in the sea. Fate steps in, and Hilda's former employer, Ester, finds and adopts the boy. Hilda secretly watches her son grow up and seek a career in politics. In the end, she makes the ultimate sacrifice for her son. Universal released the Red Feather Photoplay on December 11, 1916. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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