The Net (found melodrama crime film; 1916): Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 00:36, 19 August 2022
Poster for film, original
Status: Found
Date found: April 5, 2022
Found by: Thanhouser Film Company
The Net is a 1916 5-reel feature melodrama created by the newly established Thanhouser Film Company and Preservation. The movie disappeared from the public eye until a copy was officially made available to stream in April 2022.[1]
Production
The company Thanhouser was established in 1909 as a project to preserve and make available rare films. They have released more than a thousand silent films and 96 of which are original writings. While much of it was made onto DVDs as part of their “volume” collection anthologies, their 1916 film The Net went misplaced and thought lost for more than 100 years.[2]
Lloyd F. Lonergan wrote the screenplay. A longtime original co-founder and professed scenarist, he declared the film to be “one of his finest”. Filming took place (for the first scenes in act 1) on the Oceanside of Jacksonville and Mayport, Florida over January 18 and 19 1916. And this totally runs for 58 minutes in 5 different “acts”. (Chapters). Music was also provided to the film, as was it directed by the experienced George Foster Pratt.[3]
Storyline
Ethel Jewett, a hot commodity in early silent American cinema played a mysterious sea maiden who is rescued from the sea. In this, lore speaks of dangerous curses (of “epic proportions”) following her, wreaking havoc on the fisherman (Bert Delaney) who rescues her. The plot involves cunning escapes from the sea and quicksands as she is nursed back to health by Delaney’s mother. However, a crooked lawyer (Morgan Jones) turned even more wicked as he is tempted by her feminine wiles.[4]
All 5 reels contain different colour tints to them. (1-5; Pink, Yellow, Blue, Green, Red).
Distribution
The film was issued by the dozens in 1919 in Norway by Guttorm Jensen of Bergen. Research agrees upon the fact that he must have purchased this print directly from the film’s distributor, Mutual Film Corporation.
The film was reportedly 1396 meters in length with only one extant print in circulation. The censorship board of Norway found that it was labelled alternatively, “Fanget i kjærlighetens net" (roughly translated from Danish, “Trapped in the net of love"). Also, it was misnamed, “Svindlersken”. (Or “The Fraudsteress”, inexplicably).
Preservation
This nitrate print would find it’s way into the NFI circa 1955 where it would become part of a shipment of nitrate reels to the Norwegian National Library on 2002 for preservation. Nearly two decades later work for a digital copy was finally made, when the print was identified in pristine condition (by Torbjørn Pedersen). It was scanned on a “Scanity” film scanner at 4K resolution and 25% overscan. Preservation continued with further Color grading and digital pricks to the dust specks. Intertitles were translated and it was made available. The original film scores were re-recorded and film scholar Kathy Fuller-Seely gave a commentary.
External Sites
- Watch on Vimeo On Demand ($12.99)
- Film Stills
- Full Summary at Hathitrust (Scan of original newspaper)
- Booklet included in the DVD release, scanned