The adage "sex sells" holds true today as it did in 1913 in Universal Film Manufacturing Company's distributed movie, November's "Traffic In Souls." The company's member studios had spent $7,000 on making the 88-minute movie and it earned $450,000, the top box office hit that year. This was United States cinema's first movie dealing with sexuality.
"Traffic In Souls" is about the illicit prostitution rings prevalent during the early 1910's, run by crime syndicates operating in the white slave trade. These organizations concentrated on young immigrant women or those found in poor living conditions, which "Traffic" addresses. The film shows a lot of money being passed around by the criminals but avoids the explicit scenes suggested by the subject matter.
The National Board of Review, which highlighted newly-released movies of importance, had given a stamp of approval by claiming the film had cast a light on a national disgrace. Its board members had expressed the hope "Trade" would enact reforms on the illegality of prostitution. Several years later, when the Hays Code was established, the topic of "white slavery" was banned.
Universal Pictures in retrospect has called "Traffic In Souls" the company's most important film it has ever produced. At the time, The Universal Film Manufacturing Company consisted of several movie studios, including Carl Laemmle's Independent Moving Pictures Company. "Traffic" generated so much money for Laemmle that it allowed him to start gobbling up the other member studios one by one to create the Universal Pictures we know today.
"Traffic In Souls" is about the illicit prostitution rings prevalent during the early 1910's, run by crime syndicates operating in the white slave trade. These organizations concentrated on young immigrant women or those found in poor living conditions, which "Traffic" addresses. The film shows a lot of money being passed around by the criminals but avoids the explicit scenes suggested by the subject matter.
The National Board of Review, which highlighted newly-released movies of importance, had given a stamp of approval by claiming the film had cast a light on a national disgrace. Its board members had expressed the hope "Trade" would enact reforms on the illegality of prostitution. Several years later, when the Hays Code was established, the topic of "white slavery" was banned.
Universal Pictures in retrospect has called "Traffic In Souls" the company's most important film it has ever produced. At the time, The Universal Film Manufacturing Company consisted of several movie studios, including Carl Laemmle's Independent Moving Pictures Company. "Traffic" generated so much money for Laemmle that it allowed him to start gobbling up the other member studios one by one to create the Universal Pictures we know today.