Movie Review: Hypocrites (US, 1915)


Figure 1.-- This still from Lois Weber's (1915) silent film "Hypocrites". It was a moralistic allegory of sorts about moral values that society endorses but fails to live by. In this shot we see one of the scenes from the film that goes back and forth between medieval and modern times. The boy in the "contemporary" (1915) scene is wearing ordinary school clothes--white shirt, knickers, long black stockings, and high-top shoes.

"Hypocrites" is a silent film by Lois Weber released in 1915. It is a moralistic allegory of sorts about the moral values that society endorses but fails to live by. Such morality tales werea popular silent film genre. Lois Weber was one of the earliest female maker of silents films. The film moves back and forth between medieval and modern times. The boy in the "contemporary" (1915) scene is wearing ordinary school clothes--white shirt, knickers, long black stockings, and high-top shoes. Silent films are especially interesting because the films set in contemprary times include children wearing the popular fashions of the day. Often the children does not seem to have been costumed, but rather wearing their own clothes.

Filmology

"Hypocrites" is a silent film by Lois Weber released in 1915. Lois Weber was one of the earliest female maker of silents films.

Cast

We are not sure who the children in the film are.

Plot

"Hypocrites" is a moralistic allegory of sorts about the moral values that society endorses but fails to live by. Such morality tales werea popular silent film genre. The film because it bounces back and form between time frames was somewhat complex for a silent film. The two major characters were a medival Christian ascetic and a modern American minister. To help make the connection, the same actors were used in dual roles for the two different periods. Gabriel (Courteney Foote) is a medieval monk who is consumed with seeking truth. He works on a statue of “Truth”. This seems a misunderstanding of monastaries and medieval art. We know of no monk that was an important artist or sculptor. Gabriel is killed by a mob shocked with they see that "Truth" is a naked woman. The contemporary American Gabriel is the pastor of a large city church. There the parishioners is depicted as practicing their religion only for the outward appearamce. The essence of religion doesnot seem to enter into their dailylives. The film seeks to show their hypocracy throiugh a series of vignettes. The Naked Truth is presented showing the desire for money, sex, and power.

Costuming

The film moves back and forth between medieval and modern times. The boy in the "contemporary" (1915) scene is wearing ordinary school clothes--white shirt, knickers, long black stockings, and high-top shoes. Silent films are especially interesting because the films set in contemprary times include children wearing the popular fashions of the day. Often the children does not seem to have been costumed, but rather wearing their own clothes. This is in part because silents were often low-budget affairs shot in only a few days.







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Created: 7:34 PM 4/29/2008
Last updated: 7:35 PM 4/29/2008