| Enlighten Thy Daughter | |
|---|---|
Zena Keefe and James Morrison in Enlighten Thy Daughter |
|
| Directed by | Ivan Abramson |
| Produced by | Enlightenment Photoplay Corporation |
| Written by | Ivan Abramson |
| Starring | Frank Sheridan, Katharine Kaelred, Zena Keefe, Arthur Donaldson, Marie Shotwell, Rubye De Remer, James W. Morrison |
| Release date(s) | 1917 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent |
Enlighten Thy Daughter is a 1917 silent film directed by Ivan Abramson.
The exploitation film/sexual hygiene film warns against the dangers of premarital sex. Lillian Stevens (played by Zena Keefe) is young woman who ends up having sex with Harold Winthrop (played by James W. Morrison) after both are caught in an unexpected storm during a date. Of course, she gets pregnant. Mom doesn't realize Lillian has been out all night due to her gambling addiction. The same young man later starts dating Lillian's cousin Ruth (played by Rubye De Remer). They get engaged, but Lillian's pregnancy--and the identity of the father--is revealed when she dies from an illegal abortion, and Ruth breaks off the engagement.[1]
The New York Times was critical of the film, calling it an "inept and melodramatic variant of the theme of the danger that lurks in the failure to apprise the young of dangers by which they are beset."[2] Other reviews were not as unkind, however, calling it a "remarkable drama, tense and thrilling,"[3] and agreeing with the movie's advertising claim to be "the most tremendous moral force the screen has ever known."[4]
The movie did meet with box office success, and has been described as director Abramson's biggest success.[5]
A remake was released in 1934 (the only Abramson film ever remade).[6]