Ivan Abramson (1869 – September 15, 1934) was a director of

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silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

s in the 1910s and 1920s.Klein, Uru (10 December 2009)
Cinema in the time of war
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Haaretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...

'' Abramson emigrated to the United States from the Russian Empire in the 1880s and soon became involved in the Jewish newspaper field. In 1905, he founded an opera company. In 1914, he founded Ivan Film Productions to produce silent films, with ''

Sins of the Parents In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered ...

'' as the first release. In 1917, after success with pictures including ''

One Law for Both ''One Law for Both'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Ivan Abramson. Plot Elga Pulsaki (Rita Jolivet) and her brother Ossip ( James W. Morrison) emigrate to the United States from Russia to escape persecution. Elga marries Norm ...

'' and '' Enlighten Thy Daughter'', he partnered with

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to form the Graphic Film Corporation (GFC).Pizzitola, Louis
Hearst over Hollywood
p. 111-125 (2002) Abramson's films are often melodramas with titillating titles such as ''Forbidden Fruit'' (1915) and ''

A Child for Sale ''A Child for Sale'' is a lost 1920 American silent drama film directed by Ivan Abramson, starring Gladys Leslie and Creighton Hale.(October 24, 1920)"A Child For Sale" to be the Attraction For the Entire Week Starting Tomorrow ''The Delmarvia ...

'' (1920), and sexual hygiene films such as ''

The Sex Lure ''The Sex Lure'' is a silent film that was banned in 1916. It was directed by Ivan Abramson Ivan Abramson (1869 – September 15, 1934) was a director of United States, American silent films in the 1910s and 1920s.Klein, Uru (10 December 2009) ...

'' (1916) and '' Enlighten Thy Daughter'' (1917).McLaren, Angus
Twentieth-century sexuality: a history
p. 42 (1999)Ivan Film Productions v. Bell
(New York Courts, 1916) Abramson often aimed to make a moral argument with his films. He stated that the intention of his films was to "point out an evil in life through one character and at the same time show the manner in which that evil might be cured through another character." The GFC ended with the 1919 release of '' The Echo of Youth''. In 1923, Abramson and

Sidney M. Goldin Sidney M. Goldin, born Samuel Goldstein (March 25, 1878 – September 19, 1937) was an American silent film director as well as a prominent writer, actor and producer for Yiddish theater and Yiddish cinema during the early 20th century. During his ...

directed '' East and West'', filmed in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and starring

Molly Picon Molly Picon (; Malka Opiekun; February 28, 1898 – April 5, 1992) was an American actress of stage, screen, radio and television, as well as a lyricist and dramatic storyteller. She began her career in Yiddish theatre and film, rising to a s ...

, and which had English and Yiddish subtitles. Abramson died on September 15, 1934, in New York's Mount Sinai Hospital, survived by his wife Liza Einhorn.(16 September 1934)
Ivan Abramson, Movie Man, Dies
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The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''(16 January 1945)
Mrs. Ivan Abramson (obituary)
, ''

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1914) * '' Should a Woman Divorce?'' (writer/producer) (1914) * '' A Mother's Confession'' (1915) * ''Forbidden Fruit'' (1915) * ''

'' (1916) * ''A Fool's Paradise'' (1916) * ''

'' (1917) * '' Married in Name Only'' (1917) (writer) * '' Enlighten Thy Daughter'' (1917) * '' When Men Betray (1918)'' * '' Ashes of Love'' (1918) * '' The Echo of Youth (1919)'' * ''

'' (1920) * '' Wildness of Youth'' (1922) * '' East and West'' (1923) * '' I Am the Man'' (1924) * '' Meddling Women'' (1924)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abramson, Ivan 1869 births 1934 deaths American silent film directors Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States Film directors from New York City Jewish American film people American people of Russian-Jewish descent