''The Closing Net'' is a lost 1915 American silent

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film directed by

Edward José Edward José (5 July 1865 – 18 December 1930) was a Belgian film director and actor of the silent film, silent era. He directed 42 films between 1915 and 1925. He also performed in 12 films between 1910 and 1916.Howard Estabrook Howard Estabrook (born Howard Bolles, July 11, 1884 – July 16, 1978) was an American actor, film director and producer, and screenwriter. Biography Born Howard Bolles in Detroit, Michigan, Howard Estabrook began his career in 1904 as a stag ...

and

Madlaine Traverse Madlaine Traverse (born Mary Businsky; August 1, 1875 – January 7, 1964) was an American stage and screen actress. During the course of her career, she was alternately billed as "Madaline Traverse", "Madeline Traverse" and "Madeline Travers".''P ...

. The film is based on the novel of the same name, by Henry C. Rowland, which was originally serialized in

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

and then adapted by

George B. Seitz George Brackett Seitz (January 3, 1888 – July 8, 1944) was an American playwright, screenwriter, film actor and director. He was known for his screenplays for action serials, such as '' The Perils of Pauline'' (1914) and ''The Exploits of ...

into a screenplay. It was produced and distributed by

Pathé Exchange Pathé Exchange, commonly known as Pathé, was an American film production and distribution company, largely of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood's silent film, silent era. Known for its trailblazing newsreel and wide array of short film, s ...

Plot

Frank Clamart was just a baby when his mother abandoned him to an orphanage, killing herself when she found out that her husband was not the son's father. He grows up in the orphanage, treated terribly by the attendants, and runs away as a young teen. For the next fifteen years, he becomes skilled at cracking safes, falling in with a group of Parisian thieves and roughs. The group consists of Leontine, the "adventuress;" Ivan, the "fence;" Jeff, the "Red;" and Chu Chu, the "shearer." Frank quickly falls for Leontine, which disgusts Chu Chu. One night, Frank and Leontine are breaking into a house, which he doesn't know belongs to his half-brother. He is caught in the act and is recognized. He repents, but his gang robs the house regardless, and places him under suspicion. Later, he retrieves the stolen goods and returns them to his benefactor. Chu Chu continues to fight with him over Leontine, and shoots Frank in the shoulder while robbing his half-brother a second time. In a taxicab, he runs his enemy off the road and causes him great injury, causing Frank to seek a truce. Chu Chu agrees, but plans to murder him anyways. Just as Chu Chu is about to kill him, the cab driver, Rosalie, who harbors a secret love for Frank, kills Chu Chu in his defense. Frank and Rosalie declare their love for each other, and want to start a new life, far from crime.

Cast

Howard Estabrook Howard Estabrook (born Howard Bolles, July 11, 1884 – July 16, 1978) was an American actor, film director and producer, and screenwriter. Biography Born Howard Bolles in Detroit, Michigan, Howard Estabrook began his career in 1904 as a stag ...

as Frank Clamart *

as Leontine Petrovsky * Arthur Albro as Chu Chu * Bliss Milford as Rosalie * Kathryn Browne-Decker as Edith * Frederick Macklyn as Jeff * Eric Wayne as Ivan Leopold

Production

Produced and distributed by Pathé Exchange, the American branch of French production company

Pathé Frères Pathé SAS (; styled as PATHÉ!) is a French major film production and distribution company, owning a number of cinema chains through its subsidiary Pathé Cinémas and television networks across Europe. It is the name of a network of Fren ...

, where it was released under the Gold Rooster Play label. Picture rights to ''The Closing Net'' novel were acquired in early July, 1915.

Reception

Motography ''Motography'' was an American film journal that was first published in 1909 and ran until mid-1918. The magazine was published in 1909 and was originally named ''The Nickelodeon'',"Motography." The Bioscope. 9 Feb. 2009. Web. 4 Nov. 2015 http: ...

reviewer Thomas C. Kennedy was positive in his review, praising the film for its staging and "adequate" cast. He found the story to be exciting and said "This story is filled with tense situations, and these receive able presentation."

Moving Picture World The ''Moving Picture World'' was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, ''Moving Picture World'' frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios. ...

reviewer Margaret I. MacDonald called the film "one of the most acceptable of motion picture melodramas" and praised the cast as being "excellent."

Motion Picture News The ''Motion Picture News'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1913 to 1930. History The publication was created through the 1913 merger of the ''Moving Picture News'' founded in 1908 and ''The Exhibitors' Times'', founde ...

reviewer

Harvey F. Thew Harvey Francis Thew was a screenwriter in the United States. He worked mostly with Warner Bros. and wrote dozens of screenplays, often as part of a writing team. Some of his screenplays were adaptations. He also worked for MGM and Paramount. He w ...

described the film as "batting well above .800 in general excellence" and also called the cast "excellent." He had some criticism for the Parisian sets, saying "there are verandas, streets and houses of the kind which it would be hard to find in France."

Censorship

The

Pennsylvania State Board of Censors The Pennsylvania State Board of Censors was an organization under the Pennsylvania Department of Education responsible for approving, redaction, redacting, or banning motion pictures that it considered "sacrilegious, obscene, indecent, or immoral ...

, one of the six state censorship boards in the United States, initially rejected ''The Closing Net'' in its entirety. Though, it appears that the ban was soon lifted, as there is evidence of the film being screened several times within Pennsylvania.

Preservation

With no holdings located in archives, ''The Closing Net'' is considered a lost film.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=tt0005102 1915 films 1915 drama films 1910s English-language films 1910s American films American black-and-white films American silent feature films English-language drama films Silent American drama films Films set in Paris Films directed by Edward José 1915 lost films Lost silent American films