Hypocrites

ThemostimportantandprolificofallAmericanwomendirectorsofthesilentera,LoisWeberenteredfilmsin1907atGaumont,workingalongsideAliceGuy-Blaché.Intheensuingyears,sheandherhusbandPhillipsSmalleyactedin,directed,wroteandeditedfilmsforGaumont,RexandUniversal.By1914,Weberwasawell-knowndirectorwhenshewenttoworkfortheBosworthCompanytomakeHypocrites.<br/>　　Hypocritesisanamazinglycomplexfilminbothnarrativeandtechnique,followingtheparallelstoriesofanearlyChristianasceticandamodernminister,withmostactorsindualroles.Gabriel(CourteneyFoote)isamedievalmonkwhodevoteshimselftocompletingastatueof“Truth,”onlytobemurderedbyamobwhenhisworkturnsouttobeanimageofanakedwoman.ThecontemporaryGabrielisthepastorofalargeurbancongregationforwhomreligionisamatterofappearances,notbeliefs.ThehypocrisyofthecongregationisexposedbyaseriesofvignettesinwhichtheNakedTruth,literallyportrayedbyanudewoman,revealstheirappetitesformoney,sexandpower.<br/>　　Hypocriteswasashockingandcontroversialfilmwhosereleasewasheldupformanymonthsbythedifficultyofdistributingafilmwithfullnudity.Weber’ssincerityandreputationallowedhertousesomethingthatinthehandsofamaledirectorwouldhavebeenconsideredscandalousandimmoral.Widelyadmiredatthetimeforextraordinaryuseofmultipleexposuresandintricateediting,HypocritespropelledWebertothefrontranksofsilentdirectors.