Movie 51min

A Victim of the Mormons (1911)

Original title: Mormonens offer
A Mormon missionary seduces and kidnaps an attractive young woman, forcing her to accompany him to Utah to become one of his wives.
Rating:

+ 21 images
Facts
Director August Blom
Country Denmark
Language Danish
Titles
(Original) Mormonens offer
(Country Spesific) Mormoonin uhri
(Alternative) Mormon's Offer
(Alternative) Grip of the Mormons
(Alternative) Et Offer
(Alternative) Mormonernes Rov
(Alternative) Offeret
Production
Distribution
(Domestic) Fotorama
Other
Categories
Anti-Mormon Bad Priest Baptism Black and White Crime Cult Leader Drama False Prophets Harem Hypocrisy Kidnapping Mormon Mormon Temple Polygamy Silent Film Slavery
Descriptions

On a holiday, the family Gram meets a young, mysterious man who turns out to be a mormon. In spite of her fiancèes presence, the daughter Nina is drawn to the stranger. Hypnotized, she soon follows his every step. When she finally awakes from her trance, she finds herself on a ship to Utah, in the clutches of a dangerous man.

Source: DFI


Larson and Florence are on the ship and requesting him to detain them on arrival. Larson who is talking to the captain at the time he receives the message, peers over his shoulder and reads the contents. Going to his cabin, he attempts to overcome Florence, and, failing to so do, drugs her and locks her in. Larson has during the voyage been growing a beard, and this rouses the suspicion of the telegraphist. Noticing that, Larson follows him to the operating room and there over powers gags and binds him, and locks him in. But the telegraphist proves one too many for him, for he manages to extract the gag from his mouth, and is thus able to make himself heard. He is rescued from his predicament, but in the meantime, Larson has left the ship with Florence. The police at home are notified that the pair have escaped, and Leslie and George decide to go to Utah at once. Larson in the meantime has got home and is again attempting to make the girl submit to his will, when his other wife comes in and proves a friend in need. Florence is locked in her boudoir by Larson. George and Leslie arrive in Utah, and Larson goes off to the Mormon Temple to perform a baptism. When he leaves the Temple, George and Leslie fellow him to his home. Meanwhile, Larson's wife has devised means for Florence to escape. Procuring a flag staff, she places it up to the bedroom window, and Florence slides down, only to be recaptured at the bottom by Larson, who has reached bone at that inopportune moment. Larson's wife escapes, and meeting George and Leslie, informs them of what has occurred. Larson, fearing that he is discovered, decides to escape with Florence. He procures a car, but eventually comes to the conclusion that deceit is the wiser course. Accordingly he pretends to enter the car, but in reality goes down a tide turning, and from his point of vantage watches his wife. George and Leslie pursue the empty vehicle in another direction. Then, dragging Florence back to the house, by means of a secret passage he conveys her to a cellar, in which he locks her. He has only just returned to the room above ere his pursuers burst in. Covering him with a pistol, Leslie demands the whereabouts of Florence. Before he has had time to reply, a trap door upon which he has seen standing gives way, and Larson is precipitated into the cellar. The rescuers tear down the curtains, and joining them together, lower the improvised rope and endeavor to haul up Florence. Larson, however, who is armed, fires his revolver, severing the curtains. The party then discover the secret door, and proceeding to the cellar, batter down the door and effect an entrance. Larson, seeing that the game is up, is about to end the life of his victim when he is seized by Leslie, and the shot, finding a bullet in his own body, puts an end to his infamous career. Florence is carried back to safety, and when she recovered consciousness, finds herself once more in the hands of her friends.

Source: IMDb


Summary
A coniving Mormon missionary named Reverend Larson comes to Copenhagen and beguiles the young and beautiful Florence. He takes her to Utah where he intends to add her to his harem, but they are pursued by her beau who succeeds in rescuing her. In the climatic fight Larson accidentally shoots himself.

Annotations
(...)Though not the first anti-Mormon film, this is generally credited with starting the anti-Mormon film era that would last over a decade. It was a prestige production with international distribution: at three reels, it was the longest Danish film of 1911 and one of the longest Danish films to that time. The LDS Church in Europe and America struggled, with little avail, to suppress, censor, or disclaim it; essentially their efforts resulted in increased publicity, and hence probably increased the tide of 1912 anti-Mormon films in America. The experience had a positive effect on the Church in that it immediately galvanized Church filmmakers into action (as with the 1913 film One Hundred Years of Mormonism), and it gave present and future Church leaders increased admiration for the power of motion pictures. Only fragments of the film are known to have survived--about thirty minutes' worth--which have been transferred to 16mm and video and are available in various locations such as the Church Archives in Salt Lake City. --Randy Astle The film was distributed in America by Great Northern Films, a branch of Nordisk.

Source: Mormon Literature & Creative Arts Database

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Cast
Valdemar Psilander - Andrew Larson
Clara Pontoppidan - Nina Gram
Henry Seemann - Olaf Gram
Axel Boesen -
Carlo Wieth - Sven Berg
Carl Schenstrøm - Larssons Mormon Friend
Nikolai Brechling - Telegraphist
Franz Skondrup - Detective
Frederik Jacobsen - Nina's Father
Otto Lagoni - Larssons Mormon Friend
Doris Langkilde -
Crew
Alfred Kjerulf - Writer
August Blom - Director
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Reviews
by
Gravatar
Helpless girl in trouble

A drama this long from 1910 is a bit too early, as it clearly struggles with the pace of the story - it is too slow and too little happens other than a lot of back and forth. Filming long talking scenes without hearing what they say is not easy to follow - and better use of intertitles for the dialogue came later. On the other hand, it shows the charisma of the cult leader and how "easy" it is to lure in silly people, and how difficult it is and the struggle it takes to get in close to a cult, here the Mormons, and rescue someone who is kidnapped there. Even so, the story is kind of dragged out, until the last minutes where the action happens. I think this story could be told much more effectively in 15-20 minutes.