Trapped By The Mormons

James Bazen · Post by **James Bazen** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 8:20 am

Can anyone tell me about this film. And particularly the Grapevine DVD of this? All the reviews of Grapevine's release have hailed the best release Grapevine has done. Any comments?

FrankFay · Post by **FrankFay** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 8:29 am

First-rate all around.

Quality of disc- clean transfer of a nice print, the scenes are appropriately toned. Excellent quality live pipe organ soundtrack

Commentary- GREAT- very informative and well delivered.

The film- Reasonably well made and photographed but a real jaw dropper and VERY funny at times, sometimes "I've GOT to replay that" funny. . In the world of Mormon films this is something of a cult classic.

You really MUST buy this one- it's a thoroughly professional job.

James Bazen · Post by **James Bazen** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 8:51 am

FrankFay wrote:First-rate all around.

Quality of disc- clean transfer of a nice print, the scenes are appropriately toned. Excellent quality live pipe organ soundtrack

Commentary- GREAT- very informative and well delivered.

The film- Reasonably well made and photographed but a real jaw dropper and VERY funny at times, sometimes "I've GOT to replay that" funny. . In the world of Mormon films this is something of a cult classic.

You really MUST buy this one- it's a thoroughly professional job.

Sold! Thanks Eric. I'll order this with my pre-Order for the German disc. Thanks.

R Michael Pyle · Post by **R Michael Pyle** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 5:41 am

While your at it, the Reelclassicdvd release of Mae Murray in "A Morman Maid" (1917) is also WELL worth the look and your buying. Equally nice print, if not better, and the story's far better, and, based on modern political correctness, a real jaw-dropper at times. If you're Mormon, watch out... Plus, Noah Beery gets perhaps his best role as the baddie, and a baddie he is!

James Bazen · Post by **James Bazen** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 5:50 am

R Michael Pyle wrote:While your at it, the Reelclassicdvd release of Mae Murray in "A Morman Maid" (1917) is also WELL worth the look and your buying. Equally nice print, if not better, and the story's far better, and, based on modern political correctness, a real jaw-dropper at times. If you're Mormon, watch out... Plus, Noah Beery gets perhaps his best role as the baddie, and a baddie he is!

Yes, I've seen A Mormon Maid. A very good film, and I always enjoy Mae Murray. I have a crummy VHS of this that I've had for years, and before I thought it was okay. Then, I saw a gorgeous print of this on the big screen at Cinesation a few years back, and I had a completely new appreciation for the film. Over-the-top melodrama to be sure(Although in my book nothing wrong with that!). But very well made and a compelling story with a great cast.

drednm · Post by **drednm** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 7:59 am

I have this one from Reelclassic and yes it's good quality. It's so bizarre to see Mae Murray playing a Mary Pickford type character skipping along a country lane or what have you and getting kidnapped basically (along with her family) by a band of Mormons. I also have the Evelyn Brent film but have not watched it yet.

Post by **Mike Gebert** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 8:02 am

Then, I saw a gorgeous print of this on the big screen at Cinesation a few years back, and I had a completely new appreciation for the film.

Same here. Not a great film in any profound sense, but a rip-roaring, visually impressive melodrama, certainly the most lively and inventive work I've seen from Norman Z. McLeod, later one of those interchangeable house director types.

Plus, after a zillion movies at Cinesation about the imperiled chastity of maids, pretty cool to see one about the imperiled chastity of a 50-year-old man!

drednm · Post by **drednm** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 9:17 pm

Watched Trapped by the Mormons today end enjoyed the young Evelyn Brent, but this is not as lurid as Mae Murray's 1917 A Mormon Maid.

My copy is not the Grapevine DVD but it does have a rather dull organ score.

spadeneal · Post by **spadeneal** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 7:38 pm

Mike Gebert wrote:
Then, I saw a gorgeous print of this on the big screen at Cinesation a few years back, and I had a completely new appreciation for the film.
Same here. Not a great film in any profound sense, but a rip-roaring, visually impressive melodrama, certainly the most lively and inventive work I've seen from Norman Z. McLeod, later one of those interchangeable house director types.

I'm the last one to want to challenge the Admin, and I humbly apologize, but the director of A Mormon Maid was Robert Z. Leonard. The visually impressive aspect of his work runs through his whole career -- if you watch Maytime (1937) and make yourself forget it is a MacEddy vehicle, it is extremely impressive.

My appreciation of his work is here:
http://www.allmovie.com/artist/robert-z ... -99367/bio

I think he was much more than an interchangeable house director type; his visual style chimed in with what MGM wanted to look like, and he worked well within the studio system, leading to the notion that Leonard was a workaday hack. My only regret in writing this is that I used the phrase "difficult talent" when "headstrong" would have been more accurate.

I'd love to see A Mormon Maid -- I haven't -- and at least one Selig film that Leonard made; I realize that's virtually an impossibility. But the fact that Leonard directed Mae Murray's films makes their loss doubly tragic even if you don't particularly care for Mae Murray. He was good.

spadeneal