Early in the 20th century, four independent Balkan states formed the Balkan League and defeated the Ottoman Empire during the years just prior to World War I. Set in Montenegro, one of the four independent states, Cecil B. DeMille's "The Captive," filmed in 1915, depicts events that took place only two years earlier. A peasant woman's brother is killed in a battle with the Ottoman Turks, and she is left alone to care for the family farm. To alleviate the labor shortage in Montenegro, authorities force Turkish prisoners of war to labor on local farms.
Lovely Blanche Sweet is Sonya Martinovich, the young widow who loses her brother and, left with a son and a small flock of goats, struggles to work her farm alone. Meanwhile, Muhamud Hassan, played by House Peters, is a Turkish nobleman soldiering in the Ottoman army. Hassan is captured and assigned to work for Martinovich. Needless to say in this simple, but touching story, Hassan befriends Sonya's son and an attraction develops between Sonya and Hassan. Based on a play by Jeanie MacPherson, the short 50-minute film has no time to delve into any impediments to romance, such as religious, linguistic, and cultural differences, not to mention the dangers of Hassan's taking sides against his own troops.
Although supporting players mug and twirl their mustaches, Sweet and Peters give naturalistic performances that largely avoid the pitfalls of the "grand style." While DeMille maintains a good pace, budgetary limits restrict his battle scenes, and the town's capture and re-capture appear to occur in one room. Appropriately tinted, the cinematography by Alvin Wyckoff is clear and sharp, although the landscapes are Southern California and not Montenegro. Despite quibbles that are largely a product of the period, aficionados of early silent films will definitely find "The Captive" worthy and perhaps essential viewing. However, European history buffs may also find the film of interest, because it throws light on the little-known Balkan Wars that were precursors to World War I. With a talented actress of early cinema, a rising directorial talent, and a surprisingly engaging story, "The Captive" is more than an historical curiosity, it is an entertaining movie.
