The Cry of the Children is a 1912 American silent short drama film directed by George Nichols for the Thanhouser Company.[1] The production, based on the poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning about child labor, stars Marie Eline, Ethel Wright, and James Cruze. At the time of its release, the film proved to be controversial for its use of real-life footage of children working inside a large textile factory.[2] The film in 2011 was selected into preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[3][4]

The Cry of the Children
Alice (Marie Eline, center) with other child laborers and her father (James Cruze, left)
Directed by	George Nichols
Based on	"The Cry of the Children" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Cinematography	Carl Louis Gregory
Production company	Thanhouser Company
Release date	April 30, 1912 (1912-04-30)
Running time	2 reels (2000 feet, original print 29 minutes)
Country	United States

Cast

• Marie Eline as Alice, the little girl
• Ethel Wright as The working mother
• James Cruze as The working father
• Lila Chester as The factory owner's wife
• William Russell as The factory owner

References

External links

• The Cry of the Children essay by Ned Thanhouser at National Film Registry
• The Cry of the Children at thanhuser.org
• The Cry of the Children at IMDb

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