In the Sultan's Power

{{Short description|1909 American silent film directed by Francis Boggs}}

{{Infobox film

| name = In the Sultan's Power

| image =

| caption =

| director = Francis Boggs

| producer = William N. Selig

| starring = Hobart Bosworth
Betty Harte
Tom Santschi

| studio = Selig Polyscope Company

| released = {{Film date|1909|06|17}}

| runtime = 1 reel (approx. 10–12 minutes)

| country = United States

| language = Silent

}}

In the Sultan's Power is a 1909 American silent adventure-drama short film directed by Francis Boggs and produced by William N. Selig for the Selig Polyscope Company. The film starred Hobart Bosworth, Betty Harte, and Tom Santschi, and was released on June 17, 1909.{{cite web |title=In the Sultan’s Power |url=https://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/I/InTheSultansPower1909.html |website=SilentEra.com |access-date=May 22, 2025}} It was one of the first narrative films shot entirely in the Los Angeles area.{{cite web |title=Film History Milestones – 1909 |url=https://www.filmsite.org/1909-filmhistory.html |website=Filmsite.org |access-date=May 22, 2025}}

Plot

The film follows American traveler Jack Thornton, who rescues a French nobleman's daughter, Flora, from the harem of a tyrannical Turkish nobleman, Osman Bey. Jack infiltrates the Sultan's palace at night and incites a revolt that liberates Flora and deposes Osman Bey. The film exemplifies the melodramatic "Oriental adventure" genre of the time.{{cite book|title=Col. William N. Selig, the Man Who Invented Hollywood=|author=Erish, Andrew A.|publisher=University of Texas Press|date=2012|isbn=9780292742697|page=84}}

Cast

Hobart Bosworth as Jack Thornton
Betty Harte as Flora Dupont
Tom Santschi as Osman Bey
Stella Adams
Frank Montgomery
E. Vivian
Robert Z. Leonard

Production

The film was produced by the Selig Polyscope Company and shot in early 1909 in Los Angeles, California. It was filmed at an open-air lot behind a Chinese laundry at 7th and Olive Streets in downtown Los Angeles and at the Hotel Wentworth in Pasadena. It was among the earliest narrative films made in Los Angeles and helped establish the city as a viable location for film production.

Some sources identify In the Sultan’s Power as the first dramatic film shot entirely in Los Angeles, though others suggest that The Heart of a Race Tout (also 1909) may have preceded it.

Historical significance

In the Sultan’s Power is considered historically significant for:

Being one of the first narrative films shot entirely in Los Angeles.
Marking the screen debut of stage actor Hobart Bosworth.{{cite web |title=SFSFF: Hobart Bosworth in Behind the Door |url=https://silentfilm.org/behind-the-door/ |website=San Francisco Silent Film Festival |access-date=May 22, 2025}}
Initiating Selig's production operations on the West Coast, laying groundwork for the film industry's migration to California.

Reception

Contemporary reviews are scarce. Modern film historians often reference the film for its production and historical importance rather than its artistic quality. A 1960 retrospective described it as "a miserable little picture" but praised its role in launching Bosworth's film career.{{cite book|title=Silent Players: A Biographical and Autobiographical Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses|author=Slide, Anthony|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|date=2010|isbn=9780813127088|page=35}}

Preservation

In the Sultan’s Power is presumed lost. No known prints survive, and its survival status is listed as unknown in film databases. A copyright registration for the film exists in the Library of Congress dated 1913, under "World’s Best Film Company," an alternate name used by Selig.{{cite web |title=Motion Picture Copyright Descriptions Collection |url=https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.5529/default.html |website=Library of Congress |access-date=May 22, 2025}}

References

Sources

{{cite book |last=Krist |first=Gary |title=The Mirage Factory: Illusion, Imagination, and the Invention of Los Angeles |publisher=Crown |year=2018 |isbn=9780451496386}}
{{cite web |title=Entertainment Industry Historic Context Statement |url=https://planning.lacity.org/odocument/9611560a-59f4-41de-86c1-d81f978c5d07/Entertainment_Industry_Historic_Context.pdf |website=SurveyLA |access-date=May 22, 2025}}