Where are My Children

press release: USA | 1916 | DCP | 65 min.

Director: Lois Weber; Cast: Tyrone Power (Sr.), Helen Riaume, Marie Walcamp

This powerful and frank melodrama about contraception and abortion was made at the height of the controversy surrounding Margaret Sanger’s attempts to legalize birth control in the United States. Where are My Children? illustrates nothing if not the complexities of the debate. The restored version from the Library of Congress, featuring a score by acclaimed composer Maud Nelissen, will be shown. Preceded by Weber’s delightful short thriller Suspense (1913, 11 min.).

This October and November, the Cinematheque continues its tradition of screening great movies from before the dawn of sound. This Fall’s selection includes a special spotlight on the work of women filmmakers in the silent era with screenings of Dorothy Davenport’s The Red Kimona and Lois Weber’s Where Are My Children? Plus, a 35mm print of Lon Chaney in Laugh, Clown, Laugh with live piano accompaniment and a new 4K restoration of Borzage’s 7th Heaven, presented in person by Katie Trainor, Film Collections Manager at the Museum of Modern Art.

All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.