The Last Night of the Barbary Coast
Encyclopedia
The Last Night of the Barbary Coast (1915
) was an early example of the exploitation film
, showing what was purported to be the last night of the Barbary Coast
red-light section of San Francisco. In reality, the Barbary Coast wasn't shut down until 1917.
The film, directed by Hal Mohr
and Sol Lesser, is now considered a lost film
. Mohr, later an Academy Award winner, did the cinematography, and Lesser went on to become a Hollywood producer.
1915 in film
The year 1915 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 8 : D.W Griffith's The Birth of a Nation premieres at Clune's Auditorium Los Angeles and breaks box office and film length records, running at a total length of 3 hrs 10 minutes.* June 18 : The Motion Picture Directors...
) was an early example of the exploitation film
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
, showing what was purported to be the last night of the Barbary Coast
Barbary Coast, San Francisco, California
Barbary Coast was a red-light district in old San Francisco, California. Geographically it constituted nine blocks bounded by Montgomery Street, Washington Street, Stockton Street, and Broadway...
red-light section of San Francisco. In reality, the Barbary Coast wasn't shut down until 1917.
The film, directed by Hal Mohr
Hal Mohr
Hal Mohr, A.S.C. was a famed movie cinematographer.-Career:In 1915, in an early example of an exploitation film peddled directly to theater owners, Mohr and Sol Lesser produced and directed a film The Last Night of the Barbary Coast...
and Sol Lesser, is now considered a lost film
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
. Mohr, later an Academy Award winner, did the cinematography, and Lesser went on to become a Hollywood producer.