There are some impressive names involved in this 1917 Lasky Production that so distorts the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that you would think that it was one of author Zane Grey's early Western tales that depicted the Mormons as villains. Come to think of it there were a couple of Grey's anti-Mormon novels made into movies around this time: RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE and its sequel, THE RAINBOW TRAIL(by William Fox IN 1918). The male lead of A MORMAN MAID is played by future Academy Award director Frank Borzage (he won the first year of the Oscars for 7th HEAVEN and a second Oscar for his directing of the sound BAD GIRL four years later). Borzage was born and raised in Salt Lake City among the Mormons -- he plays the role of a Mormon boy who is not aware of the evil practices of his Faith until he has to rescue his girl from the clutches of a forced marriage. And this film was photographed by the great cinematographer Charles Rosher (Oscar winner for SUNRISE [1927] and THE YEARLING [1946]). As to the supposed star of the film, Mae Murray, she gives a terrible impression of a Mary Pickford! Interesting today only as an example of how motion pictures are often used to present fabrication as being the truth! Like the later British film TRAPPED BY THE MORMONS (1922), A MORMON MAID is fascinating today as one of the few anti-Mormon films to survive.
Review of A Mormon Maid
