Although it is true that this film is a pleasant comedy which provides one of Hollywood's most able and intelligent actresses to do her stuff, it does have a somewhat wider significance in the context of the mounting anti-immigrant feeling in the US at this period and the increasingly harsh measures being taken to restrict it. Hollywood, itself of course increasingly dominated by people from immigrant backgrounds, not surprisingly tended to take a pro-immigrant line and many films in the teens reflect this, often concentrating on specific communities (Italians and Irish and of course East European immigrants, who were primarily Jewish) but one does even find films favourable to the Chinese (including Griffith's Broken Blossoms) who were the immigrants most harshly persecuted by the law at this time. This film takes a more nuanced view, since it also highlights the undesirable aspects of immigration.There were two principal ways in which immigrants could be supported. One was to show the genuiness of the predicament that led them to leave their own countries.Sympathy for East European immigrants was strong. Since the abortive revolutionary attempt in 1905, viewed generally sympathetically in the US and Western Europe, there had been many films critical of Tsarist Rusia and some specifically highlighting the persecution of the Jews.Even though the characters in this film as not Jewish, they are seen to be refugees (reluctant in the case of the aunt and uncle) from militaristic tyranny and an illiberal society. The scene where they take flight during a storm is one of the best in the film (with some fine cinematography by the relatively unknown William Fildew.A second way of supporting immigrants was to show the success with which they adapted once in the US although it was quite common to see this as a learning process ('the making of an American") by which they needed to divest themselves of some of their ingrained bad habits (most typically mistreatment of women) in order to become worthy of the "land of liberty". So here we have the "bad" immigrants (the brothers Ivan and George and the avaricious Anna) and the good (the young hero and heroine). This also allow Cabanne to produce a sneaky variant on the "white slavery" films which since the controversy over the subject in 1913 were now supposed to be taboo and would eventually be specifically excluded by the Hays Code. He even gets away with showing the collusive role of corrupt policemen which was an aspect of the subject about which the censors were particularly touchy. It is in fact in any ways one of the most realistic treatments of the subject to be found in a US film.Since Uncle George is specifically described as the head of the Russian community, the message here would seem to be that such communitarian organisations amongst immigrants were an obstacle rather than an aid to their apprenticeship as good US citizens.In fact Los Angeles Russians wree a peculiar lot in this regard. Although the majority were Jewish, the majority of non-Jewish Russians belonged to a specific "Molokan" Christian sect. Gish, whose parents had been Mormons, although never to my knowledge openly critical of her mother's religion - the father had abandoned them - often favoured roles - and she was an actress who chose her roles - in films critical of any kind of religious particularism.All in all, this is am interesting, complex and quite daring film that deserves to be much mor e widely known.

"Sold for Marriage" is a breezy little feature starring Lillian Gish. Gish plays a Russian, who's uncle and aunt try to sell her hand in marriage to the wealthiest bachelor, despite Gish being in love with a poor boy. Although the subject matter might sound sensational or melodramatic, the treatment is light and the pacing is fluid. Much of it comes off more as comedy rather than drama. Most of the credit for that must go to Gish. Allan Sears, as her uncle, also gives an amusing performance to what otherwise could have been a melodramatic heavy. The rest of the cast is dull background—seemingly incapable of any comic expressions, or clueless to the tone set by Gish and Sears.If not for Gish, this would surely be a completely forgettable picture. This is the first film from the 1910s that I've seen of hers where D.W. Griffith didn't direct, and it's a nice change of pace. Here, she sports dark hair and peasant clothing—ridding herself of the prim, ideal virgin or mistreated heroine doomed to some melodramatic climax (often, an attempted rape) before being rescued at the last minute. She is quite comically deadpan in her facial expressions, but also her entire posture and body language seems different from her roles in melodramas. She slouches, scurries and is generally perkier. For the demonstration of Gish's versatility with this performance alone, from one of the best actresses of the silent era or ever, it was worth seeing "Sold for Marriage".

One snowy day in Russia, peasant girl Lillian Gish (as Marfa) is saved from abduction by dashing Frank Bennett (as Jan), a visitor from San Francisco; and, a romance between the two begins. But, young Ms. Gish is under the guardianship of controlling uncle Allan Sears (as Ivan) and avaricious aunt Pearl Elmore (as Anna); they do not approve of Mr. Bennett, because he does not have money. Gish's family wants her to marry homely, but wealthy William Siebert (as Peter). Gish refuses. Then, Mr. Sears' brother in Los Angeles invites Sears and the family to Los Angeles, promising a rich husband for Gish. She is delighted to find Bennett on board the same Stateside-bound boat: but, after arriving in the US, Uncle Sears and brother William A. Lowery (as Georg) separate the lovers, and plan to sell Gish into marriage, for $1,000... ***** Sold for Marriage (4/16/16) Christy Cabanne ~ Lillian Gish, Frank Bennett, Allan Sears

This 1916 silent by Fine Arts is enjoyable as a vehicle for perky Lillian Gish and her sense of comic skill, a talent that was rarely given the opportunity to shine through in her other, more melodramatic silent features from the same era. As a Russian peasant girl, Lillian constantly hams it up and deadpans for the camera, fighting her unloving, unscrupulous family's efforts to marry her off to unsuitable mates. My favorite moment: when she points in disgust at the richest, but ugliest, suitor in the village and 'says' via title card: "What? You want me to marry this beast?" Hysterical.Love arrives in the nick of time by the way of an American suitor, and the family ends up emigrating to the States. However the aunt and uncle still plan on selling Lillian to the highest bidder, and she has to fight to find her true love again.I enjoyed the film quite a bit, even though it was archaic, so much so that I improved it digitally and tinted it and added a new score for my own DVD version. It's improved 100% over the previous version floating around out there.