The Morals of Hilda is a 1916 American silent film directed by Lloyd B. Carleton.

The melodrama is based on the story of Henry Christeen Warnack and features Gretchen Lederer, Lois Wilson and Emory Johnson.

Hilda gives birth to a baby boy but becomes distraught upon learning of August's fate.

[1] August and Hilda were simple peasants living together, desperate to wed and start a new family.

The wealthy couple can't have an unwed mother living in their household and ask her to resign from her position.

She assumes the worst, but unbeknownst to Hilda, August had stowed away on a tramp steamer heading for Europe.

Hilda's situation is desperate, and she wants to meet death, letting the fates determine her son's future.

Hilda places the baby boy in a basket, sets it afloat, then heads off to another part of the sea.

Steven reacts by creating a new plank on his political agenda, legitimizing all children of questionable parents.

[5] There was a recurring claim that Carl Laemmle was the longest-running studio chief resisting the production of feature films.

[14] Carleton arrived with impeccable credentials, directing sixty films for Thanhouser, Lubin, Fox, and Selig.

[15] Between March and December 1916, Carleton directed seventeen movies for Universal, starting with The Yaqui and ending with this film.

Emory Johnson acted in sixteen of these Carleton films, including ten features and six shorts.

A major part of Carlton's 1916 output was the thirteen films pairing Dorothy Davenport and Emory Johnson.

Carl Laemmle wanted his best director to create the necessary screen chemistry, which, if successful, would convert into increased box office earnings.

The screen pairing is explained in the Emory Johnson part of the Casting section of this article.

He died in New York on August 8, 1933 (age 61) Movie themes are the underlying ideas or concepts explored throughout the film.

By abandoning her child, Hilda could not assist her son in his personal growth and maturation into adulthood.

Hilda and Ester contemplated suicide after experiencing intense grief, guilt, anger, and confusion.

One reviewer proposed that theater operators allocate some promotional time to emphasize recognizing the legitimacy of all children of questionable parentage.

He states " You can arouse considerable interest in this by advertising along these lines: 'Do you believe the State should recognize motherhood and make every child legitimate, providing the mother certifies the father's name in the probate court?'

[19] Post-production is a crucial step in filmmaking, transforming the raw footage into the finished product.

It requires skilled professionals working together to create a film that meets the director's vision and engages audiences.

[1] Universal's trade journal, The Moving Picture Weekly, contains an advertising section titled - PUTTING IT OVER.

The Red Feather for December eleventh is a wonderful picture and tells the story of the effect of our uncomprehended laws on the immigrants who flock to our country.

The woman should wear a short skirt, with an apron over it, and a three-cornered handkerchief of bright color tied over her hair.

The man should wear a shabby, shapeless suit, heavy shoes on his feet, and a woolen scarf around his neck.

They should walk through the streets, bewildered and lost-looking, staring at the building, and acting as two peasants from a far land, would behave in a strange country.

Passing over the fact that all countries have marriage rituals of some sort or another, it seems rather peculiar that the pair should have rebelled at having their union legalized in America.

Licenses aren't very expensive.In the December 16, 1916 issue of The Moving Picture World, the reviewer states:[24] The Morals of Hilda is an exceptionally strong screen play which teaches a vigorous moral without sermonizing, and the story has wide appeal and is particularly suited for women.