Countless films had adapted books or plays, but this was the first film to serve as the basis for a novel, once it had had a successful theatrical release. The novelization was written by Eustace Hale Ball.
Describing this as the most important film in Universal Picture's history (and Carl Laemmle's) may not be an overstatement. Made for a mere $5,700.00 and tackling the lurid subject of white slavery, this (Universal's first feature length release) earned a whopping $450,000.00 and it put the company squarely on the map. Its success convinced Laemmle to head west and build a studio.
One of the USA's first full-length films at some 2,000 metres.
The first movie not based on a play or book to get a Broadway opening.
This was the first American movie about sexuality.
Universal's press copy boasted that they had spent $200,000 to produce the film. They also claimed that it featured 700 scenes and a cast of 800 players. None of this was true.