Film Persona

D.W. Griffith's "Abraham Lincoln" With the 1930s comes the birth of sound. D.W. Griffith, often referred to as the 'father of cinema,' utilised the sound media to film one of the last films he would ever make. Griffith, in his new venture, decided to go back to his roots. Abraham Lincoln would be his subject. He had touched upon Lincoln before when he made " The Birth of a Nation ." However, this piece, written for the screen by Stephen Vincent Benet, would solely focus on the life of Lincoln, as apposed to his relationship with the Civil War (although that would be touched upon as well, since it was a major aspect of his life). The film simply presents as a biography of the 15th president. It tracks the events of his life from the time he spent in Illinois until his death in Ford theater. The events are presented episodically, often jumping from one moment to the next without any sort of contextually thread. This at times presents a problem for the view...

D.W. Griffith's "Sally of the Sawdust" In 1925, D.W. Griffith adapted the 1923 stage musical " Poppy " into a feature length film.  The film centers on an orphan girl, Sally, who is raised in a circus with her parental guardian that she calls 'poppy.' The girl is the daughter of a woman who was kicked out of her father's home for marrying a circus performer. One day, while visiting a wealthy town, Judge Foster (the girl's grandfather) arranges to have her and 'poppy' arrested for gambling. In discovering that she is actually his granddaughter, he sets them free.  What is important to note about this film is the comedic stylings Griffith has arranged. In the vien of Charlie Chaplin, Griffith constructs a circus-like tone to match the circus-like environment. 'Poppy,' who is played by W.C. Fields exhibits all of the physical comedy of the piece. The lighter tone creates a far different atmosphere than Griffith's other works. Ove...

  D.W. Griffith's "Isn't Life Wonderful" Following the failure of " America " the same year, D.W. Griffith adapted a Geoffrey Moss short story, " Isn't Life Wonderful " to the big screen. It follows the trails and tribulations of an immigrant Polish family as they try to navigate a post-war Germany. The film was extremely relevant in 1924, as it was only a few years after the first World War had completed. However, it's relevancy did not mean box office success.  Throughout the film, this Polish family face currency devaluation, inflation, food shortage, lack of housing, and near starvation. All throughout the film, we see the family try and be resilient, even though life continues to make a mockery of their hopes. Everytime it seems like they have something good going for them, something occurs that knocks them down a peg once more. What we discover, as a viewer, is that their happiness stems from the little victories surrounding the hards...

D.W. Griffith's "America" By 1924, D.W. Griffith had become very skilled at making historical films. However, with his American Revolution film, " America ," that skilled appeared very dull. Expecting the rousing commercial and critical success he was accostomed to, Griffith made the film for $1 million. However, both the critics and the audiences found the film confusing and dull. The film is an adaption of the Robert W. Chambers' 1905 novel " The Reckoning ." It tells the story of a romance between two lovers who are caught on the opposite sides of the American Revolution. The plot mainly focuses on the Northern Theater of War in New York, and doesn't showcase the entire context of the war. However, there are plenty of the characters that pop up throughout the film that audiences would be aware of, like George Washington and Paul Revere. That being said, the film does not focus on these characters as much. The conception of the film originate...

  D.W. Griffith's "Orphans of the Storm" After the far more intimate affairs with films like " Broken Blossoms ," " True Heart Susie ," and " Way Down East ," D.W. Griffith decided to go back to the more large-scale pieces like " The Birth of a Nation " and " Intolerance ." He adapted the 1874 French play, " Les Deux Orphelines " into a his feature film " Orphans of the Storm " in 1921. The film depicts the events of the French Revolution in 1789. What Griffith also was able to do was depict a period piece that had suggestive warnings about the contemporary time he was living in. His intertwining of ficiton and non-fiction that commented on contemporary times was done before with his commerical juggernaut, " The Birth of a Nation ."  The film stars Gish sisters Lillian and Dorothy as two sisters who try and navigate the French Revolution. Dorothy's character, Louise, is blind. Henriette, L...

  D.W. Griffith's "Way Down East" In 1920, D.W. Griffith adapted a well known 19th century play into the format of film. " Way Down East " by Lottie Blair Parker was one of the most popular plays in the United States. Despite this, the play felt too old fashioned by 1920, as the play had toured from 1897 to 1909. Beacuse of this notion, many, including lead actress Lillian Gish, thought that Griffith was making a mistake in adapting the play. The play outdated nature also stemmed from its old-fashioned Victorian era ideas. However, due to Griffith's direction of this subject matter, the play ended up a rousing success. Lillian Gish plays Anna, a poor country girl who gets tricked into a fake wedding by womanizer Lennox. When she becomes pregnant, he leaves her. After the death of the baby, she wanders onto the farm of a local family, who take her in as a house servant. Much to her surprise, Lennox shows up lusting after one of the family's daughters. Aft...

  D.W. Griffith's "True Heart Susie" Coming off the success of " Broken Blossoms " the same year, D.W. Griffith kept the momentum of intimate relationship style dramas. The film is mostly utilised to continue showcasing the remarkable silent acting talents of Lillian Gish, who shines. The story tells of a naive country girl who sells her family cow so that the neighbor farm boy she is in love with can go to college. Once he returns, he hopes of marriage dissipate. Even when is confronted with keeping the secret of infidelity of his new bride does she continue in her true heart. Gish's shifting reactions to the varying situations of her poor country girl is what determined the film's overall success, as Gish had become the top performer of her peers.

  D.W. Griffith's "Broken Blossoms" Based on the 1916 short story, " The Chink and the Child ," " Broken Blossoms " demonstrates an interracial love story on screen, one of the first in history. Going from the epics of " The Birth of a Nation " and " Intolerance ," D.W. Griffith goes much more intimate with his scope, themes, and sets.  Lucy Burrows, a young girl who is abused by her alcoholic prizefighting father, is taken in by a kind-hearted Chinese immigrant, named Cheng Huan. His warm and gentle nature is a stark but welcomed contrast to the kind of behavior the poor girl often receives from her father. While resting in the upstairs bedroom of Cheng, one of her father's friends sees her. After the friend informs the father, he ramsacks Cheng's bedroom, takes Lucy back home, and beats her to death. Once Cheng discovers this horror, he kills the father and then kills himself. This film seems like a continuation of the the...

  D.W. Griffith's "Intolerance" After the criticism D.W. Griffith received from his controversial film " The Birth of a Nation ," he decided to make a film about the intolerance of others. The film he would go on to make would be even more epic in scope and scale than " The Birth of a Nation ." Not only this, the techniques he would use would be far more expansive and creative, as well. Griffith chose to divide the film into four separate storylines, all connected by the theme of intolerance. These storylines vary in both time and space. The effect of this decision creates a massive epic, consisting of a viewing experiece that transports you to different times and different places. This interweving of these varied scenes was unlike anything ever done before. The result is a film that is often considered Griffith's 'masterpiece,' far surpassing the accomplishment of " The Birth of a Nation " - even if it's legacy is shadowed by...

  D.W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation" What do we think of when we think of a film? Something longer than an hour? Something consisting of pieces of visually moving images that tell a coherent story? Something that can tell that story using direction, editing, music, and other attributes that are expertly constructed to instill meaning and understanding about ourselves and the world around us? Whatever concept of a film you're thinking about is an idea of modern cinema. But, where did modern cinema come from? Many film historians cringe at the answer. For the birth of modern cinema is also the birth of cinema as a source of great evil. With " The Birth of a Nation ," film as an artform emerged. While 'film' itself had existed long before, the conscious language of the format had not yet been fully established. In establishing these formats and conventions, D.W. Griffith, the director of the film, had also established film as a means for instilling...

  John Ford's "Fort Apache" In this entry into the John Ford oeuvre, " Fort Apache " continues in the exploration of the untamed west as it contrasts to the tight, restrained modernist society. This time around, Ford spends less time in the dangerous west and more time in the claustrophic, rule centered, tamed society. Not only this, the film marked a far more expansive, sympathetic perspective on the Native American community. However, the primary focus is on the white American military, as they navigate a new commanding officer. In this classic Western, Ford demonstrates his push and pull between order and freedom.  During the second World War, John Ford served as head of the photographic unit for the Office of Strategic Services and made documentaries for the Naval department. Because of this, Ford witness much of the violence and horror that often comes with wartime. After returning to Hollywood, his 1946 film, " My Darling Clementine " seemed to m...