Mabel Normand stars in this comedy-drama from D.W. Griffith in the year 1911. She would go to Vitagraph, then return to the fold, working for Mack Sennett at Biograph and Keystone.
In the meantime, here she is under the direction of the Master, and she acquits herself very nicely indeed. She is wonderful in the first couple of scenes, which are played for light comedy -- all too often her roles in Sennett comedies called for her to stand around while the comics fought over her. She is also very good in the middle, where she blames herself for the death of her mother. She projects real anguish and vulnerability. The ending is a little abrupt, but that misstep can be laid at the feet of Griffith.
D.W. Griffith directed over five hundred movies, but all most film buffs know are three or four of the features -- some people seem to think his entire career can be summed up by the rabid racism of BIRTH OF A NATION -- and perhaps half a dozen of the shorts, all melodramas. It is a pleasure to see one of the rarely-viewed dozens of comedies he directed and see his certainty with a lighter touch.
In the meantime, here she is under the direction of the Master, and she acquits herself very nicely indeed. She is wonderful in the first couple of scenes, which are played for light comedy -- all too often her roles in Sennett comedies called for her to stand around while the comics fought over her. She is also very good in the middle, where she blames herself for the death of her mother. She projects real anguish and vulnerability. The ending is a little abrupt, but that misstep can be laid at the feet of Griffith.
D.W. Griffith directed over five hundred movies, but all most film buffs know are three or four of the features -- some people seem to think his entire career can be summed up by the rabid racism of BIRTH OF A NATION -- and perhaps half a dozen of the shorts, all melodramas. It is a pleasure to see one of the rarely-viewed dozens of comedies he directed and see his certainty with a lighter touch.