When this film begins, you'll no doubt notice how beautiful the cinematography is as well as the accompanying musical score. Although this is a silent film, technically it is lovely--one of the prettiest silents I have ever seen--and I have seen a ton of them! The way shots were framed, the camera angles and the composition were perfect. All this is very evident--even with a print that is far from perfect.
The next thing I noticed was the look of the film itself. Perhaps it was because the film was made only a decade after WWI, but regardless, the look of the villages, the characters and the costumes were great. The muttonchops, the clothes, the haircuts, the buildings--everything looked as if it were filmed in Bavaria at about 1910. As a former history teacher, I had to admire this attention to detail.
The story is about a family in which a widow has four sons. One of them, a gentle soul, will eventually go to America and the other three good sons will stay behind. Ultimately, you know that this will bring the three into conflict during WWI--but all this is much later in the film. The only inkling of this are scenes involving one son (who is in the military) and some nasty stereotypical career German officer who struts about the town-showing his contempt for pretty much everyone--an obvious allusion to German militarism.
Later, when the war comes, the family is destroyed. Three sons fight for the Germans and the fourth fights for his adopted land, America. This is all very touching and sad. There is even a scene where the American son meets one of his dying brothers on the battlefield. It, too is touching, but also a bit ridiculous--after all, what were the odds against such a meeting?! Following the war, the three sons who fought for Germany are dead and the surviving son returns to America. Soon, he sends for his mother and in a touching series of scenes, she's off to a new land. Oddly, to get into the country, according to the film, a person needed to know the alphabet! And, since she is unschooled, this poses a bit of a problem. In an odd mix-up, however, she leaves Ellis Island and gets lost in the crowd--not knowing the language and having no idea how to find her beloved Joseph. Fortunately, all is well--leading to one of the finest and most sentimental endings I have ever seen.
Overall, a wonderful silent--one of the best. It not only is technically well made, but is incredibly sentimental and shows an aspect of American history that has been mostly forgotten. A great film--one of the best of the era--yet sadly few today have heard of it. So why is this film currently only rated 6.9 on IMDb?
The next thing I noticed was the look of the film itself. Perhaps it was because the film was made only a decade after WWI, but regardless, the look of the villages, the characters and the costumes were great. The muttonchops, the clothes, the haircuts, the buildings--everything looked as if it were filmed in Bavaria at about 1910. As a former history teacher, I had to admire this attention to detail.
The story is about a family in which a widow has four sons. One of them, a gentle soul, will eventually go to America and the other three good sons will stay behind. Ultimately, you know that this will bring the three into conflict during WWI--but all this is much later in the film. The only inkling of this are scenes involving one son (who is in the military) and some nasty stereotypical career German officer who struts about the town-showing his contempt for pretty much everyone--an obvious allusion to German militarism.
Later, when the war comes, the family is destroyed. Three sons fight for the Germans and the fourth fights for his adopted land, America. This is all very touching and sad. There is even a scene where the American son meets one of his dying brothers on the battlefield. It, too is touching, but also a bit ridiculous--after all, what were the odds against such a meeting?! Following the war, the three sons who fought for Germany are dead and the surviving son returns to America. Soon, he sends for his mother and in a touching series of scenes, she's off to a new land. Oddly, to get into the country, according to the film, a person needed to know the alphabet! And, since she is unschooled, this poses a bit of a problem. In an odd mix-up, however, she leaves Ellis Island and gets lost in the crowd--not knowing the language and having no idea how to find her beloved Joseph. Fortunately, all is well--leading to one of the finest and most sentimental endings I have ever seen.
Overall, a wonderful silent--one of the best. It not only is technically well made, but is incredibly sentimental and shows an aspect of American history that has been mostly forgotten. A great film--one of the best of the era--yet sadly few today have heard of it. So why is this film currently only rated 6.9 on IMDb?