Description
In 1918-1919, D. W. Griffith turned from spectacles such as The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance and Hearts of the World to smaller films, which he called his "short story series." Among these is True Heart Susie. "There are those of us who consider True Heart Susie to be Griffith's masterpiece," writes Tom Gunning in his notes for a 2006 screening at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival. He goes on to praise the "narrative structure and point of view, as well as the fine details of performance, framing, and even the use of intertitles that makes a seemingly modest film such as this appear nearly incandescent in its confessional and emotional power." In an almost mythical American arcadia, Lillian Gish portrays a pure, prim girl who so loves her childhood sweetheart (Griffith's most charming boyish hero, Robert Harron) that she sells the family cow to anonymously finance his higher education, only to lose him to a more "modern" woman (Clarine Seymour) when he comes home. Gish's performance is among her best, her face what Gunning calls a "battleground of emotions, staging complete and progressive dramas of realization, recognition and despair."
As a bonus feature we offer Hoodoo Ann. This light comedy is Griffith-supervised and scripted (using the pseudonym Granville Warwick), although the actual direction is by Lloyd Ingraham. Mae Marsh is paired with Robert Harron; the actors had been often partnered since Biograph days, concurrently were in the modern story of Intolerance and continued to play leads together until Miss Marsh left the company at the end of 1916. Although the plot is a tangle of unlikely coincidence, the performers make it work, and "it is filled with those little touches for which Fine Arts pictures are famous," in the words of an original review.
Customer Reviews:
Charming old-fashioned double feature.......2007-09-14
This DVD is a special treat for silent film enthusiasts and anyone who longs for some good old-fashioned, sentimental and charming love stories of days gone by. Both "True Heart Susie" and the second film on this disc, "Hoodoo Ann" were written and produced by `the father of film' D.W. Griffith who is generally remembered today as the director of landmark epics such as "Intolerance" and "Birth of a Nation", so it might come as a pleasant surprise to some to see this other side of Griffith's work. "True Heart Susie", which Griffith also directed, is completely different from his historic epics of only a few years earlier, showing that he also had depth, sensitivity and compassion in filming this story of a simple country girl's unwavering love for her childhood sweetheart. The simple essence of the story is about true love, and that the girls who use "paint and powder" are only temporary flirtations or mistakes men make, but true hearts like Susie's remain faithful and wait for their one and only true love. Along with superb acting by screen legend Lillian Gish whose face and demeanour suit innocent girl roles so well, Griffith brings out many delicate details and touching moments in the film, making it one of his best ever films next to another 1919 production also starring Lillian Gish, namely "Broken Blossoms". It is fitting, therefore, that this DVD presents a beautiful, near-perfect remastered print of "True Heart Susie" along with a wonderful orchestral musical score by the highly-acclaimed Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, which greatly adds to the overall charm and tender mood of the story.
The second film, "Hoodoo Ann" also features experienced actors regularly used by Griffith in many earlier films, namely Mae Marsh and Robert Harron, who both starred in "Intolerance" in the same year, 1916. In this light-hearted story of another sweet and innocent country girl, Mae Marsh is just as convincing as Lillian Gish with her girly manner, and Robert Harron is dependable and reliable as usual, playing Hoodoo Ann's suitor who is puzzled when Ann says she can't marry him. But her reasons are all an amusing set of circumstances and misunderstandings, which make "Hoodoo Ann" simply a joy to watch. Once again, attention to detail is important in this clever, light comedy romance, and everything fits together smoothly along with Mae Marsh's fine performance making Hoodoo Ann a believable character. Picture quality is again extremely good, and it has a standard but very good piano accompaniment. For anyone who'd like to escape to a simpler, idyllic past without heavy drama, these two easy-to-watch early silent films won't disappoint, and in fact, might increase appreciation for both D W Griffith's varied works and silent films generally.
Finally Professionally Restored!.......2007-08-31
I won't go into the plot of this movie, but is should suffice for me to say that this has to be one of the top, if not THE top Griffith film. Griffith was famous for his epics. Often, these were racist and very melodramic movies. There is none of that in this little gem of the silent era. Every thing in the story is simple and it flows along like a smooth, country stream. Nothing controversial here, and we are treated to a story of young love set in an America that has all but disappeared. The country setting, the daily activities of old time folk, all of this makes this movie a piece of old time Americana that silent film lovers cannot miss. Who hasn't been in love and been hurt? Ah, this film tugs at the heart strings!
I first discovered this wonderful gem twenty years ago when I bought a vhs copy from VideoYesteryear. The print used was bad...dark, blurry. I couldn't understand why none of the major video companies had not realeased a restored edition. I used to hound KINO and MILESTONE Films about working on this movie. Hats off to Image. The print quality is excellent. The music is good and goes well with the film, but I have to admit that I enjoyed the Rosa Rio score from my old YesterYear vhs copy. If you love the silent era as much as I do, please treat yourself to what will become one of your favorite films.
A Bobby Harron Double Feature........2007-08-30
While the focus of this DVD is on actresses Lillian Gish and Mae Marsh, it is Robert (Bobby) Harron who is of prime interest to me after watching these two films. Harron is best known for his role in Griffith's INTOLERANCE as the young man who is falsely imprisoned in the Modern Story (also with Mae Marsh). He also appears briefly but memorably in BIRTH OF A NATION as Lillian Gish's younger brother. Having recently rewatched that along with these movies I have come away with a much greater appreciation of his talent which makes his tragic death in 1920 at the age of 27 even more so. Harron whether conciously or not was a master of body language. Watch his character in SUSIE as he goes from awkward schoolboy to small town minister. The awkwardness remains but subtly changes throughout which fits the role perfectly. Then check out his turn in HOODOO ANN where he's still shy but not awkward at all. Actresses Gish and Marsh are given the opportunity to really inhabit their characters which they do with an ease and naturalness that belies their years of experience. They make it seem fresh even though they have played these types of roles many times. There are many great scenes throughout SUSIE which also features the ill-fated Clarine Seymour who would also die in 1920 at the age of only 21 and we get an early glimpse of Carol Dempster who would dominate Griffith's films (and his private life) in the 1920's. Several scenes in HOODOO including the burning of the orphanage and Harron and Marsh at the movies are quite memorable. The prints while not restored are in very good shape (especially SUSIE) although it's something of a puzzle that I have yet to see a fully restored D.W. Griffith film. My one minor quibble is Rodney Sauer's score for TRUE HEART SUSIE. It's well performed but is just a little too quaint and old-fashioned in some scenes which undercuts some of the story. The score for HOODOO ANN enhances the film quite nicely. So let this DVD be your introduction to the wonderfully gifted but tragically short-lived actor Bobby Harron. Once you've seen him here it'll make you hungry for more. Aside from INTOLERANCE check out the Griffith BIOGRAPH SHORTS and HEARTS OF THE WORLD for an opportunity to see what he could do. Thanks to David Shepard and Film Preservation Associates for making this available.
Excellent Review in 28 August 2007 New York Times.......2007-08-29
This DVD release has en extensive review in this morning's New York Times. This print is derived from near pristine originals in the British Film Institute. It is played at the correct speed, tinted according to D.W. Griffith's notations. I have a question for the previous reviewer S. Sathre (zentropa. europa). Do you also see little green men, have visions of grandeur and hear voices when no one else is around?
Description
In early 1916, D.W. Griffith had his hands full making "Intolerance," yet he still found time to write a script for Mae Marsh, one that would show off all the qualities that made her one of the most important screen actresses of the 1910s. "Hoodoo Ann" is sometimes a poignant drama, and at other times a light comedy, but Mae Marsh is always center stage, in one of her few surviving showcase films.
Here she plays an orphan girl who seems to be cursed with the worst luck in the world... and bad things keep happening to prove it! Things begin to turn around, though, when she meets Bobby Harron. Both of these stars are best remembered for the work they'd just finished in Griffith's "The Mother and the Law" (soon incorporated into "Intolerance"), but this little film is a real charmer, a glimpse back to a simpler time. Organ score by Bob Vaughn.
Supplemental material: Not one, but two Broncho Billy one-reel dramas: "The Making of Broncho Billy" (1913) and "Broncho Billy and the Greaser" (1914), both starring G. M. Anderson.
Customer Reviews:
A pleasant trip down Memory Lane.......2005-05-23
Above all else, this 1916 feature film feels like it captures people's lives and the mentality of that time, with a nice story that is intended to show the lives of ordinary people - and perhaps the occasional extraordinary things that happen to them. The script for "Hoodoo Ann" was actually written by none other than D W Griffith, the Father of Film, who is most famous for powerful dramas like "Birth of a Nation" and "Intolerance", so I found it good to see some of his other, less-known work for a change. Although Griffith didn't direct "Hoodoo Ann", the star, Mae Marsh, was one of Griffith's regulars, appearing in dozens of early Griffith shorts, and playing important roles in his major films as well. In this light drama/comedy, Mae's role is similar to many of her others, and that of another early Griffith protégé, Mary Pickford. As Hoodoo Ann, Mae first appears as a playful young girl in an orphanage, and then as a young lady a few years later; much like many Pickford roles, but in this case I found Mae's performance much more natural and enjoyable to watch. She handles a few comical scenes very well and without the excessive animation I'd seen in her other performances. As Hoodoo Ann, brought to an orphanage on Friday the 13th, she feels her life is jinxed, and although her fortune changes when she is adopted by a nice couple, her fears return when she accidentally fires a gun and her neighbor mysteriously disappears at the same time: did she kill him or whodunit? While not really a mystery or thriller with any real depths or dramas, I found "Hoodoo Ann" to be a very good and enjoyable light drama, especially for its time. The picture quality is also very good, and lively traditional organ score helps it along nicely, too.
This DVD actually begins with two bonus shorts from earlier years featuring G M Anderson as "Broncho Billy", the screen's first cowboy and Western star. Although they have little in common with "Hoodoo Ann" except their early production years (1913-14) these two 10-minute Broncho Billy `episodes' give us a glimpse of what this early series was like. Anderson made around 50 such short 1-reelers a year for several years, like a regular TV series, and as such, the story moves very quickly and you have to stay alert to catch everything. There's certainly never a dull moment though, and for a better in-depth look at G M Anderson and Broncho Billy, "The Son-of-a-Gun" also on Unknown Video is worth viewing, too.
DVD:
- Wedding in Galilee
- What the Bleep!? - Down the Rabbit Hole (QUANTUM Three-Disc Special Edition)
- Where the Rivers Flow North
- Wild Orchid 2: Blue Movie Blue
- Women of Courage (If Tomorrow Comes/Becky Sharp/Rain /The Green Promise/Nurse Edith Cavell/Two Women/Smash Up/Three Came Home/The Southerner
- A Letter from Death Row
- American Experience - RFK
- Apocalypse II - Revelation
- Apollo 13 (Widescreen 2-Disc Anniversary Edition)
- Asunder (1998)
DVD
DVD
General
| Classics
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Treasures III: Social Issues in American Film, 1900-1934
The Valentino Collection (The Young Rajah / Stolen Moments / A Society Sensation / Moran of the Lady Letty)
The Sea Beast
A Cottage on Dartmoor / Silent Britain
The Jazz Singer (Three-Disc Deluxe Edition)
