The Film Daily (1919)

Sunday. February 2. 1919 tM% iAILV 23 m Griffith Forgets the War and Puts Over a Heart Interest Winner D. W. Griffith presents "A ROMANCE OF HAPPY VALLEY" Artcraft. DIRECTOR D w Griffith. AUTHOR Mary Castleman. CAMERAMAN G. W. Bitzer. AS A WHOLE Beautiful production filled with human touches, genuine comedy and irresistible heart appeal. STORY Simple narrative of country folk; natural up to final sea.uences which run into some unexpected drama. DIRECTION Characteristic of Griffith in perfection of treatment of situations and handling of players. PHOTOGRAPHY Flawless LIGHTINGS Sut>erb; artistic effects that suggest t^e paintings of a land-cape artist. CAMERA WORK On a par with the lightings and photography. PLAYERS Lillian Gish, Robert Harron and Georee Fawcett give notable performances; remainder of cast uo to Griffith standard. EXTERIORS Couldn't be better in carrying tV atmosphere of a country town. INTERIORS Always in the tone of the action. DETAIL Shows genius in picking out the trifles t^at eive significance to life. CHARACTER OF STORY Refreshing, sympathetic and wuole"ome. LENGTH OF PRODUCTION 5 905 feet. Tlie war is over. Griffith has demobili7ed his soldiers, converted his trenches into corn fields and Stacked his guns in an armory. He is back again anions simple, peaceful folk whose prohlems and struggles are in their own hearts. He is doing more superhly than ever, what he has done so surpassingly well in the past. Recall Griffith's early Biographs: then consider the great advance made in photoplay technique since those also the development in the screen impressiveness of such players as Lillian Gish and Hobby Harron: take into account the improvement in the art of the master director, imagine a de luxe version of |one of his little masterpieces, and you will have an {idea of tie type of pictrre issued under the title of "A Romance" of Happy Valley". As an accomplishment in photography, beautifully ari-tic lightings and settings perfectly in harmony with the story, Griffith has done few things better «e\cral reels of this production. But important as these elements are in making the picture interesting, they are not relied upon to compensate for the lack of other qualities. Usinsr a stcry that in itself is not extraordinary Griffith has srpplied such a wealth of significant incident in t'-e characterizations, that instead of being commonplace, parts of the film stand out as a masterpiece of story telling art through screen impersonation. There have been many scenes in country churches. but T don't recall any with an arpeal equal to that dealirg with the bringing of Bobby Harron into the fold. Tt has atmosphere galore and is delightfully plaved by all the characters, particularly Lillian Gish, as the shy heroine, who prays that the Lord may save her sweetheart from "the devil and New York". This sequence marks one of the high spots of the film. Tn its essentials, up to the concluding reels, the plot merely concerns the romance of a little country g;rl and a farmer hoy who longs for the greater opportunity ofered in a big city. His family look with dread upon his leaving, as does the girl, who in her appealing way uses simple arts to make him stay on the Kentucky farm. When Robby goes it is with the understanding that he will return within a year, and each evenirg the lonesome little Lillian marks off a day. At the end of seven years, with tears in her eyes, she writes herself down an old maid. Meanwhile Pobby has been working on a toy frog, with the promise that as soon as he makes it swim he will receive $10,000. The struggles of the wouldbe inventor are hand'ed in a way that works up quite a bit of suspense a^d when t'~e frog actually swims, a real chmax in the picture has. been reached, in fact a more natural climax than that prepared for a melodramatic ending. During his absence Bobby's father has lost all his money arj events are so arranged that the old farmer forcefully portrayed by George Fawcett, is on the poi'it of robbing his own son, on the night he returns with the $roooo and steals unrecognized into .the home of his boyhood. The complications in the windup are swift and a bit illusive. demand:ng the closest attention on the part of an audience if they are to be correctly interpreted. At this point, Griffith trusts to suggestion'and a quick mental reaction to what transpires on the screen. Whether or not the ending Is artVical'y jrstiPab'e in a production of this stamp is debatable, but there can he no question about the excellent qual'ty of the film in its entirety. The romance between Rohy and Lillian, of course, has a -.ntiofpctorv conclusion. POLICY Our Laboratory Exnerts do not depend upon their hind-sight to solve puzzling problems. They Think First and Then Act Their many years of study and experience enables them to know how to treat negative and positive fi'm so that the best results will be obtained. Organized thought, sound judgment, determined action is usually their course. They Make Sure They Are Right Before Going Ahead The services of our Laboratory Experts are always available to producers, directors and photographers. REPUBLIC LABORATORIES, Inc.. 729 Seventh Ave., New York Telephone Bryant 7190