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The Story of David Wark Griffith
81
Henry Walthall and Blanche Sweet in last film play made by Griffith for Biograph, "Judith of Bcthulia. " Below Mary Pickford and Owen Moore in "The Indian Runner's Romance. " an early Griffithmade Biograph.
And it put Griffith in full charge of the Biograph productions, with the former chief director
having his mail senl elsew here.
Of this production Mr. \\ "oiN said in a recent talk:
"1 remember -this picture more particularly, hecause by the rarest good fortune to myself it happened to he my own ston , and the first one I had i \ vr written.
"There w a s nothing about it that I could claim riginal, for in truth it was based on E noch \rdeii ; I called it "A Modern Enoch Arden," and I fancy it was. very much so.
"Of i ourse I twisted the end of the affair, in a manner that gave the picture the required 'happ\ e n d i n g ;' Mr. Griffith made some judicious changes in the captions and other details, and renamed it After Many Years."
"I remember very vividly that before it was completed the chief director returned I i the studio, and when he saw on the screen some of the picture taken, or perhaps saw some of the picture being taken, I am not sure which, he put up a terrible protest.
"He was positive it meant a ridiculous fizzle ; it would never do ; people would laugh at it. and it might kill the whole picture game ; why. the players were behaving like real human beings: how absurd! It was sure to be a failure. He would wash his hands of the whole affair! Bah!
"It was a very critical moment for Griffith, in view of the way things have turned out.
"For the officers of the company hesitated in face of the fearful curtain of flame the chief director drew over the Griffith effort.
"To us for a time it seemed as if the completion of the picture would be stopped. The officers debated : they had already expended, in their opinion, a huge sum of money on the production : something like
$150 or $200. Economy prevailed; it would take but a few more dollars to finish the picture, while if it were not finished all would be lost : so after much discussion and controversy it was decided to let Griffith ro ahead and work his fool head off, in proving that he was incompetent.
It was finished, and it made Griffith,