America (United Artists) (1924)

v yr * Advance Publicity on Picture and Story How David W. Griffith Came to Make “America” Desirous of Giving Fellow Countrymen a Real Worthwhile Picture Story of Beginning of Country Spurred Him On The romance of one hundred and ten million people—that is the story of “America,” which many critics now declare is greater than Mr. Griffith’s earlier picture, “The Birth of a Na¬ tion.” Several years ago, Mr. Griffith be¬ gan planning an elaborate and accu¬ rate film story of the American Revo¬ lution; but at that time, so-called cos¬ tume plays were not popular. His re¬ search staff had harvested many un¬ usual and whimsical facts long shad¬ owed as trifles, but vividly revealing the life of that day. In May, 1923, the Daughters of the American Revolution addressed a let¬ ter to the motion picture industry, in¬ quiring why a film of the Revolution¬ ary War had not been undertaken, and suggesting it should not be delayed. Mr. Will Hays received the letter and asked Mr. Griffith to undertake the work. Before doing it, he made a secret trip to Boston, visiting all the shrines of patriotism in that vicinity. He went to the Old North Church, motored along the ride that Paul Revere made, crossed the bridge at Concord and lay on the bank in the hot spring sun for more than an hour directly where “the shot heard round the world” was fired. That night he decided to make the film, not to show in, chronological de¬ tail the incidents of the war, but to portray the spirit of sacrifice which encouraged the little band of Ameri¬ cans untrained in war, to defy and conquer the hosts of the invading army. He believed it would be of moral value as well as passing entertainment for the American people to see again the bravery and unbreakable will that their forefathers presented against the agonizing woes and the hostile scourges through a cold, ill-dressed and hungry warfare, without adequate arms or dis¬ ciplined leaders. He first took the ride of Paul Revere, a brief incident in the story but one that required three weeks to film. The engine in horseflesh selected as the mount defeated nine riders be¬ fore Harry O’Neill was found to handle him. His playful preliminary to work one morning at the filming, was to leap over the hood of a big motor truck. This horse is one of the most famous jumpers in the world, but too uncontrolled for show or com¬ petitive -purposes. The only time it was ever quiet enough to handle with ease came when it became sea-sick taking the boat ride from the Mamaroneck studio to Lex¬ ington, for the cross-country scenes. Remember this throughout the picture . . . that every historic scene shown in the film was photographed in part on the actual ground where the his¬ toric action occurred. Mr. Griffith then took his players to Lexington for scenes at the old Clark home, showing Hancock and Adams arriving and leaving there. This is the same house that sheltered them in 1775. The scenes in Lexington were taken with the kindly aid of Edwin B. Worthen, president of the Lexington Historical Society. Next, Mr. Griffith went to the Old North Church, in Boston, where Charles K. Bolton, president of the Boston Athenaeum and senior warden of Old North Church, permitted him to wire the belfry, the first time ever done. Police and fire guards were in constant attendance to guard against possibility of fire or damage. The scenes shown in the picture are actual photographs of this church which stands exactly as it did when Paul Revere received his alarm. Through Secretary of War John W. Weeks, Mr. Griffith received the assistance of the United States Army in arranging the battle scenes. Major William C. Rose of Governor’s Island sent the 18th and 16th Infantry under command of Captain George T. Shank. Lexington Common and Buckman’s Tavern were reproduced with photo¬ graphic exactness on the studio grounds, and there the Battle of Lex¬ ington was staged after the Doolittle drawings which are accepted as faith¬ ful by historians. The larger battle scenes were made near the Putnam County border in New York State. As the guest of Robert W. Cham¬ bers, Mr. Griffith then went into the Mohawk Valley Country in New York State, to travel over the scenes of the Indian conflicts. He personally visited every important battlefield there, trav¬ eling hundreds of miles. Before the chill of Autumn, he wished to secure the magnificent Vir¬ ginia estates in all the glory of full foliage. With his players and staff, he went to Westover on the James River, one of the greatest of the old estates where Mr. and Mrs. Richard Crane, present owners, welcomed the staging of the scenes that brought to life again the legends of gayety in the Revolutionary War time. He went also to Shirley on the James River, the famous old King Carter estate, through the hospitable courtesy of Admiral and Mrs. Oliver and Mrs. Bransford, who live there at present. Scenes in Yorktown, on the actual site where Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington’s army, were se¬ cured with the co-operation of G. Watson James, Jr., National Historian of the Sons of the Revolution. Returning to Washington, the War Department permitted Col. Hamilton Hawkins to aid Mr. Griffith with the crack Third U. S. Cavalry at Ft. Myer, Va., in scenes as Morgan’s Rangers. Major J. M. Wainwright commanded the troops and took part in the action, dressing in fur-trimmed buckskin with his troopers to make the actual charges of the Rangers securely true in repro¬ duction for the film. Whenever Mr. Griffith traveled to these “locations” he took with him players and a staff totaling never less than 130 and as high as two thousand. While he was away, his staff at the studio had been erecting the huge sets, replicas of the House of Parliament in London, Independ¬ ence Hall, the House of Burgesses in Virginia; and the home of England’s King, George the Third. “America” then is an accurate as well as dramatic record of the events portrayed. Every historical scene is played as it actually occurred. David W. Griffith Maker of Pictures Intimate Story of the Man Who Has Produced “America” Kentucky is the birth-place and the home of D. W. Griffith. His residence is at his studios in Mamaroneck, N. Y. There he has established a sea-walled park" for picture-making, one of the show places along Long Island Sound, visible for miles, canopied with great elms and birches; and soothed into a restful reach of nature by surround¬ ing lawns. Here Mr. Griffith makes all his pic¬ tures, which, critics say, are unequalled for emotional intensity, poetic beauty and dramatic suspense. How does this man appear? He is in his early forties; five feet and eleven inches tall, weighing one hundred and fifty-two pounds. Physically, he has a firm balance of bone, with alert de¬ cisive movement; a slender, cutting body with no suggestion of brute strength. His vitality and endurance are premiums of perfect health and in¬ domitable will. His studio is his home. For weeks, he never leaves the grounds. Up at seven-thirty every morning, he works steadily until from eleven to one o’clock every night. It is most typical of him that he hastens, but never hur¬ ries; moves quickly but never rushes. While other directors have the re¬ sources of great organizations to as¬ sist them, Mr. Griffith works alone. He selects his own stories. Then he begins to cast the 1 principal roles. In this day when so many successful players have long-term contracts, this is often a most trying and difficult task; as available talent is often un¬ suitable. While he selects his cast, he re¬ hearses them, at once to prove the worth of the player in absorbing the role, and to work out the details of the drama so every member will be saturated with the purposes of the parts. During the rehearsals, the costumes are selected, tried out, changed over and over again until final choice is made. In directing his players, Mr. Griffith first allows the players to interpret the action for themselves, so that their portrayal may be natural. From this' basis, he improves, suggesting move¬ ments and meanings. Only in in¬ tensely dramatic scenes does he ever raise his voice, and then only as emotional incentive. While the action proceeds, his face is a pathway for the quick and flowing emotions the scene reveals. His sensitive face registers every shy shade of feeling, and works vividly when the stronger strains of drama are touched. He is “all things to all men,” feeling and reflecting every phase of every char¬ acter. Psychologists declare it is this sensitive response which permits him to keep healthy and alert under un¬ believable burdens. His attitude towards his players is that of persuasive partnership, first following their 4 original reactions, then sharing with them, gradually expand¬ ing the mood so that he leads them; and finally moulding the scene for the permanency of the camera by stimu¬ lating and spurring them. He corrects but seldom criticizes and never denounces. It is his firm policy in the social as well as pro¬ fessional world, never to say an un¬ kind thing about a person; and if he ever says an uncomplimentary thing, he says it to the person, and not to others. His tolerance and patience are two capital features of his rare ability to handle others. Robert W. Chambers, the famous novelist and student of character, says of Griffith: “I can think of no other man so entirely humble, so truly modest as D. W. Griffith. Unselfish, generous, whimsical and fun-loving, with the courage and intelligence of a great leader, and the visions of genius, here is a rare man.” Rex Ingram, the famous director, recently paid in print this tribute: We all follow Griffith. He did everything first and the other directors do them over again as best they can. Motion pictures owe everything to this man.” With all his successes, Mr. Griffith remains a poor man. He lives in two rooms, lightly furnished, mostly with books and gymnastic apparatus. He reads at least one-half hour every day, without regard to how strenuous the work of the day has been. A trifling but interesting peculiarity is that he can never keep his watch running. Time and again he has been presented with costly watches, but after wearing them two or three weeks, they stop. Today he stands in perfect health, with a record of having made five times as many pictures as any other director, with having created the technique which is now the accepted method of picture making. Year after year he establishes new 4 records in the number of pictures rated among the ten best by vote of public and critics. Some of his most famous works are The Birth of a Nation , 99 << Intoler- ance,” “Hearts of the World,” “Broken Blossoms,” “Way Down East” and Orphans of the Storm.” And yet he is planning now to do what he con¬ siders the real work of his life, the making of a series of large pictures portraying the great dramatic moments of mankind. MISS DEMPSTER’S BURDEN “America,” D. W. Griffith’s photo- dramatic epic of Revolutionary days, which will have its premiere at the ......Theatre....., will serve to reintroduce to local theatregoers Miss Carol Dempster who has become a notable emotional actress. In this unusual picture, made for the Daughters of the American Revolu¬ tion as their contribution to the sesquicentennial of our struggle for liberty, Miss Dempster has the only female role, and in consequence much of the burden falls upon her slender shoulders. From reports we predict that those same slender shoulders bear the heavy burden with both ease and grace. We have said that Miss Dempster has the only female role. That is not strictly true, for Lucille LaVerne, who has appeared in every one of Griffith’s big productions, hearing of the production of “America,” visited the Griffith studios and insisted on having a “bit,” offering her services free. As a result Griffith wrote in a short scene in which Miss LaVerne and Miss Dempster appear together —a scene which is said to be one of the most touching in the entire pic¬ ture.