True Heart Susie

I'm not sure how I feel about the ending or the film's overall message, but damn if it isn't a well told love story. Great performance and perfect pacing with some really good intertitles that have just a faint touch of mockery for every character. While I didn't find the visuals to be anything special, the film is well shot and there are a few shot selections that are just brilliant in the "a picture says a thousand words" sense.

Simplistic storytelling and outmoded sexual politics. I'm not doubting Griffith's talent as a filmmaker. But even if he was ahead of his time cinematically, his puritanical attitudes seem dated even by 1919 standards. His soapbox approach to cinema really bugs me, few hands are heavier. I kept rooting for bad girl Bettina, because William was such a crashing bore and Susie was such a doormat idiot. Nonetheless, it is at least mildly entertaining fare, well-paced, well-shot and well-acted.

# 880

Gish is brilliant in this movie.

942

I see what Griffith was aiming for here, but the end result isn't so much "plain and simple" as dull and simple-minded. The opening is relatively sweet, and everything's nicely shot and paced out, but it soon grows hard to care about Susie mutely standing around with a long-suffering look while William manages to be equally dull, and absurdly oblivious and gullible to boot. This was laughably corny stuff then (oy, that "wild party", with a piano! and ottoman hopping!), and it's no better now.

An interesting story is really the only thing that kept the movie watchable. Susie is a pathetic character with no ambitions and no personality. Lillian Gish's performance was pretty terrible, making Susie an unlikable bore. William's character was more fun to watch, but he too lacked depth (although Robert Harron's performance was better). The rating is a little generous, but there were some scenes I liked, and I was interested in seeing how it ended so I felt like I couldn't rate it any lower.

881

Doesn't have much to offer to the modern eye. Gish is totally unrealistically playing a "plain" girl, or so the subtitles inform us and her character is pretty sad.

#916