Fate's Turning (1911)
*** (out of 4)
This two-reeler is far from the best work of D.W. Griffith but if you're a fan of his storytelling then you should enjoy it. A good-girl waitress (Dorothy Bernard) is working when a rich man (Charles West) sweeps her off her feet and gives her an engagement ring. After his father's death the rich man feels it would be bad to marry such a girl so he pretty much tosses her to the side and plans to marry another but at the wedding the waitress showing up with a baby. At the time of writing this, this was my 136th film I've seen from Griffith and by viewing that many I've come to realize that the director loved telling good stories where in the end, no matter what happens, every character will be smart enough and decent enough to do the right thing. If you've never seen a Griffith movie then I'd recommend you not start with this one because the good nature goes so far that most people are going to be laughing at what they see. Even I will admit that this short goes way too over-the-top to be believable but I still enjoyed it for what it was. For starters, Griffith tells the story in a very good way and there's not a single second where you will become bored with the events taking place. Another good thing the film has going for it is that both Bernard and West are very good in their roles. As you'd expect the cinematography is top-notch and there's no question that Griffith films, even the bad ones, just contain something special about them.
*** (out of 4)
This two-reeler is far from the best work of D.W. Griffith but if you're a fan of his storytelling then you should enjoy it. A good-girl waitress (Dorothy Bernard) is working when a rich man (Charles West) sweeps her off her feet and gives her an engagement ring. After his father's death the rich man feels it would be bad to marry such a girl so he pretty much tosses her to the side and plans to marry another but at the wedding the waitress showing up with a baby. At the time of writing this, this was my 136th film I've seen from Griffith and by viewing that many I've come to realize that the director loved telling good stories where in the end, no matter what happens, every character will be smart enough and decent enough to do the right thing. If you've never seen a Griffith movie then I'd recommend you not start with this one because the good nature goes so far that most people are going to be laughing at what they see. Even I will admit that this short goes way too over-the-top to be believable but I still enjoyed it for what it was. For starters, Griffith tells the story in a very good way and there's not a single second where you will become bored with the events taking place. Another good thing the film has going for it is that both Bernard and West are very good in their roles. As you'd expect the cinematography is top-notch and there's no question that Griffith films, even the bad ones, just contain something special about them.