The Battle at Elderbush Gulch (1913)

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writers:

D.W. Griffith, Henry Albert Phillips

Stars:

Mae Marsh, Leslie Loveridge, Alfred Paget

Cast

Credited cast:
Mae Marsh	...	Sally Cameron
Leslie Loveridge	...	The Waif
Alfred Paget	...	The Waifs' Uncle
Robert Harron	...	The Father
Lillian Gish	...	Melissa Harlow
Charles Hill Mailes	...	Ranch Owner
William A. Carroll	...	The Mexican
Frank Opperman	...	The Indian Chief
Henry B. Walthall	...	The Indian Chief's Son
Joseph McDermott	...	The Waifs' Guardian
Jennie Lee	...	The Waifs' Guardian
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lionel Barrymore
Elmer Booth
Kate Bruce	...	Settler
Harry Carey

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

cavalry | native american | melodrama | survival

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Taglines:

Exclusive Biograph Masterpiece

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Genres:

Short | Action | Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1913 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Battle of Elderbush Gulch

Filming Locations:

Biograph/Griffith Movie Ranch, San Fernando, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Biograph Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

29 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was released in Germany four and a half months before its official premiere in the US.

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Connections

Referenced in Stagecoach (1939)

User Reviews

Exciting, Racist, and an Idiotic Premise

There are several story lines in this film and shows some of the techniques that D.W. Griffith would be famous for (iris, capturing action up close and from a distance, etc.). This film has a few names that would become well-known, Mae Marsh, Lillian Gish, and Lionel Barrymore. Sally (IMDb has her as "Hattie" (Marsh) and her sister are sent to join their uncles on the "frontier" - taking with them two puppies.

One of the uncles won't allow the puppies to stay in the cabin. Meanwhile, at the Native American village, the natives are celebrating "The Feast of the Dog", which is apparently, the day they all eat dogs. I don't know if any tribes were eating dogs, some cultures do, and the Indian tribe of Griffith's imagination ate dogs - at least once (you don't actually see any dogs being killed, cooked, or eaten). Part of this celebration apparently is the stereotypical dancing (hiring a choreographer seems to never entered the discussions). The chief's son and his friend arrive late and try to find some dogs to eat. They soon come upon Sally's puppies, she tries to save them, and gunfire soon starts up.

The Native Americans start a war dance - this time they seem to be a bit more coordinated. A war party rides toward the whites' settlement.

Meanwhile, back at the cabin, Lillian Gish's husband (Robert Herron) takes their baby to show him or her off to some of the other settlers.

The Natives ride into town firing rifles (this is where some of Griffith's more interesting shots come in to play - capturing what looks like a much larger battle taking place). There is some hand-to-hand combat taking place in the small town. When the people at the cabin hear about the attack, Gish becomes hysterical and tries to find her baby. The men who have the baby try to take shelter in a barn and "a Mexican" (William A. Carroll) rides to the nearby fort. He also appears to mount a horse and ride off in less than a second - it's either bad editing or a few frames of the film is lost.

The Natives set the barn on fire, forcing the people inside to flee. The man holding the baby is killed just outside the cabin. In the midst of a lot of smoke and confusion, Sally (aka Hattie) sneaks out of the cabin to try to save the baby.

Will the cavalry get to the cabin in time to save the remaining settlers? Will the Natives scalp anyone? You'll have to watch to find out!