Hearts of the World (1918)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writers:

D.W. Griffith (English translation)
D.W. Griffith (scenario)

Release Date:

13 January 1921 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

D.W. Griffith's Supreme Triumph

Plot:

A group of youngsters grow up and love in a peaceful French village. But war intrudes and peace is shattered...

Plot Keywords:

Army | Hospital | WWI | Espionage | Military Occupation

Cast

D.W. Griffith	...	Himself (in prologue for British release)
David Lloyd George	...	Himself - the British Prime Minister (in prologue for British release)
Sir Edward Grey	...	Himself - British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Addressing House of Commons (archive footage)
René Viviani	...	Himself - the French Premier Addressing French Chamber of Deputies (archive footage)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Valerie Germonprez	...	Red Cross nurse

Also Known As:

Love's Struggle (USA) (pre-release title)

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Filming Locations:

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK

Company:

D.W. Griffith Productions

Trivia:

D.W. Griffith filmed some battle scenes during actual battles at the front in France. While he was out near the front trenches scouting locations, his party came under a surprise German artillery barrage. Griffith and his assistant jumped in a nearby ditch, and when the barrage was over they emerged from the ditch to discover that although they were uninjured, a shell had exploded near the ditch, killing the two soldiers acting as their escorts, along with a dozen other soldiers standing nearby.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Moving Picture Boys in the Great War (1975)

War Affects Citizens And Soldiers Alike

This is a superb telling of war and how it affects the "common people." It begins with life in a small French village and how people go about their daily lives. This is the story of two Americans (Lillian Gish and Robert Harron) who meet and fall in love. But during their courtship Lillian's sister (Dorothy) takes a liking to Robert (called The Boy on the movie title cards) and tries to take him which leads to some interesting scenes. She finally realizes she can't have him and decides to take what she can have.

There are good action battle scenes that very well show the chaos that is a battle. Chaos reigns supreme again when the town is bombed and the citizens have to flee. They have to try and pack then get out and still survive the bombing. Then there are those that don't want to leave. The movie does a good job of showing the horrors of death and the impact that has on people.

War is about people. We tend to forget that (today's news refers to the impact on non-soldiers as 'collateral damage'). D.W. Griffith shows that impact. And yet, when it is over, how quickly we again look for the bright side of life and that is how it should be.

One of the great features of this film is the limited use of title cards. They are used mostly as background filler and very little for conversations (much like Sunrise). Yet you know what is going on and the emotions of the moment. There is nothing mechanical about the acting. 8/10