Hearts of the World (1918)

Young lovers in a French village are torn apart with the coming of the Great War.

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writers:

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

Stars:

Adolph Lestina, Josephine Crowell, Lillian Gish

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adolph Lestina	...	The Grandfather
Josephine Crowell	...	The Mother
Lillian Gish	...	The Girl - Marie Stephenson
Robert Harron	...	The Boy - Douglas Gordon Hamilton
Jack Cosgrave	...	The Father of the Boy
Kate Bruce	...	The Mother of the Boy
Ben Alexander	...	The Boy's Littlest Brother
Marion Emmons	...	The Boy's Other Brother (as M. Emmons)
Francis Marion	...	The Boy's Other Brother (as F. Marion)
Dorothy Gish	...	The Little Disturber
Robert Anderson	...	Monsieur Cuckoo
George Fawcett	...	The Village Carpenter
George Siegmann	...	Von Strohm
Fay Holderness	...	The Innkeeper
L. Lowry	...	A Deaf and Blind Musician

Storyline

A group of youngsters grow up and love in a peaceful French village. But war intrudes and peace is shattered. The German army invades and occupies village, bringing both destruction and torture. The young people of the village resist, some successfully, others tragically, until French troops retake the town.

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Plot Keywords:

village | army | war crime | rescue | war injury | 

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Taglines:

BATTLE SCENES ON THE BATTLEFIELDS OF FRANCE- TAKEN UNDER AUSPICES OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT (original poster-all caps)

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1918 (UK)

Also Known As:

Aos Corações do Mundo

Filming Locations:

Aéroport du Bourget, Le Bourget, Seine-Saint-Denis, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

D.W. Griffith Productions, Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, War Office Committee

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was commissioned by Great Britain, which hoped that a depiction of WWI would help spur the United States to join the allies. Although D.W. Griffith had the cooperation of the British, French and Belgian governments to film in their territories, his cameraman, G.W. Bitzer, was of German descent and was not allowed in France. Griffith used an army cameraman instead.

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Connections

Featured in The Great Love (1918)

User Reviews

Full Metal Jacket, 70 Years before

An profound and astonishingly powerful film which, after the vile-spiritedness of "Birth Of A Nation" and the seeming hubris of "Intolerance", affirmed Griffith as a genuine humanist. A genuine anti-war film, unambivalent and unafraid to capture the truest horror.