The Mother and the Law (1919) User Reviews

Filmically dated, but still tells a whoppingly good tale! A 94 minute edited version of the "modern story" from "Intolerance" (1916)

[mmipyle · 7/10 · 5 May 2021]

"Intolerance" (1916) is considered one of the greatest films ever made. It's use of four stories simultaneously being told on-screen created innovation, confusion, and wonderment when it first appeared. After "Birth of a Nation" (1915) director D. W. Griffith had planned to release "The Mother and the Law", but found the response to BoaN so profound (pro and con) that he felt TMatL too small a film to succeed it. So - he combined an edited version into his next project and it became "The Modern Story" in "Intolerance". However, in 1919 Griffith released two separate features culled out of "Intolerance", with added and edited scenes that had not been in "Intolerance", and called them "The Fall of Babylon" and "The Mother and the Law". "The Mother and the Law" runs 94 minutes. If one were to consider the fact that each of the parts of "Intolerance" were that long, then the movie would, or could, have run 6 hours originally! It probably did originally before editing, if not longer!

I watched "The Mother and the Law" (1919) with Mae Marsh, Robert Harron, Miriam Cooper, Vera Lewis, Sam de Grasse, Lloyd Ingraham, and so many others. I have watched this version before in much inferior prints, but this one from Grapevine is in fairly decent condition. The intolerance that this film shows in spades is that of reformists and populists who try to save the world from anything and everything, many times without weighing the genuine facts, thereby destroying lives in the process. Here a foundation run by privileged and wealthy upper society members, preponderantly women, try to rid the world of a class of society they find not up to snuff. Griffith, in a masculine move not necessarily uncommon for his time, shows the members of the foundation of reformists to be mainly women past their prime in looks who no longer can find suitable husbands. The assumption, though not preposterous, is certainly not founded on anything but a male society of good-ol-boy mentality that hints a great deal of misogynic tenets and very prejudicial feelings towards "beautiful people" in the upper crust. Vera Lewis, in a scene that is truly sad, looks at herself and sees she is no longer looked upon as young or any kind of "looker" for some mate for her. She compensates by being a "reformer for the good and betterment" - her version and her fellow cronies' - or crones.

Robert Harron is a former gang member ("musketeer") who has served time. He marries Mae Marsh, a poor girl whose father had lost his job at a company run by the foundation's creator, Sam de Grasse, a ruthless enterpriser and social climber whose only constant ambition is how he and his foundation appear to the upper crust. Griffith's exposure of hypocrisy is acid and continual throughout the entire 94 minutes. The reformists need to weed out such weeds in the yard. And Griffith also makes it clear that those in the lower society will through jealousy and nasty power and evil weed out their own, too. True or not, we see several ideas, right or wrong, of the 1910s put up before us on the screen.

The first twenty minutes or so are filmically dated and, frankly, rather boring. The quick cutting that picks up at about the twenty minute mark begins a very rapidly enjoyable part of the movie, and it progresses well until an exciting ending. I must admit that the film now seems very dated, but it's a fine example of early progress in editing and story-telling. It's easy to criticize from this range in time; afterall, parts of this film were begun in 1914. But the story is one that hasn't left us yet. The same kinds of hypocrisy, class distinction, racial inequality, and gigantic discrepancies in the distribution of wealth are with us world-wide ever as much as they were in the 1910s.

Mae Marsh Gives a Bravura Performance

[drednm · 4 October 2010]

THE MOTHER AND THE LAW was a re-released version of the modern arc from Griffith's 1916 INTOLERANCE.

The film does very well as a standalone film with only a few glitches where something seems left out (odd references to things we have not seen) or where blanks were left in as the episodes were stitched together from the original film.

In any case the performances remain quite strong with Mae Marsh scoring well as "the Dear One." Even the staccato ending from the original still works as one consecutive piece with Robert Harron going to the gallows. Miriam Cooper, as "the Friendless One" has a much bigger role than I remembered and was quite beautiful. I also had forgotten the incredible closeups Griffith gives the three stars.

Oddly, one "flashback" scene remains from INTOLERANCE. In the middle of the story we get a short scene from the Nazarene arc with the adulterous woman about to be stoned (shades of Iran!).

Strong story and very well done. Quite an indictment of "uplifting" societies as well as the sociology of slums.

Co-stars include Vera Lewis, Ralph Lewis, Sam DeGrasse, Walter Long, Mary Aldon, Marguerite Marsh, Max Davidson, and Kate Bruce.

Witness the Execution

[wes-connors · 9/10 · 24 November 2010]

When his "Intolerance" (1916) failed to match the long-term box office returns of its predecessor, director D.W. Griffith extended the film's initial success by releasing two of his epic's four stories as separate features. These were "The Fall of Babylon" (comprising the film's opulent "Babylonian Story") and "The Mother and the Law" (comprising the film's outstanding "Modern Story" segments). These were released at a time when Griffith films continued to be in great demand.

Mixing old, cut, and brand new footage, "The Mother and the Law" is, on its own, an excellent film. The story was unreleased in 1914, then revised to follow-up the release of "The Birth of a Nation" (1915). Instead, it formed the basis for the anchor story of "Intolerance", which was at least partially influenced by the criticism of Griffith as a racist - which was not a accusation leveled in hindsight; it was immediate, and was a profound (and positive) influence on the rest of Griffith's career.

"Intolerance" was also criticized - this time, for Griffith's stinging attack on the Moralists (or Reformers) of society. In the film, they are the "Uplifters" group of women who proclaim, "We must have laws to make people good." These legislators of morality are still around, along with many of the themes Griffith covers in "The Mother and the Law". But, the director did not consider groups like "The Salvation Army" to be Uplifters - so, in new footage, they are seen doing positive work.

The most important change, or addition, to the story involves a scene which accompanies the devastating words, "Owing to your lack of care of the baby before we took it, it has died." Those familiar with "Intolerance" should be able to figure out how this line fits in; and, it accompanies an outstanding scene featuring Mae Marsh ("The Dear One"). We also learn that Robert Harron ("The Boy") had Miriam Cooper ("The Friendly One") as his "first sweetheart," which helps explain her motivation.

There are additional subtle, and some starkly different moments. Mr. Harron's passing of an open grave serves to put his own fate back in play. The additional footage of Harron and Ms. Marsh at a lumberyard is simplicity in complex. And, the striking original images remain - even the tortured spinster Vera Lewis (as Mary Jenkins) acting the line, "Seeing youth drawn to youth, Miss Jenkins realizes the bitter fact that she is no longer a part of the younger world," deserved singular praise, somewhere.

********* The Mother and the Law (8/18/19) D.W Griffith ~ Mae Marsh, Robert Harron, Miriam Cooper, Walter Long

A Good Film But Not the Epic That Intolerance Was

[Michael_Elliott · 28 November 2017]

The Mother and the Law (1919)

*** (out of 4)

A mill closes and forces The Little Dear One (Mae Marsh) and The Boy (Robert Harron) into a very difficult life. The two of them eventually find each other but the hard times continue.

D.W. Griffith was the grandest name in cinema after the huge success of THE BIRTH OF A NATION and he originally intended to follow that up with THE MOTHER AND THE LAW. He filmed the movie but felt it wasn't big enough to follow up on BIRTH so he added three additional stories and it would be released as INTOLERANCE. That film would struggle to find a big audience as most people in 1916 were confused by the inter-cutting stories. Flash-forward three years later and Griffith re-edited two of the stories and released them back into theaters.

THE MOTHER AND THE LAW was the "modern" story told in INTOLERANCE and here it is without all of the other footage and there are also a few new scenes added. I will flat out say that this isn't nearly as great as it was when it was mixed with the three other stories. On its own, INTOLERANCE is a flat out masterpiece and it very well could have been the greatest movie ever made. What made it so great was the fact that it was a true epic that told the story of intolerance among people and did so over four different stories. The way Griffith cut from one story to the next and then back and forth was something very new at the time, very much ground-breaking and it worked to perfection.

As it stands in this version, it's a good little film but it's far from being a masterpiece. I think Griffith was right that this melodrama wouldn't be "good enough" to follow THE BIRTH OF A NATION so I don't blame him for going back and adding more footage to it. I think the strongest point of this film is the fact that Marsh is simply wonderful as the rather tortured woman who finds everything she loves being ripped away from her. Harron was also good in his role as were the entire cast for that matter.

The highlight of the picture is certainly the final five-minutes as The Boy is about to be put to death and the perfect use of editing shows what made Griffith so special. Again, if you're going to watch any version it's best to go with the 1916 film INTOLERANCE. After you see that then you can check out THE MOTHER AND THE LAW to see how the story would have worked as originally intended and without the epic feel.