Papa's Sweetheart (1911) User Reviews

The Tyranny of Children

[boblipton · 5/10 · 25 August 2016]

Marc McDermott is a widower with three young children. When he forms an attachment with Elizabeth Miller, the youngsters object in this sentimental Vitagraph short film.

Despite the contemporary statement of the Moving Picture World quoted in the other review of this movie, film is not on a higher plane than the theater; they are two distinct branches of the lively arts, with different strengths, which were only beginning to be realized at the time of this offering. One would hardly expect a publication such as that to rank a competing art form -- one frequented by a wealthier clientele -- as lower, or even admit to such a distinction, nor did it. However, I found the message in this one, that children should tell their parents what to do, repugnant, no matter how well it justifies it.

If you wish to see it for yourself, this movie can be found on the Eye Institute site on Youtube.

Papa's Sweetheart review

[JoeytheBrit · 5/10 · 22 June 2020]

Sentimental tale of three children fearing that their widowed father is about to marry a cold-hearted woman, which features pleasingly assured performances from the three child actors.

The best moving pictures are on a higher plane artistically than the plays we see on Broadway

[deickemeyer · 12 June 2016]

Simple and unaffected acting on the part of the whole cast tells, in this picture, a human story with the heart-touching truth and beauty that we look for in the best art. As the editor of "The Independent" has recently pointed out, and as the Moving Picture World has reiterated, the best moving pictures are on a higher plane artistically than the plays we see on Broadway. This picture is a perfect illustration of the fact that, for human realism and the presentation of simple stories of the lives people live, the motion picture is better than any other form of art; it is the perfect medium. It skillfully chooses and sets before us certain moments, falling within the limits in this case of a few days, in the life of a widower who has three children. He has fallen in love again and the outlook isn't any too bright for the children; the spectator is a little anxious. A painting of the children's mother is hanging over the fireplace in a very home-like looking room. The three children, in a playful moment, "dress up," just for sport. The oldest daughter puts on the hat and dress her mother wore when sitting for her portrait. She looks just like her mother. The sight of her is too much for the father; he turns away from the new sweetheart. - The Moving Picture World, January 6, 1912