The Drunkard's Child (1909)

Release Date:

9 August 1909 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Short

Plot:

A caring stranger tries to help the child of a chronic drunkard.

Produced by
Siegmund Lubin	....	producer

Production Companies

• Lubin Manufacturing Company

Distributors

• Lubin Manufacturing Company (1909) (USA) (theatrical)
• Nostalgia Family Video (199?) (USA) (VHS) (on "Origins of Cinema")

Runtime:

USA:7 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Lubin Manufacturing Company

A Fairly Interesting Melodrama

This short melodrama is fairly interesting, if sometimes plain, and it offers a relatively involved story that is also somewhat interesting as a look at some of the social conditions in its era. Although the details of the situation that it describes would be rather different today, some of the main themes would still be just as pertinent.

The story revolves around a family that is going through some tough times. The mother is seriously ill, the father is a drunk and probably a thief, and the young boy is on crutches while he works to support the others. A kindly stranger enters their world, and the mother, especially, looks to him for help.

In comparing the setup to what might likely be the case today, there is an obvious innocence about the mother so readily accepting a stranger's involvement with her son, but at the same time, through the father character and some of the other events, there is a somber sense of reality that takes away any suggestion of naiveté on the part of the film-makers. Sometimes the initial response to the scenarios in these very old films is to think that things are much different now, but a more careful look will sometimes reveal some even more significant similarities.

The story plays out in a generally straightforward fashion. Its main strength is probably the array of settings, using some stage sets and some outdoor sets, which keep it from getting too stale. The story itself is a little predictable, and there is nothing particularly original about it, yet it is told well enough to keep your attention.