In the 1910s, there were many short films about the evils of demon drink--such as D.W. Griffith's "What Drink Did". These films were NOT in the least subtle and invariably showed a nice family man becoming a horrible brute...all due to his taking a drink of alcohol. It's not surprising in light of these films that there was a push to make alcohol illegal--eventually culminating in Prohibition.
More than two decades later, Griffith has dusted off the cobwebs and created a full-length sound version of one of these morality plays. While the film is much more sophisticated than these early silents, for sound films they were still VERY dated---with very, very broad acting and the simplest of stories. In "The Struggle" a guy likes to drink but gives it all up for his fiancée. He's good at his promise for several years and lives a successful sober life. Then, on a lark, he takes a drink and it's a long, long slide into oblivion. But, since the film is much longer than the older ones, you get a chance to see the guy eventually work his way out and by the end, all is well.
Had the film had better acting, direction and a better script, Griffith could have gone on to better things. Unfortunately, the film was seen at the time as very dated and the film was a bust--and was Griffith's last full-length film as a result. It is interesting how this great director was at the forefront of innovation in the 1910s--now in the 30s, he was hopelessly behind the and mired in dated ideas. It also didn't help with the confusing prologue which seemed to say perhaps Prohibition was the cause of rampant alcoholism--the exact opposite of what they'd been arguing two decades earlier!! Probably not worth your time unless you are a film historian or insist on seeing everything Griffith directed.
More than two decades later, Griffith has dusted off the cobwebs and created a full-length sound version of one of these morality plays. While the film is much more sophisticated than these early silents, for sound films they were still VERY dated---with very, very broad acting and the simplest of stories. In "The Struggle" a guy likes to drink but gives it all up for his fiancée. He's good at his promise for several years and lives a successful sober life. Then, on a lark, he takes a drink and it's a long, long slide into oblivion. But, since the film is much longer than the older ones, you get a chance to see the guy eventually work his way out and by the end, all is well.
Had the film had better acting, direction and a better script, Griffith could have gone on to better things. Unfortunately, the film was seen at the time as very dated and the film was a bust--and was Griffith's last full-length film as a result. It is interesting how this great director was at the forefront of innovation in the 1910s--now in the 30s, he was hopelessly behind the and mired in dated ideas. It also didn't help with the confusing prologue which seemed to say perhaps Prohibition was the cause of rampant alcoholism--the exact opposite of what they'd been arguing two decades earlier!! Probably not worth your time unless you are a film historian or insist on seeing everything Griffith directed.