Fools of Fate

This short D.W. Griffith feature works well enough, both in its story-telling and its content. It's the kind of story that often brought out the best in Griffith, and here the technique is good enough to make the points clearly even though most of the titles seem to be missing (since there are gaps in the print that are clearly so marked).

The story concerns a romantic triangle with some unusual aspects. It's the kind of story that typifies, at least in a basic way, the kind of material that Griffith was best at - a story that brings out the inevitability of human weakness and sadness. He usually had a good touch with that kind of material (as opposed to his more heavy-handed efforts at politics and the like), and he allows you to see into all three of the characters, as simple as they are.

Though neither the story nor the characters are especially interesting in themselves, there's enough to it to make it a little better than average among the short dramas of its era.