Through Darkened Vales

Through Darkened Vales (1911)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Overly sentimental drama from Griffith has Dave (Charles West) being rejected by the woman (Blanche Sweet) he loves because she wants the flashier Howard (Joseph Graybill). Soon she suffers blindness due to a baking accident and of course Howard runs off but will Dave still love her? There's actually a subplot with an incident that happens to Dave but I won't spoil it for those who may want to watch this film but to be honest I'd have a hard time trying to explain what happened and why. If you're familiar with the work of Griffith then you know his sentimental side can sometimes go overboard and that's pretty much what happens here. This isn't the worst film Griffith ever made but it's certainly no where near the best of his work. At just over 9-minutes this is a pleasant film that has a few good touches but in the end it's certainly just for those who must see everything the director did. The performances for the most part are quite good with Sweet doing a good job in her role, although I'll admit at times she overdid it with the bug eyes of being blind. West turns in a winning performance before and after his incident and clearly steals the film. Graybill really doesn't add too much nor does Grace Henderson as the mother.