Ghosts

This movie is a truncated version of Ibsen's play, to be sure, but it still retains a compelling power, mainly due to the actors. Henry B. Walthall is most remembered as the Little Colonel from THE BIRTH OF A NATION, but he was in general a fine actor who played a great variety of roles. He was one of the most dynamic talents of the 1910s and never more so than here, where he plays both father and son. His characterization is tragic and engaging, even if he goes a little hammy during his death scene.

Actually, the other fine performance here comes from Mary Alden as the long-suffering wife and mother. Her transformation from innocent young heiress to bitter widow is subtly done and moving.