Hearts of the World (1917) *** (out of 4) D.W. Griffith's WW1 epic has two Americans (Robert Harron, Lillian Gish) living in France and falling in love. When the German's attack the man goes off to fight, which ends with devastating results. The actual making of this film is somewhat more interesting than the final product, although the movie is still good but several notches below The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance. After that epic 1916 film Griffith wanted to try something bigger and found that the British government was willing to give him full access to anything he wanted. Griffith wanted to shoot real battle scenes and that's what he did for the film and he nearly once again was killed doing so. The British paid for the film to be made in hopes that it would inspire America to join the war effert. As for the film, it has some brilliant moments but sadly the love story really brings things down, which was somewhat surprising since Griffith is usually good with the melodrama. Harron is decent in his role but not strong enough to carry the film. Gish on the other hands is terrific as usual as is her sister Dorothy. Erich von Stroheim plays one of the German's in charge. The battle scenes, a lot of them real WW1 footage, is the highlight of the film and like Griffith's previous two films, it's rather amazing to see everything play out. This is certainly some of the greatest battlefield scenes I've ever watched. There's also another terrific scene where Gish, fearing her love is dead, tries to find him in the trenches. Gish's walk mixed with the beautiful cinematography makes this an unforgettable scene. In the end the film is certainly flawed but the battle scenes make it worth at least one viewing.

Two American families, the Hamiltons and the Stephensons, have immigrated to a tranquil French village. As the film begins, Robert Harron (as "the Boy" Douglas Hamilton) and Lillian Gish (as "the Girl" Marie Stephenson) return home from separate trips. Lillian is obviously infatuated with Mr. Harron, and sets out to win his heart. Meanwhile, singer Dorothy Gish (as "The Little Disturber") arrives in town; and she, with "perseverance and perfume", also sets her sights on handsome Harron. While Dorothy's efforts at seduction are valiant, Harron proposes to Lillian. As they plan their wedding, their lives are interrupted by a bigger "disturber" - The Great War (now called World War I)… This film, another huge hit for the director, was "commissioned" by the British government (note the introduction), and must have secured the blessings of both the U.S. and French governments. The purpose was to create a pro-war, propaganda epic. Although the film is patriotic, and the war is never exactly shown as unnecessary; it leaves an unmistakable impression as an ANTI-war film. So, what started as "A Love Story of the Great War" becomes "A Love Story Interrupted by a Great War". Griffith reveals his true anti-war sentiments with the statement, "After all, does war ever settle any question? The South was ruined - thousands of lives were sacrificed -- by the Civil War; yet, did it really settle the Black and White problem in this country?" (This question also offers, arguably, some redemption for Griffith's tendency for racial insensitivity. It's too bad Griffith's "The Greatest Thing in Life" is currently unavailable; in it, Harron shocked audiences by kissing a dying Black soldier.) In hindsight, it's easy to dismiss "Hearts of the World" as a Griffith production line effort. While it's derivative in film techniques (Griffith's own); it still equals, and sometimes bests, earlier work - for example, witness the improved upon (from "The Birth of a Nation") climatic ending, with Gish frantically trying to escape George Siegmann (as Von Strohm)'s clutches. This, and the battle sequences are, at least, up to the standards set by Griffith; so, it may be unfair to think of "Hearts of the World" as relatively minor. It would likely have won a "Best Picture" of the year, had they been given. Robert Harron would have won an additional "Best Actor" award; and, while Lillian Gish might have lost to Mary Pickford's "Stella Maris", sister Dorothy Gish would have earned a "Best Supporting Actress" award. Also watch for… G.W. Bitzer's amazing camera work. The explicit, but appropriate scene of a mother nursing her baby during wartime. Dorothy licking her lips over Harron, but settling for "Cuckoo" Robert Anderson. Griffith's parallel symbolism, right down to Gish's goslings and Harron's little brothers. Lillian wandering into madness, and spending her wedding night with her beloved's "corpse". Griffith "regulars" Siegmann, and "mothers" Kate Bruce and Josephine Crowell, who always stand out in lesser roles. Harron very quietly falling in love with the infatuated Lillian, while being pursued by seductive Dorothy; demonstrating the difference between lust (when he kisses Dorothy back) and love (when he eyes Lillian's figure). There are members of the Harron and Gish families in the cast (and a Walthall), which would be nice to have somebody identify (they are probably somewhere in the opening). Noel Coward may be difficult to recognize; he follows Gish, early on, with a wheelbarrow. Erich von Stroheim is very easy to spot, clicking his Hun heels for the camera. Incredibly, scene-stealing littlest brother Ben Alexander grew up to serve (memorably, as Franz) in Lewis Milestone's "All Quiet on the Western Front" (which owes some debt to this film); later, he co-stared in "Dragnet". ********** Hearts of the World (3/12/18) D.W. Griffith ~ Robert Harron, Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, Ben Alexander

The Great War's impact on cinema worldwide was enormous and opened the door to America's global dominance in the business as other countries were devastated by battle. Additionally, it created some interesting American films among a newly popularized genre of war pictures, including "Civilization" (1916), "Joan the Woman" (1917), "Shoulder Arms", "The Sinking of the Lusitania", "The Heart of Humanity" and this one, "Hearts of the World" (the latter four from 1918). And continuing into the silent era of the 1920s, with some distance from the war, such films as "The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse", "The Love Light" (both 1921), "The Big Parade" (1925), "Mare Nostrum", "What Price Glory" (both 1926), "Seventh Heaven" and "Wings" (both 1927) were made.D.W. Griffith was generally a pacifist; that's clear in many of his films, despite their exciting battle sequences. Not unexpectedly, however, with "Hearts of the World", he gave his support to the entente cause and with the aid of the British government called for the US entry into the war. That had already occurred by the time of completion of the film, though, and so the ending has the US army saving the day. Yet, the picture still contains a pacifist plea, or regret over the situation.The excellent war scenes, which incorporate actual footage from the front, add power and realism to the sympathetic message. Cinematographer G.W. Bitzer (or others under his influence, as he was absent from location shooting in France due to his German heritage) uses small-scale widescreen masking effects during the battle scenes, as he had in "Intolerance". It's effective, as the scenes are generally shown from a distance, more so, and surely for practical reasons, than in other Griffith films. As a result, it seemed more real to me (and much of it was real).Generally, I welcome the drama of love between Robert Harron and Lillian Gish's characters threatened against the backdrop of war. Gish's episode with insanity is especially well realized, and Dorothy Gish is delightful as "The Little Disturber". But, the drama does subvert the power and realism of the film at times. It is indeed "an old fashioned play", and there are some ludicrous moments in it, such as a rehashed scene from "The Birth of a Nation" where Gish's virginity is threatened by a German officer.The following year, Abel Gance demonstrated how a fictional story could add to the power and realism in his anti-war opus "J'Accuse!" And, that's what separates these two films. In "J'Accuse!", there is rape by a German soldier and an analogous love triangle. Its approach is considerably more downbeat, however, and much more real, rather than the old-fashioned sentimentality, theatricality and naivety that occasionally creeps up in "Hearts of the World". Yet, that's to be expected in Griffith's work, and it doesn't detract severely from the better parts of the film, or the drama. Overall, "Hearts of the World" represents and reflects an important time in both film history and world history.

This is a superb telling of war and how it affects the "common people." It begins with life in a small French village and how people go about their daily lives. This is the story of two Americans (Lillian Gish and Robert Harron) who meet and fall in love. But during their courtship Lillian's sister (Dorothy) takes a liking to Robert (called The Boy on the movie title cards) and tries to take him which leads to some interesting scenes. She finally realizes she can't have him and decides to take what she can have.There are good action battle scenes that very well show the chaos that is a battle. Chaos reigns supreme again when the town is bombed and the citizens have to flee. They have to try and pack then get out and still survive the bombing. Then there are those that don't want to leave. The movie does a good job of showing the horrors of death and the impact that has on people.War is about people. We tend to forget that (today's news refers to the impact on non-soldiers as 'collateral damage'). D.W. Griffith shows that impact. And yet, when it is over, how quickly we again look for the bright side of life and that is how it should be.One of the great features of this film is the limited use of title cards. They are used mostly as background filler and very little for conversations (much like Sunrise). Yet you know what is going on and the emotions of the moment. There is nothing mechanical about the acting. 8/10