D. W. Griffith was a man of contradictions. A pioneering 20th century filmmaker who was at heart a Victorian. A philanderer with a sentimental view of women and marriage. A man who condemned racial prejudice in BROKEN BLOSSOMS after vehemently affirming it in THE BIRTH OF A NATION. These contradictions make him frustrating yet fascinating, both as a biographical subject and as an artist, and perhaps his greatest contradiction-- being the "father of film" yet growing eclipsed the moment Hollywood began its rise as a mega-power-- is embodied in his 1920s work.
It is common among silent film fans to assume Griffith's glory days ended with the 1910s. The early years of the new decade initially seemed promising for him: WAY DOWN EAST and ORPHANS OF THE STORM were both successful, if old-fashioned compared with other hits of the time. After that, Griffith seemed out of step with the roaring twenties, a relic in the industry he helped establish. One would like to say his 1920s efforts are misjudged gems, but many of them are usually flat out terrible (DREAM STREET) or lackluster variations on earlier successes (AMERICA). His dual infatuation with old-school melodramas and the controversial Carol Dempster seemed to cement his artistic decline.
So imagine my surprise when I emerged from a screening of ISN'T LIFE WONDERFUL bowled over. A financial flop in its time, ISN'T LIFE WONDERFUL has aged incredibly well, even compared to some of Griffith's best work from the decade before. Lacking melodramatic turns, histrionic acting, or any of Griffith's stylistic excesses, ISN'T LIFE WONDERFUL boasts a story that could have come from the Italian Neorealists. A Polish family immigrates to Germany after the first world war. Paul, the oldest son, and Inga, a young woman taken in by the family, hope to marry, though they want to be sure their children can grow up without want before walking down the aisle. Paul grows potatoes and Inga collects second-hand furniture to scrape together a solid foundation for the future, but economic hardship and heightened criminal activity prove powerful obstacles to their dreams.
First and foremost, we have to talk about Carol Dempster. Reviled at worst and pitied at best, Dempster seems to have been the victim of Griffith's feminine ideal-- and that ideal was Lillian Gish, who left the director after they made ORPHANS OF THE STORM in 1921. In movies like SCARLET DAYS, DREAM STREET, and AMERICA, Griffith clearly expects Dempster to be Gish 2.0. Unfortunately, Dempster comes off as plain and underwhelming in these parts, like Macbeth in King Duncan's ill-fitting robes. Luckily for Dempster and the audience, ISN'T LIFE WONDERFUL allows her to play an ordinary young woman rather than a bosom heaving damsel. Though optimistic and winsome, Inga is no Pollyanna and Dempster does well in making her feel like an authentic person. Watching her here, one gets the sense that she was not the bad actress she is often accused of being, but a competent performer trapped in Gish's shadow.
Just as Dempster is freed of having to be Gish, the plot is freed of having to be another THE BIRTH OF A NATION or BROKEN BLOSSOMS. Gone are the rapacious villains and races to the rescue. Instead, suspense comes from the family not having enough to eat or Paul suffering from the aftereffects of a lungful of mustard gas during the war. In fact, the movie's most intense sequence occurs in a butcher shop line stretching into the street. Inga waits her turn, only to watch with despair as the price of meat keeps increasing on the chalk board outside, reflecting the rapid inflation of postwar Germany. Griffith makes room for beautiful moments too though. The family dinners and communal dancing are touching moments, giving the viewer relief after long stretches of stress and anxiety.
ISN'T LIFE WONDERFUL is easily Griffith's last great movie, even better than the more regarded ORPHANS OF THE STORM. Unfortunately, 1920s audiences stayed away from this lovely little film. Maybe the war was still box office poison. Or maybe a slow-moving movie about ordinary people trying not to starve just wasn't want John and Jane Public wanted to see. Regardless, the film did not connect, though Griffith would continue to put out movies until the final failure of THE STRUGGLE killed his career for good in 1931.
It is common among silent film fans to assume Griffith's glory days ended with the 1910s. The early years of the new decade initially seemed promising for him: WAY DOWN EAST and ORPHANS OF THE STORM were both successful, if old-fashioned compared with other hits of the time. After that, Griffith seemed out of step with the roaring twenties, a relic in the industry he helped establish. One would like to say his 1920s efforts are misjudged gems, but many of them are usually flat out terrible (DREAM STREET) or lackluster variations on earlier successes (AMERICA). His dual infatuation with old-school melodramas and the controversial Carol Dempster seemed to cement his artistic decline.
So imagine my surprise when I emerged from a screening of ISN'T LIFE WONDERFUL bowled over. A financial flop in its time, ISN'T LIFE WONDERFUL has aged incredibly well, even compared to some of Griffith's best work from the decade before. Lacking melodramatic turns, histrionic acting, or any of Griffith's stylistic excesses, ISN'T LIFE WONDERFUL boasts a story that could have come from the Italian Neorealists. A Polish family immigrates to Germany after the first world war. Paul, the oldest son, and Inga, a young woman taken in by the family, hope to marry, though they want to be sure their children can grow up without want before walking down the aisle. Paul grows potatoes and Inga collects second-hand furniture to scrape together a solid foundation for the future, but economic hardship and heightened criminal activity prove powerful obstacles to their dreams.
First and foremost, we have to talk about Carol Dempster. Reviled at worst and pitied at best, Dempster seems to have been the victim of Griffith's feminine ideal-- and that ideal was Lillian Gish, who left the director after they made ORPHANS OF THE STORM in 1921. In movies like SCARLET DAYS, DREAM STREET, and AMERICA, Griffith clearly expects Dempster to be Gish 2.0. Unfortunately, Dempster comes off as plain and underwhelming in these parts, like Macbeth in King Duncan's ill-fitting robes. Luckily for Dempster and the audience, ISN'T LIFE WONDERFUL allows her to play an ordinary young woman rather than a bosom heaving damsel. Though optimistic and winsome, Inga is no Pollyanna and Dempster does well in making her feel like an authentic person. Watching her here, one gets the sense that she was not the bad actress she is often accused of being, but a competent performer trapped in Gish's shadow.
Just as Dempster is freed of having to be Gish, the plot is freed of having to be another THE BIRTH OF A NATION or BROKEN BLOSSOMS. Gone are the rapacious villains and races to the rescue. Instead, suspense comes from the family not having enough to eat or Paul suffering from the aftereffects of a lungful of mustard gas during the war. In fact, the movie's most intense sequence occurs in a butcher shop line stretching into the street. Inga waits her turn, only to watch with despair as the price of meat keeps increasing on the chalk board outside, reflecting the rapid inflation of postwar Germany. Griffith makes room for beautiful moments too though. The family dinners and communal dancing are touching moments, giving the viewer relief after long stretches of stress and anxiety.
ISN'T LIFE WONDERFUL is easily Griffith's last great movie, even better than the more regarded ORPHANS OF THE STORM. Unfortunately, 1920s audiences stayed away from this lovely little film. Maybe the war was still box office poison. Or maybe a slow-moving movie about ordinary people trying not to starve just wasn't want John and Jane Public wanted to see. Regardless, the film did not connect, though Griffith would continue to put out movies until the final failure of THE STRUGGLE killed his career for good in 1931.