The film pioneer practically invented the cinematic narrative language we have in today's movies. Yet, just 16 years after making America's monumental first feature film, D. W. Griffith was having difficulty finding an audience for his latest-and final-full-length movie, December 1931's "The Struggle." This was his second talkie after directing over twenty-years of silent movies. And the transition wasn't going over well with the public. At the time it was unusual for a movie to get only one week's run at a theater, yet "The Struggle" was yanked before that time in a majority of movie houses. This was an inglorious ending for the 56-year-old filmmaker who created so many elements in cinema for the modern era.
The talkies presented a challenge to the master of silent movies. Lisa Marie Bowman, in her critique of "The Struggle," said, "it's obvious that he never learned how to work with speaking actors. As well, dialogue that would have worked on a title card came across as being over-the-top and preachy when actually uttered aloud." Griffith's last film, partly funded by him, reflects the director's own battle with the bottle. The plot, written by his long-time scriptwriter Anita Loos, deals with an outgoing businessman who had been a regular customer at the city's speakeasies, but promised to reform when he met his future wife. He did, until several years into his marriage he slipped back into his old habits, potentially ruining his family.
Richard Cross, in his modern-day review, wrote, "Too often 'The Struggle' looks like a silent movie, and rather than being the hard-hitting expose it clearly sets out to be, it proves to be as unconvincing and unsatisfying as a near-beer." His assessment reflected the opinion of the majority of critics back when "The Struggle" was first released. However, one reviewer today feels Griffith's last hurrah has been deeply unappreciated and "is not only Griffith's best available film since (1920) 'Way Down East,' it's one of his best, period. 'The Struggle' is surprisingly modern - in everything from its use of sound to its performances to its photography. This is an astonishing and impressive work of art, all the more so for being unusual in Griffith's canon."
Because of smart investments he made throughout his movie career and were depression-proof, Griffith was able to ride into the sunset a reasonably wealthy man. He has been credited in contributing to 1936's "San Francisco's" earthquake finale as well as Hal Roach's 1940 "One Million B. C.,' but he never directed another film-short or full-length-in his life. The Academy awarded him a special Oscar in 1936 for his contributions in cinema. In 1948, at the age of 73, he died in the lobby of the Knickerbocker Hotel in Los Angeles, where he was residing during the last years of his life.
The talkies presented a challenge to the master of silent movies. Lisa Marie Bowman, in her critique of "The Struggle," said, "it's obvious that he never learned how to work with speaking actors. As well, dialogue that would have worked on a title card came across as being over-the-top and preachy when actually uttered aloud." Griffith's last film, partly funded by him, reflects the director's own battle with the bottle. The plot, written by his long-time scriptwriter Anita Loos, deals with an outgoing businessman who had been a regular customer at the city's speakeasies, but promised to reform when he met his future wife. He did, until several years into his marriage he slipped back into his old habits, potentially ruining his family.
Richard Cross, in his modern-day review, wrote, "Too often 'The Struggle' looks like a silent movie, and rather than being the hard-hitting expose it clearly sets out to be, it proves to be as unconvincing and unsatisfying as a near-beer." His assessment reflected the opinion of the majority of critics back when "The Struggle" was first released. However, one reviewer today feels Griffith's last hurrah has been deeply unappreciated and "is not only Griffith's best available film since (1920) 'Way Down East,' it's one of his best, period. 'The Struggle' is surprisingly modern - in everything from its use of sound to its performances to its photography. This is an astonishing and impressive work of art, all the more so for being unusual in Griffith's canon."
Because of smart investments he made throughout his movie career and were depression-proof, Griffith was able to ride into the sunset a reasonably wealthy man. He has been credited in contributing to 1936's "San Francisco's" earthquake finale as well as Hal Roach's 1940 "One Million B. C.,' but he never directed another film-short or full-length-in his life. The Academy awarded him a special Oscar in 1936 for his contributions in cinema. In 1948, at the age of 73, he died in the lobby of the Knickerbocker Hotel in Los Angeles, where he was residing during the last years of his life.