W. Chrystie Miller was the oldest member of D.W. Griffith's stock company at Biograph. He has the title role in this two-reel story. Like WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH OUR OLD?, it asks some important questions about the needs and fears of the elderly. As is usual with many of Griffith's movies, it does not pretend to give an answer.
Miller is a respected stage actor, but when he is replaced in a show by a younger man, he sees the end of his career at hand. Noticing the wealth a local beggar has accumulated, he dresses in shabby clothes and takes up the trade himself.
This is not a well known Griffith movie, but it shows the easy skill which Griffith exhibited by this time. Working with what would nowadays be considered a stellar supporting cast (most notably Mary Pickford), Griffith fills the screen with casual action. Notice the shots backstage: while Miller is dealing with his issues, other members of the company are practicing their roles in the show.
Miller handles his role well. If to modern taste he is a bit theatrical, there is nothing odd about that. He is, after all, playing a theater actor. Miller would retire from the screen in 1914, apparently unwilling to work for Biograph without Griffith, nor move to California with Griffith. Instead, he retired to Staten Island, where he died eight years later.
Miller is a respected stage actor, but when he is replaced in a show by a younger man, he sees the end of his career at hand. Noticing the wealth a local beggar has accumulated, he dresses in shabby clothes and takes up the trade himself.
This is not a well known Griffith movie, but it shows the easy skill which Griffith exhibited by this time. Working with what would nowadays be considered a stellar supporting cast (most notably Mary Pickford), Griffith fills the screen with casual action. Notice the shots backstage: while Miller is dealing with his issues, other members of the company are practicing their roles in the show.
Miller handles his role well. If to modern taste he is a bit theatrical, there is nothing odd about that. He is, after all, playing a theater actor. Miller would retire from the screen in 1914, apparently unwilling to work for Biograph without Griffith, nor move to California with Griffith. Instead, he retired to Staten Island, where he died eight years later.