The story of a family caught up in the American Revolutionary War.The story of a family caught up in the American Revolutionary War.The story of a family caught up in the American Revolutionary War.
- Awards
- 1 win
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis film is regarded as a major turning point in the career of D.W. Griffith. Its critical and public failure ended Griffith's tenure as the industry's preeminent director.
- GoofsPaul Revere falls off his horse. For some reason, Griffith has Revere ride up the steps of people's homes to announce "The British are coming!" as if he has to shout this at their doors. Backing down one set of stairs, Revere's horse falls, tossing the actor, who quickly recovers and shows considerable concern for the horse's welfare. Griffith left in the spill.
- Quotes
Nathan Holden: Love may come and love may go, and sigh like the wind from tree to tree. But I shall love no more, no more, till this fair maid come back to me.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Negro Soldier (1944)
Featured review
Rare Big-Budgeted Revolutionary War Film From Griffith
Neil Hamilton played the lead in Griffith's big-budgeted and sprawling February 1924 "America." In a rare Hollywood film about the Revolutionary War, "America," marking the near 150th anniversary of the conflict's beginning, offers a love story in the middle of the pivotal moment in the United States' founding. Nathan (Hamilton), who sympathizes with the rebels and is a minuteman, is in love with Nancy (Dempster), whose father is a Tory. The Romeo and Juliet romance bounces around as Griffith captures the opening rounds of the Revolutionary War with the battles of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, followed by scenes of Valley Forge. The director's trademark heart-pounding conclusion that he perfected in his 1915 'The Birth of a Nation,' is found in "America." Cross-cutting between a fort filled with settlers under siege from the British and its allied Indians with the horse-bound Morgan raider colonists rescuers normally would assure this Griffith movie was going to be a box office smash.
The director, after spending a considerable amount of his personal money into the project, saw just the opposite in the amount of empty seats in the theaters. The critics were split down the middle on its praise, but even Griffith loyalist Lillian Gish, in her autobiography, wrote, "Apart from a few scenes, the film was a heartbreaking disappointment." The receipts were so thin that Griffith, following the dismal reception in "Life Is Wonderful," was forced to sell his Mamaroneck, New York, movie studio as well leave United Artists. He found himself now as an independent director for hire, something that never crossed his mind before 1924.
The director, after spending a considerable amount of his personal money into the project, saw just the opposite in the amount of empty seats in the theaters. The critics were split down the middle on its praise, but even Griffith loyalist Lillian Gish, in her autobiography, wrote, "Apart from a few scenes, the film was a heartbreaking disappointment." The receipts were so thin that Griffith, following the dismal reception in "Life Is Wonderful," was forced to sell his Mamaroneck, New York, movie studio as well leave United Artists. He found himself now as an independent director for hire, something that never crossed his mind before 1924.
helpful•02
- springfieldrental
- Jan 13, 2022
Details
- Runtime2 hours 21 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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