This short drama is quite effective, even with a couple of rough edges. The story is well-conceived, more plausible than most of Griffith's other early features, and it is also filmed with apparent conviction. And, while less sensational than the material in many other features of the era, its point makes it more memorable and worthwhile.
The story centers around a very young girl who is out begging in the snow, and it also follows the responses from a couple of passers-by. The girl is actually a bit underplayed, and because of that her role works well. The situation is enough to speak for itself, without forced emoting. The finale is well-conceived, and it also works the better for not having squeezed too much emotion out of the earlier scenes.
Mostly for those reasons, this is among the better dramas made before 1910. Its few shortcomings are comparatively minor, and are mostly technical. There's little flashy about it, but the way that the story works reveals some care and discipline in filming the material.
D.W. Griffith is often given more credit than is actually warranted for devising or inventing the techniques of modern film-making, because other film-makers independently came up with many of the same or similar ideas at roughly the same time. But, as this example shows, he did have a much greater sensitivity than most towards his characters, and sometimes a keener eye for dramatic possibilities as well.
The story centers around a very young girl who is out begging in the snow, and it also follows the responses from a couple of passers-by. The girl is actually a bit underplayed, and because of that her role works well. The situation is enough to speak for itself, without forced emoting. The finale is well-conceived, and it also works the better for not having squeezed too much emotion out of the earlier scenes.
Mostly for those reasons, this is among the better dramas made before 1910. Its few shortcomings are comparatively minor, and are mostly technical. There's little flashy about it, but the way that the story works reveals some care and discipline in filming the material.
D.W. Griffith is often given more credit than is actually warranted for devising or inventing the techniques of modern film-making, because other film-makers independently came up with many of the same or similar ideas at roughly the same time. But, as this example shows, he did have a much greater sensitivity than most towards his characters, and sometimes a keener eye for dramatic possibilities as well.
