The Making of a Man

Small town girl Blanche Sweet marries actor Dell Henderson. Her father, William Butler, has the marriage annulled. When it turns out she is pregnant, he sends Blanche away and, when Dell comes to ask for her, Butler tells him she is dead and then drops dead himself.

Although the movie seems to be titled confusedly, since Miss Sweet is the center of the storm, I suspect this is a personal film for D. W. Griffith. He had spent years on the road as a traveling actor and had undoubtedly felt the sting of being a member of a profession thought of as moral-free gypsies.

Except for the ranting performance of Mr. Butler, Griffith is in full possession of his tools, and Mr. Butler drives himself into a rage-fueled, deadly heart attack -- probably Griffith's revenge on some real life small town fathers. Certainly his group compositions at the start of the film are excellent, even if, in the end, it's a minor effort.