Over Silent Paths (1910)
*** (out of 4)
D.W. Griffith melodrama about a father (W. Chrystie Miller) and daughter (Marion Leonard) mining gold who finally decide to pack it up and head home. Before they can do so a wanderer (Dell Henderson) comes upon the father, kills him and takes off with the gold. The daughter swears out vengeance against the man but winds up falling in love with a man she rescues not knowing he's the murderer. OVER SILENT PATHS is a pretty good film from the legendary director as it hits on many subjects that he could tackle throughout his career. This includes the obvious part of revenge but the real focus here is in the second half when we get a morality tale with what the daughter should do when she finds out the truth. If you think Griffith is too over-sentimental at times then you're probably going to go crazy watching this but for the most part this is a very well-made, beautifully shot and well-performed film. I thought Leonard was extremely good in her role, which is far from the type we're used to seeing her play. Miller, a tad bit over-the-top in that 1910 way, is also watchable as the bad guy. Griffith adds his master touch to the story and makes the film flow at a very good pace and it keeps you entertained throughout.