"Suggested by the life of John Howard Payne and his immortal song, 'Home, Sweet Home.'" Yet, "not biographical but photo-dramatic and allegorical, and might apply to the lives and works of many men of genius, whose failings in private life have been outweighed by their great gifts to humanity." There's the premise for Griffith's homage to homesickness.
The opening of a house window begins this story, where Payne (played by Henry Walthall) is leaving his boyhood home to become an actor. Payne goes astray, writes his song and never reunites with his sweetheart (played by Lillian Gish). We're reminded you can travel the world, but there's no place like home. I'm reminded of "The Truman Show."
Anyhow, three stories follow. First, a fortune-seeking Easterner (played by Robert Harron) falls in love with Apple Pie Marry (played by Mae Marsh). Second, a sibling (played by James Kirkwood) decides, for some greedy, sociopathic reason that's not made apparent, to kill his brother (played by Donald Crisp). Third, the marriage of roses and lilies, which begins with a nice iris shot focusing on Blanche Sweet's beauty. A visitor of evil, however, tempts the wife (Sweet) to leave her husband (played by Courtenay Foote). The highlight of the first part is Lillian Gish; the second part is sweet in a silly, comical way; the third part is interesting, albeit lacking plot development, for being dark; and the last part, besides what I already mentioned, includes a good makeup job on Sweet and Foote to make them look older and older.
It must have been wretched to see "Judith of Bethulia" (1914) cut into and released as four separate shorts, and to have later taken away the brilliance of "Intolerance" (1916) by doing likewise, but I can see where it wouldn't have taken much away from "Home, Sweet Home." The point is that Payne's song, at least to some extent, helps others in their lives. "And so, for countless services like these shall not his (Payne's) faults be forgiven?" There's a silly epilogue to answer that question. At least this early Griffith feature is short and, due in some to that, sweet.
The opening of a house window begins this story, where Payne (played by Henry Walthall) is leaving his boyhood home to become an actor. Payne goes astray, writes his song and never reunites with his sweetheart (played by Lillian Gish). We're reminded you can travel the world, but there's no place like home. I'm reminded of "The Truman Show."
Anyhow, three stories follow. First, a fortune-seeking Easterner (played by Robert Harron) falls in love with Apple Pie Marry (played by Mae Marsh). Second, a sibling (played by James Kirkwood) decides, for some greedy, sociopathic reason that's not made apparent, to kill his brother (played by Donald Crisp). Third, the marriage of roses and lilies, which begins with a nice iris shot focusing on Blanche Sweet's beauty. A visitor of evil, however, tempts the wife (Sweet) to leave her husband (played by Courtenay Foote). The highlight of the first part is Lillian Gish; the second part is sweet in a silly, comical way; the third part is interesting, albeit lacking plot development, for being dark; and the last part, besides what I already mentioned, includes a good makeup job on Sweet and Foote to make them look older and older.
It must have been wretched to see "Judith of Bethulia" (1914) cut into and released as four separate shorts, and to have later taken away the brilliance of "Intolerance" (1916) by doing likewise, but I can see where it wouldn't have taken much away from "Home, Sweet Home." The point is that Payne's song, at least to some extent, helps others in their lives. "And so, for countless services like these shall not his (Payne's) faults be forgiven?" There's a silly epilogue to answer that question. At least this early Griffith feature is short and, due in some to that, sweet.