When his chief assistant loses his life on the job, surveying engineer Alan Hale takes on the task of protecting his widow and their two children in this post-Griffith Biograph movie.
Not that she needs his help that much. Although Griffith had largely stuck to Victorian melodramatic standards, Anthony O'Sullivan, who had written a lot of scripts for Biograph and was now directing, has the actress largely able to care for herself and her children, whether it is making sure the house is clean or driving off some ruffians with a shotgun. This was a big change, as was the pacing of action; Hale moves through the movie like a whirlwind.
It wouldn't last. Without Griffith, Biograph would lose its way between ambitious projects that never were released and the loss of the Patents Trust's monopoly. For the moment, though, this film, which can be seen on the Eye Institute site on Youtube, is a fine effort.
Not that she needs his help that much. Although Griffith had largely stuck to Victorian melodramatic standards, Anthony O'Sullivan, who had written a lot of scripts for Biograph and was now directing, has the actress largely able to care for herself and her children, whether it is making sure the house is clean or driving off some ruffians with a shotgun. This was a big change, as was the pacing of action; Hale moves through the movie like a whirlwind.
It wouldn't last. Without Griffith, Biograph would lose its way between ambitious projects that never were released and the loss of the Patents Trust's monopoly. For the moment, though, this film, which can be seen on the Eye Institute site on Youtube, is a fine effort.
