Okay, it's true that people watching this well-intentioned movie today will very likely be offended by some of the over-the-top imagery of happy slaves singing and dancing and enjoying their bondage during the first portion of the film. This "happy slave" myth is advanced in the film--most likely to assuage the guilt of White America concerning the evil of slavery. However, once this section of the film is over, the rest of the film is amazingly well done and the treatment of slaves in the film is exceptional for its time. So, before you dismiss this film for some relatively minor racist images, understand that the 1920s saw an amazing re-birth of the KKK and the movie's message of love and tolerance is a strong counterpoint to this racist organization.
While the original story by Harriet Beecher Stowe is extremely melodramatic and, at times, silly, this film is actually better than this source material. Plus, as the movie was made after the Civil War while the book was made in the 1850s (before the war), they were able to give it a more satisfying conclusion--leaving the audience with an uplifting segment where the Union Army frees the slaves of Simon Legree's hellish plantation.
The movie gets very high marks for some of the camera-work--especially the rousing scene where Liza crosses the ice flow with her young son. While this sort of scene had been done before on film, its realism still makes it a high mark in the history of silent film. Acting is generally good--particularly by Mr. Lowe as Uncle Tom, though there were quite a few silly and overacted scenes here and there. And, while this was one of the most expensive silent films ever made, the film is quite lovely and it looks like they got their money's worth.
While the original story by Harriet Beecher Stowe is extremely melodramatic and, at times, silly, this film is actually better than this source material. Plus, as the movie was made after the Civil War while the book was made in the 1850s (before the war), they were able to give it a more satisfying conclusion--leaving the audience with an uplifting segment where the Union Army frees the slaves of Simon Legree's hellish plantation.
The movie gets very high marks for some of the camera-work--especially the rousing scene where Liza crosses the ice flow with her young son. While this sort of scene had been done before on film, its realism still makes it a high mark in the history of silent film. Acting is generally good--particularly by Mr. Lowe as Uncle Tom, though there were quite a few silly and overacted scenes here and there. And, while this was one of the most expensive silent films ever made, the film is quite lovely and it looks like they got their money's worth.