Soppy saga which at least ignores the customary cliche of two men clashing over the love of one woman, but chooses instead a dull tale with no conflict at all. Far from Griffith's best.
3 Reviews
The Golden Supper review
JoeytheBrit14 May 2020
Poor Adaptation of Tennyson Poem
boblipton14 October 2016
I'm going to skip the synopsis I usually do, because this attempt to bring Tennyson's fantasy poem to the screen is muddled and obscure. Instead I will concentrate on the technical issues.
First there's the acting. Although 1909 had seen Griffith establishing a more restrained style of mime for the movie screen, occasionally he would retreat to the older, bigger, ridiculous-in-context, stagy style for a work he considered appropriate. This is one of those times, and it comes off as overwrought and bizarre.
Next there is the location shooting. Biograph was based in Manhattan and the location shoots substitute various Manhattan locations for medieval Italy. While the contemporary viewer might have been fooled, or even the modern viewer, unfamiliar with the local architecture; for me it was a constantly jarring realization that some one seems to think that the Brunsonia apartment building is in northern Italy.
These issues make this movie ridiculous. There is, however, the issue of point of view shots from odd locations. These imbue the proceedings with an air of unreality: not seeing things from the usual angle of somewhere in front of the proceedings and on the same level, makes these events seem even odder. That is an effect that would be used by film makers in the future.
It's rare for me to admit that a D.W. Griffith movie is a waste of time. This is one of those occasions. If you wish to see it for yourself, it is available on the Eye Institute site on Youtube.
First there's the acting. Although 1909 had seen Griffith establishing a more restrained style of mime for the movie screen, occasionally he would retreat to the older, bigger, ridiculous-in-context, stagy style for a work he considered appropriate. This is one of those times, and it comes off as overwrought and bizarre.
Next there is the location shooting. Biograph was based in Manhattan and the location shoots substitute various Manhattan locations for medieval Italy. While the contemporary viewer might have been fooled, or even the modern viewer, unfamiliar with the local architecture; for me it was a constantly jarring realization that some one seems to think that the Brunsonia apartment building is in northern Italy.
These issues make this movie ridiculous. There is, however, the issue of point of view shots from odd locations. These imbue the proceedings with an air of unreality: not seeing things from the usual angle of somewhere in front of the proceedings and on the same level, makes these events seem even odder. That is an effect that would be used by film makers in the future.
It's rare for me to admit that a D.W. Griffith movie is a waste of time. This is one of those occasions. If you wish to see it for yourself, it is available on the Eye Institute site on Youtube.
It requires something more than the scenes and the sub-titles to make it intelligible
deickemeyer10 October 2015
The theme of this story is well known to all readers as it is told by Bocaccio and as it appears in the sequel to Tennyson's "The Lovers' Tale." It is a love story, made remarkable by the fact that the woman's former lover restores her to consciousness and returns her to her husband. While all this may be understood by the person who has read Bocaccio, it is quite probable that a good many in every audience will not know what it means. The sub-titles help, but it must be admitted that unless one is familiar with the origin of the story it is more or less obscure. A golden supper may be quite the proper place in dreamland to return what one most desires, but in motion picture land it requires something more than the scenes and the sub-titles to make it intelligible. - The Moving Picture World, December 24, 1910
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