D.W. Griffith: Years of Discovery--1909-1913

Film studies long ago abandoned the notion that all cinematic technique flowed from the mind of D.W. Griffith, thereby restoring the director to his rightful status of “crucial pioneer,” rather than “God.” But this overview of Griffith's one- and two-reel Biograph shorts (produced at a rate of two or three per week) is a wonderful reminder of why the director is, and continues to be, so admired. From the proto-gangster flick The Musketeers of Pig Alley to the social problem picture A Corner in Wheat to rare comedies like The Sunbeam, these films feature legends such as Mary Pickford and Lionel Barrymore, while showcasing Griffith's growing control over cinematic language--cross-cutting, abstractions of narrative, and even visual effects. Griffith may not have been the first director to shoot a flashback or a chase scene or a last-minute rescue, but his films were instrumental in helping lay the framework for this nascent artistic medium. The concluding classics, The Mothering Heart (featuring the amazing Lillian Gish) and The Battle at Elderbush Gulch, illustrate Griffith's capacity for both the intimate and the epic. The preservation of these films is perfect and the two-disc set contains an indispensable commentary from film historian Russell Merritt, who remarkably talks for the duration of the discs and never runs out of insights and well-researched tidbits. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (D. Fienberg)