Video: An Unseen Enemy (1912).

Thank you Silent, for your wonderful movie review. Lillian and Dorothy Gish give a wonderful performance in this silent film. I loved the scenes with Robert Harron. The three of them are natural actors, which you can see in this film. Great photography.

An Unseen Enemy (1912, Biograph)

“An Unseen Enemy” (1912) is a Biograph short directed by D.W. Griffith that is most notable for being the first film of sisters, Lillian and Dorothy Gish. Fifteen minutes in length, this exciting suspense film was probably Griffith’s most complex race to the rescue drama at the time. The story begins with two sisters, played by Lillian and Dorothy Gish, who are mourning their recently deceased father. The sisters have inherited a small sum of money which is deposited in a safe in their home by their brother, played by Elmer Booth, who then leaves for work. Unfortunately, the sisters are left in the care of a housekeeper, played by Grace Henderson, who goes after the money. At this point, we meet Bobby, the younger sister’s boyfriend, played by Robert Harron, who is about to leave for college, but is unhappy that she is too shy to give him a farewell kiss. Meanwhile the housekeeper enlists the help of a disreputable partner, played by Harry Carey, who cracks the safe while she has the sisters locked in a room and terrorize them by firing a gun through a hole in the wall.

"An Unseen Enemy" is very melodramatic, but it is effectively suspenseful. The set up is rather accurate and the action takes up around half of the duration of the film. I loved the way Griffith threw in various little twists to heighten up the tension like the phone line going dead and the close-up of the gun emerging through a hole in the wall. I was quite impressed with the great photography and the natural style of acting of the Gish sisters and Robert Harron. This Biograph short is worth watching just to see the Gish sisters at the dawn of their film careers.

Dorothy Gish, who as an adolescent entered films in D.W. Griffith’s one-reelers, helped establish the art of silent film acting and motion picture development. Even though she enjoyed a career that spanned six decades, she is barely remembered. Dorothy was famous as a comedienne in an era dominated by male clowns. Were it not for her relation to Lillian Gish and her dramatic performance in D.W. Griffith’s “Orphans of the Storm” (1921), she probably wouldn’t be remembered at all. Dorothy was born on March 11, 1898, in Dayton, Ohio into a broken family after her father walked out on his wife and first child, Lillian. Their mother had the two girls onstage at a very early age. The girls and their mother lived a less than glamorous life, but took whatever roles they could to survive. Virtually all of the Gish girls’ youth was spent in the theatre until 1912 when they decided to go visit the studio where their good friend from the theatre, Gladys Smith, known as Mary Pickford on the screen, was working. The girls visited the Biograph studio on East 14^th Street in New York City and were introduced to D.W. Griffith. He immediately put them to work, and their first starring role was in a suspense drama, “An Unseen Enemy” (1912). The Gish sisters became a mainstay of Griffith’s stock company appearing in dozens of shorts. Dorothy and Lillian were included in Griffith’s first attempts at feature length films such as “Judith of Bethulia”(1914) and “Home Sweet Home” (1914) but Dorothy was not used in his epic, “The Birth of a Nation” (1915). However, Dorothy’s role as the “Little Disturber” in “Hearts of the World” (1918) brought her recognition. Realizing her comedic talent, Paramount signed her to a contract and she made 14 films for the company over the next four years. One of these was “Remodeling Her Husband” (1920) which co-starred her husband-to-be, James Rennie, and was the only film ever directed by Lillian. Dorothy co-starred twice more with her sister in “Orphans of the Storm” (1921) and “Romola” (1924). Dorothy made 17 films from 1920 to 1929, one of the most popular was the English made Nell Gwynne (1926). Dorothy’s last silent film was “Madame Pompadour” (1927). After her first sound film, “Wolves” (1930), Dorothy spent almost all of her time in a very successful career on the stage. Dorothy returned to the big screen again for “Our Hearts Were Young and Gay” (1944), “Centennial Summer”(1946), “The Whistle at Eaton Falls” (1951), and “The Cardinal” (1963). Dorothy Gish died on June 4, 1968 of bronchial pneumonia. She was 70 years old.

Happy Birthday: Lillian Gish!

Lillian Gish, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in one of my favorite movies, Duel in the Sun(1946).

Another Lillian Gish favorite film and my Halloween movie pick, The Night of the Hunter(1955). Thriller directed by Charles Laughton. Cast: Robert Mitchum and Shelley Winters.

The film begins in 1930s West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Ben Harper is chased down for a robbery in which two men were killed. Before he is arrested he gives the stolen money to his young son, John.

Reverend Harry Powell, a serial killer pretending to be a preacher with the words "LOVE" and "HATE" tattooed on the knuckles, shares a prison cell with Harper. He tries to get Harper to tell him where the money is before his execution, but.. the only clue he can get out of him, is a Bible verse Harper says in his sleep: "And a little child shall lead them."

Believing that Harper told his children the secret, Powell comes up with a plan to marry Harper's widow. John soon becomes suspicious of Powell and does not share any information with him . One night, Willa overhears her husband questioning the children and she realizes the truth. The children manage to escape downriver, with Preacher following close behind. They finally reach a place where a kindly(Lillian Gish)woman takes them in. Will they be able to save themselves before it is too late?

*spoiler alert* in my opinion this is the ultimate stalker movie. Robert Mitchum, performance was one of his best. I will never forget his tall dark shadow looming over the children. Not to mention the beautiful/horrific under water scene of their mother sitting in the car at the bottom of the lake. This movie had me sitting at the edge of my seat..*

Lillian Gish, was considered for a couple of roles in, Gone with the Wind. Ranging from Ellen O'Hara, Scarlett's mother, to the role of the prostitute, Belle Watling.

Gish made many television appearances from the 1950s into 1980s. Her most well known television performance was, The Trip to Bountiful(1953). Gish became one of the leading advocates on the lost art of the silent film, giving speeches and touring to screenings of classic works. In 1975, she hosted The Silent Years, a PBS film program of silent films.

Gish received a Special Academy Award in 1971 "For superlative artistry and for distinguished contribution to the progress of motion pictures." In 1984 she received an American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming only the second female recipient (Bette Davis was first in 1977), and the only recipient who was a major figure in the silent era.

Her last film performance was in, The Whales of August (1987) at the age of 93, with Vincent Price, Bette Davis and Ann Sothern, in which she and Davis starred as elderly sisters in Maine. The film was shot on location on Maine's Cliff Island. The film was directed by Lindsay Anderson, his final feature film, and the screenplay was adapted by David Berry from his own play.

The story is about two elderly widowed sisters near the end of their lives, spending a summer in beach house in Maine. While visiting there they think back to all the summers they had there in the past. They talk about the passage of time, and all the misunderstandings that kept them from having a close relationship.

Libby, played by Davis, is bitter and cold . Sarah, played by Gish, is a softer and more tolerant, wanting very much to have a relationship with her sister. The resentment that Libby has towards her, stifles Sarah's every move at becoming friends.

Vincent Price a fisherman, plays the romantic interest for Gish. Sothern a lifelong friend provides the fun and laughter. In flashbacks actresses Margaret Ladd, Mary Steenburgen and Tisha Sterling (Sothern's real-life daughter) play, the Davis, Gish, and Sothern characters as young women.

Her final performance was a cameo on the 1988 studio recording of Jerome Kern's Show Boat, starring Frederica von Stade and Jerry Hadley, in which she affectingly spoke the few lines of The Old Lady on the Levee in the final scene. The last words of her near century-spanning career: "Good night, dear."

Please click on Lillian Gish's name in the tag line, located at the bottom of the article, to view more information and pictures about this wonderful actress..

True Heart Susie(1919).

A couple of Videos from the Silent movie, True Heart Susie(1919). With Lillian Gish.





Personal quote:
"Those little virgins, after five minutes you got sick of playing them - to make them more interesting was hard work."

"True Heart Susie" (1919) Lillian Gish

“True Heart Susie” (1919) is a silent romantic drama starring Lillian Gish, Robert Harron, and Clarine Seymour. Directed by D.W. Griffith and adapted from the story by Marian Fremont, this film is about a shy, plain girl who loves her childhood sweetheart but loses him to a more “modern woman.” The story begins with Susie, played by Lillian Gish, secretly in love with the boy next door, William Jenkins, played by Robert Harron, but is afraid to tell him, and he is totally oblivious about her true feelings. Susie secretly sells her cow, Daisy, and other livestock she inherited from her mother to send William away to college to study for the ministry and fulfill his ambition. However, Susie lets William believe that the money comes from this rich man whom once promised to help him. After his college graduation, William returns, and Susie has the satisfaction of hearing him preach his first sermon. Susie’s hopes, however, are shattered when William becomes fascinated by a frivolous and worthless party girl, Bettina Hopkins, played by Clarine Seymour. When Susie accidentally sees William and Bettina kissing, she realizes he is lost to her. Ready to settle down, William surprisingly asks Bettina to marry him. Bettina agrees to marry him because she is tired of working and wants someone to support her instead. Even though Susie is heartbroken, she never confronts William about it. Instead, Susie swallows her pride and grief to serve as bridesmaid at William and Bettina’s wedding. Totally unqualified as a minister’s wife, Bettina starts cheating on William with Sporty Malone, played by Raymond Cannon, and his friends. One day Bettina makes plans to sneak away from William and attend a party with some friends. On her way home that night it starts thundering and Bettina realizes she has lost her key. At this point, she runs to Susie for help and asks her to lie to William for her. With her love married to a hussy how will poor Susie ever find happiness?

Lillian Gish made her screen debut with her younger sister Dorothy in D.W. Griffith’s “The Unseen Enemy” (1912), a one-reel suspense drama featuring the pair, at American Biograph. “The Mothering Heart”(1913), a two-reeler, first demonstrated the emotional intensity of which Lillian was capable. Griffith must have first become aware of the unique quality of her acting when he directed her at American Biograph. There are few who are not aware of Lillian’s emotionally moving performances for Griffith in “The Birth of a Nation” (1915), “Hearts of the World” (1918), “Broken Blossoms” (1919),”Way Down East” (1920) and “Orphans of the Storm” (1922). Her relationship with Griffith flourished until 1921, when a financial disagreement finally severed their ties. Lillian then became the darling of MGM, where she starred in “The White Sister” (1923), “Romola” (1925), “La Boheme” (1926), “The Scarlet Letter” (1926),“The Wind” (1928), and others. After the introduction of sound, her innocent image seemed dated. When her contract expired, Lillian returned to the stage for many years. Eventually she returned to the screen as a character actress, giving memorable performances in “Duel in the Sun” (1945), “The Night of the Hunter” (1955), and her last film, “The Whales of August” (1987).

Nineteen-twenty was a bad year for both D.W. Griffith and for American filmgoers. That year saw the deaths of two of the director’s brightest young stars, Clarine Seymour and Robert Harron, both of whom might have had brilliant careers ahead of them. Clarine Seymour had a natural, saucy quality that made her an appealing light comedienne. Her curly black hair was just ready for the bob of the new decade. Harron and Seymour were teamed in two features, “The Girl Who Stayed at Home” and “True Heart Susie," both released in 1919. After “The Girl Who Stayed at Home” and “True Heart Susie,” Griffith featured Seymour along with Richard Barthelmess in “Scarlet Days” (1919) and “The Idol Dancer” (1920). Ultimately, “The Idol Dancer” was a waste of time for both its leads, but it did bring Seymour critical and popular praise. The films make it obvious that Griffith was grooming both Seymour and Barthelmess for stardom in the 1920’s. Seymour signed a four-year contract with Griffith and began filming of the role subsequently played by Mary Hay in “Way Down East” (1920), but she died suddenly of an intestinal ailment that didn’t respond to treatment on April 25, 1920. Seymour was only twenty-one years old. Robert Harron was a brilliantly talented actor whose last film with Griffith was the odd, dark “The Greatest Question” (1919), with Lillian Gish. Some feel he was being ousted by Richard Barthelmess, who had appeared in several Griffith films and was being groomed for the male lead in “Way Down East” (1920). When Harron died, some writer speculated that he was heartbroken at Barthelmess usurping his career. Actually, his career was on the upswing when he and Griffith parted amicably. Harron signed on with Metro early in 1920, and he had his own company within the studio. Harron died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on September 5, 1920. The official certificate listed his death as accidental. Harron was only twenty-seven years old.

Not a fan of Griffith’s spectacles like “The Birth of a Nation” (1915) and “Intolerance” (1916), I prefer his smaller productions like “True Heart Susie” (1919). Robert Harron is wonderful as the sincere and naïve young man who is fooled by a superficial woman. Lillian Gish is excellent as the shy, plain, and simple girl who loves Robert Harron. She makes the role interesting and sympathetic with her subtle gestures and expressions. Clarine Seymour almost steals the show from Gish playing the vamp who ensnares Harron. A bittersweet love story, “True Heart Susie” (1919) is one of the most charming of Griffith’s films and a little gem of the silent screen.

DUEL IN THE SUN (1946)

Duel in the Sun (1946) Romance/ Western. Directed by King Vidor. Produced and written by David O. Selznick. Who wote the Hollywood classics "Gone With the Wind", "Since You Went Away" and "Rebecca". Wonderful Cast: Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Gregory Peck, Lillian Gish and Lionel Barrymore.



Before Scott Chavez is hanged for murdering his Indian wife and her lover, he makes arrangements for Pearl to live with his second cousin and old sweetheart, Laura Belle. He makes his his daughter Pearl promise that she will grow up to be a lady. Laura Belle welcomes Pearl into her home on Spanish Bit, the Texas cattle ranch where she lives with her husband,"Senator" McCanles, and their two grown sons, Jesse and Lewt. McCanles, confined to a wheelchair, is not happy that Pearl has come to live with them and calls her "a half-breed". Both Jesse and Lewt are attracted to her. Later that night, Lewt forces his way into her bedroom and kisses her. Pearl loves the kindhearted Jesse, but physically attracted to the wild womanizing Lewt and cannot resist him. When a railroad company wins the legal right to build tracks through McCanles ranch, McCanles and his ranch hands try to defend their land. Jesse, a lawyer, takes the side of the railroad, his father bans him from the ranch.

When Lewt returns early from El Paso, he finds none of the men home and seduces Pearl. Jesse finds them together and tells her that he will never forget what he has seen. Pearl now wants Lewt to marry her, but when he makes it clear that he has no intention of marring her, she quickly becomes engaged to Sam Pierce. Lewt goes into a jealous rage and kills Sam. Will this broken family over come their prejudice and forbidden love of Pearl and Lewt?

My favorite scene of the film is: When McCanles tells Laura Belle that he has always blamed her for his injury. When he thought she was going away to be with Chavez. He now knows it was his own jealousy that caused the accident. He admits that he has always loved her.

Another favorite, is this lighthearted scene between Lewt and Pearl .

Ottilie Ethel Leopoldine "Tilly" Losch, Countess of Carnarvon (15 November 1903 –24 December 1975) was an Austrian-born dancer, choreographer, actress and painter who lived and worked for most of her life in the United States and United Kingdom. She performed in several screen productions including: Limelight (1936), The Garden of Allah (1936), The Good Earth (1937) and Duel in the Sun (1946). Her choreography was seen in, Song of Scheherazade (1947). Dissatisfied with supporting film roles, she continued working as a dancer and choreographer and acted on Broadway. Losch guested with the New York Ballet in a work by Antony Tudor and in London she had danced to Léonide Massine's choreography. Her best known conception was "The Hand Dance" (a collaboration with her Viennese colleague, Hedy Pfundmayr) which featured in a short dance film by Norman Bel Geddes.

LILLIAN GISH: FUN FACTS

Lillian Diana Gish (October 14, 1893 – February 27, 1993). Film and television actress whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987. She was associated with the films of director D.W. Griffith, including her leading role in Griffith's seminal Birth of a Nation (1915). Her sound-era film performances include Duel in the Sun (1946) and the Night of the Hunter (1955) and The Whales of August (1987), with Betty Davis. The American Film Institute named Gish 17th among the greatest female stars of all time. She was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in (1971), and in (1984) she received an AFI Life Achievement Award.

Fun Facts:

She was thrilled to be invited to the White House by President Warren G. Harding, following the premiere of Orphans of the Storm (1921), and met with Benito Mussolini, who she met while filming Romola (1924) in Italy.

Sister of Dorothy Gish.

Lillian Gish, never married.

"THE MOTHERING HEART" (1913) Lillian Gish

"The Mothering Heart" (1913) is one of the best Biograph shorts under the direction of D.W. Griffith, an American pioneer film maker. It was also the first of the Biograph films to feature Lillian Gish in a leading role. This two-reel drama begins with a young woman, played by Lillian Gish, marrying her suitor, played by Walter Miller, "against her better judgment." The young husband goes off to his job every day while the young wife keeps house and takes in laundry to help out with the household expenses. Griffith certainly did not glamorize married life in these scenes. Apparently bored of married domestic life, the husband takes his reluctant wife to a decadent nightclub. Eventually, the husband falls into an affair with a seductive woman he meets at the nightclub. His wife, who is now pregnant, becomes more and more distressed at home. She finds a woman's glove in her husband's jacket and realizes he is unfaithful to her. The wife finally leaves her husband and then gives birth to a sickly baby. The ending is very emotional.

"The Mothering Heart" is an effective drama today thanks to the outstanding performance of Lillian Gish. Unlike so many of the actors in the early days of cinema, Gish is not melodramatic. Instead, she works with facial expressions and tiny gestures to project a whole range of emotions. In fact, the strategy of controlling emotion, particularly in close-ups became a symbol of Gish's performances during the silent era. Her portrayal makes the wife totally sympathetic. Although the supporting cast is competent, this is very much Gish's film. Her scene of rage where she wildly beats all the buds off a rosebush is totally heartbreaking. The use of extreme close-ups, cross-cutting, lighting, and brisk pacing makes the film so appealing.


The film's final scene is beautifully played and still has the power to move modern viewers. Only twenty three minutes in duration, "The Mothering Heart" is a fine example of great American film-making in the early days of cinema.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCmY6VQP6s4

Click to view movie.


* It is interesting to note that under the direction of Griffith, Gish became the greatest screen heroine of the time and was known as "The First Lady of the Silent Screen."