Mothering Heart stays with you long after you watch it. Not only
does it represent a turning point in the career of Lillian Gish, it
showcases Lillian and her support in outstanding performances.
As the little mother, Lillian is haunting. Her scene in the garden
doesn't strike one false note. Her scenes in Birth of a Nation, Way
Down East and The Wind come to mind when you see her stagger
towards the camera, distraught yet blank-faced. Walter Miller
shows off the qualities that Griffith liked in his leading men:
meekness, timidity, vulnerability. His performance anticipates
Bobby Harron's work on the modern story in Intolerance. Viola
Barry is delicious as the Idle Woman. The use of cross-cutting,
framing, set design, costuming, lighting and brisk pacing add up
to a fascinating, eerie film, possibly the best Biograph short Griffith
ever made.
does it represent a turning point in the career of Lillian Gish, it
showcases Lillian and her support in outstanding performances.
As the little mother, Lillian is haunting. Her scene in the garden
doesn't strike one false note. Her scenes in Birth of a Nation, Way
Down East and The Wind come to mind when you see her stagger
towards the camera, distraught yet blank-faced. Walter Miller
shows off the qualities that Griffith liked in his leading men:
meekness, timidity, vulnerability. His performance anticipates
Bobby Harron's work on the modern story in Intolerance. Viola
Barry is delicious as the Idle Woman. The use of cross-cutting,
framing, set design, costuming, lighting and brisk pacing add up
to a fascinating, eerie film, possibly the best Biograph short Griffith
ever made.