| Isn't Life Wonderful | |
|---|---|
 Lobby card | |
| Directed by | D. W. Griffith |
| Written by | D. W. Griffith |
| Based on | "Isn’t Life Wonderful?" by Geoffrey Moss |
| Produced by | D. W. Griffith |
| Starring | Carol Dempster Neil Hamilton |
| Cinematography | Hendrik Sartov Harold S. Sintzenich |
| Music by | Louis Silvers Cesare Sodero |
Production company | D.W. Griffith Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
| Budget | $260,000[1] |
| Box office | $400,000[1] |
Isn't Life Wonderful is a 1924 American silent romantic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith for his company D. W. Griffith Productions, and distributed by United Artists. It was based on the short story "Isn’t Life Wonderful?" in the 1923 book Defeat by Geoffrey Moss, and it was released under the alternative title Dawn.[2]
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Transcription
Plot
As described in a review in a film magazine,[3] among the thousands of refugees who flocked to Berlin was the family of a Polish professor (Alderson) and the days following the war show them in a terrific struggle for mere existence. They manage to get a place to live but their combined resources and the high prices of food during the Great Inflation result in their only being able to get a potato apiece and for long periods they have to subsist on horse turnips. Despite this, the love of one son, Paul (Hamilton), for his cousin Inga (Dempster) is so great that they determine to overcome all obstacles. Inga works overtime in another place and collects a pitiful supply of things for their new home, and Paul builds a little hut and finds a little allotment where he grows enough potatoes to keep him through the winter. All is rosy, and they start to harvest their little crop, but they are followed by workmen who, temporarily made beasts through their hunger and the suffering of their families, rob them of all. The world looks grim, but Inga rises to the occasion and makes Paul realize that they still have each other and that after all, “Isn’t Life Wonderful.”
Cast
- Carol Dempster as Inga
- Neil Hamilton as Paul
- Erville Alderson as The professor
- Helen Lowell as The grandmother
- Marcia Harris as The aunt
- Frank Puglia as Theodor
- Hans Adalbert Schlettow as Leader of the Workers
- Paul Rehkopf as Hungry Worker
- Walter Plimmer as The American
- Lupino Lane as Rudolph
- Robert Scholtz
- Dick Sutherland
- Louis Wolheim
Production
Most of the scenes were filmed in Germany and Austria. Only one was filmed in New York at the studio. The film stars Carol Dempster and Neil Hamilton. The film was a failure at the box office, and it led to Griffith leaving United Artists shortly after its run in theaters.[4]
Reception
The film did receive some positive critical notices at the time, and its stock has risen considerably since its initial release; it has for some decades been considered one of Griffith's great films.[5]
Legacy
The title of the film was spoofed in the Charley Chase comedy Isn't Life Terrible (1925).
Preservation
Prints of Isn't Life Wonderful are held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, Cinematek (Brussels, Belgium), Filmoteka Narodowa (Warsaw, Poland), Museum of Modern Art, Arhiva Națională de Filme (Bucharest, Romania), George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection, and Danish Film Institute (Copenhagen, Denmark).[6]
References
- ^ a b "Griffith's 20 Year Record". Variety. September 5, 1928. p. 12. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
- ^ Progressive Silent Film List: Isn't Life Wonderful at silentera.com
- ^ Sewell, Charles S. (December 13, 1924). "Isn't Life Wonderful; Powerful in Its Simplicity and Realism, D. W. Griffith's Latest Is Limited in Its Appeal". The Moving Picture World. 71 (7). New York City: Chalmers Publishing Co.: 624–625. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ Drew, William M. "D. W. Griffith (1875-1948)". Gilda's Blue Book of the Screen. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- ^ "Rotten Tomatoes". rottentomatoes.com. Richard Brody. April 6, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: Isn't Life Wonderful
External links
- Isn't Life Wonderful at IMDb
- Synopsis at AllMovie
- Isn't Life Wonderful is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive (30 minute abridgement)
This page was last edited on 15 June 2024, at 17:38