The era you're most likely imagining right now is most certainly NOT the World War I era or any era for that matter. Prior to WWI, some folks (like Emma Goldman) were violently opposed to the idea of going to war and others (including the U.S. Government) were violently opposed to those who were violently opposed. In 1916, right before we were about to ship our Yanks off to fight the Hun and save the world from any future wars (which makes cold fusion look like tying shoes), the country was in a state of cultural upheaval over whether or not to join the war effort in Europe. Movies gave us some valuable points of view about going to war.
There was everything! Pacifists, war hawks, Russians; everything you need to start a good debate. So let's kick off...
1916
I. INTOLERANCE (SEPTEMBER 15th, 1916)
Directed by D. W. Griffith
The Birth of a Nation pissed off everyone around, so D. W. Griffith decided to make another 3 hour epic dealing with controversial takes on controversial topics. This 3 hour epic dealing with controversial takes on controversial topics is now regarded as one of the absolute masterpieces of the Silent Era and it's one of my favorite films.
Intolerance contains 4 different stories as only Griffith could put on the big screen. The four stories follow a chronological order that only jumps through history a little bit: ancient Babylon (circa 539 BC), Biblical times (27 AD), Renaissance Era France (1572), and "modern" America (1914). All of them deal with the idea of intolerance and its consequences.
The estimated budget of this film nowadays is $46 billion which for 1916 was equivalent to EVERYONE'S INCOME EVERYWHERE. The scale of the movie is almost beyond comprehension and Griffith's utilization of everything involved in the filmmaking process really distinguished his place among the pantheon of true auteur directors.
II. THE QUEEN OF SPADES (APRIL FOOL'S DAY, 1916)
Directed by Yakov Protazanov
Protazanov was one of the Russian Empire's most celebrated filmmakers when the serfs of Russia were still cool with the pogroms and brutal poverty. Luckily for us, he wasn't!
The Queen of Spades is based off of Alexander Pushkin's short story of the same name, which is a cautionary tale about lying, trust, and putting all your turnips in one vodka milkshake. It's revolutionary use of combination shots influenced directors all over Mother Russia, especially Lev Kuleshov who was so good at it that it was eventually named after him.
The themes of the film were quite poignant at the time of its release and annoyed both the Czar and the Bolsheviks alike. With its imagery, innovative camera work, and in depth adapted screenplay, Protazanov's Queen of Spades is regarded as one of the greatest films to come out of the Pre-Revolutionary Period.
III. CIVILZATION
Directed by Reginald Barker, Thomas H. Ince, and Raymond B. West
There are two films of this decade that were real game-changers in the world of cinema. One is The Birth of a Nation which I went over in the last post and the other one is the pacifist anthem Civilzation.
Most of the movies that I've listed so far I've listed for their technical merits and achievements, but Civilization has all that and then some. Besides having one of the most famous and complicated sequences of the Silent Era, it's also one of the first movies (and probably only movies) to be responsible for the outcome of a presidential election (sorry Michael Moore, you tried buddy). It's the first film to depict Jesus and thus became one of the first films to be condemned by the Catholic Church.
The famous scene where Jesus walks through the combat zone, showing the King the horrors of war is easily one of the most beautiful and influential scenes ever put on film and one of my favorites. I wish I could devote a whole post to this one, but I'll have to leave it at this.
Well folks, we'll be moving onto the Roaring Twenties, leaving "the War to End All Wars" behind in favor of flappers, bootlegging, and flag pole sitting! But we're leaving the In Between teens with hours of film lodged deep in our brains and a hope for even more solid ones to come. Our next year here at Merrick's March Movie Madness is...
1922!
Stay tuned on Bad Craziness folks! Follow me on Twitter (@DylanMerrick6) and like the brand new Bad Craziness Facebook Page! And always remember,
~Viva amigos,
~D. Merrick
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