Resurrection | |
---|---|
Directed by | D. W. Griffith |
Written by | Leo Tolstoy Frank E. Woods |
Produced by | Biograph Company |
Starring | Florence Lawrence |
Cinematography | G.W. Bitzer Arthur Marvin |
Distributed by | Biograph Company |
Release date |
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Running time | Original length 15-16 minutes (1 reel, 999 feet) [1] |
Country | United States |
Languages | Silent English title card |
Resurrection is a 1909 American silent short film made by the Biograph Company. It is based on Leo Tolstoy's 1899 novel Resurrection . Adapted for the screen by Frank E. Woods, it was directed by D. W. Griffith and stars several pioneering legends of American cinema such as Arthur V. Johnson, Florence Lawrence, Marion Leonard, Owen Moore, Mack Sennett, and Linda Arvidson, who was Griffith's first wife. [2]
The subject opens with the return home of Prince Dimitri. who meets the maid Katusha. a little peasant girl, and is instantly charmed with her beauty. Young, artless and innocent, as pretty as a rose, she unwittingly fascinates the prince. His noble bearing likewise impresses her, and his little attentions flatter her, until at length she is unable to resist his advances. The poor girl is meted the usual fate. An alliance is out of the question. The disparity of their ranks even forbids it. and soon the prince must cast her aside.
Five years later we find that the girl, who is now a loathsome sight, has learned the bitter lesson of the eternal truth, "The wages of sin is death." It is death to the soul at all events. She has gone down to the lowest depths and is arrested in a low Russian tavern. As she is carried to the tribunal she passes Prince Dimitri, who now sees the terrible result of his sins. He grows repentant and attempts to plead her cause before the jury, but they are a callous lot and pay no attention to the arguments for nor against, and by force of habit vote to send her to Siberia. She is dragged out to the pen of detention and herded with a lot of poor unfortunates, who scarcely bear any resemblance to human beings.
The repentant prince determines to give up his life to right the wrong he has done, and visits her here with a view of turning her now vicious nature, handing her a copy of the Bible. She does not recognize him at first, but when she does she flies into fury, beating his body and face with her fists and the book. He leaves her and she sits moodily on the bench with the book on her lap. Shortly she turns its pages and her eyes fall on the passage (John 11:25), "And Jesus said unto her. I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead yet shall be live." In an instant her whole being changes. There is hope for her salvation, and she reads on. The guards arrive and we next see her with the poor unfortunates trudging over the snow-clad steppes toward the goal from whence few return. She becomes the ministering angel, sharing her comforts with them. The prince, meanwhile, has secured her pardon and hastens after her. Giving her the welcome notice, he begs her to return with him as his wife. However, she prefers to work out her salvation helping those poor souls to whom a kindness is an indescribable blessing, and bidding him farewell, she renounces the world for the path of duty, so we leave her kneeling on the snow at the foot of the Holy Cross. [3]
Marion Leonard was an American stage actress who became one of the first motion picture celebrities in the early years of the silent film era.
The Golden Louis is a 1909 American drama film written by Edward Acker, directed by D. W. Griffith, and produced by the Biograph Company in New York City. Originally, this short was distributed to theaters on a "split reel", accompanying another Griffith-directed film, the comedy The Politician's Love Story.
The Death Disc: A Story of the Cromwellian Period is a 1909 American short film, directed by D. W. Griffith and based on Mark Twain's short story "The Death Disk" [sic].
Linda Arvidson was an American stage and film actress and philanthropist through the Linda A. Griffith Fund. She became one of America's early motion picture stars while working at Biograph Studios in New York, where none of the company's actors, until 1913, were credited on screen. Along with Florence Lawrence, Marion Leonard, and other female performers there, she was often referred to by theatergoers and in trade publications as simply one of the "Biograph girls". Arvidson began working in the new, rapidly expanding film industry after meeting her future husband D. W. Griffith, who impressed her as an innovative screen director. Their marriage was kept secret for reasons of professional discretion.
The Sealed Room is an eleven-minute film released in September 1909. Produced by the Biograph Company and directed by D. W. Griffith, the drama's cast includes Arthur V. Johnson, Marion Leonard, Henry B. Walthall, Mary Pickford, and Mack Sennett. It was distributed to theaters on a split-reel with another film, the three-minute comedy short The Little Darling.
A Drunkard's Reformation is a 1909 American drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. Prints of the film survive in the film archive of the Library of Congress. The American Mutoscope and Biograph Company advertised the feature as "The most powerful temperance lecture ever depicted".
The Lonely Villa is a 1909 American short silent crime drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. The film stars David Miles, Marion Leonard and Mary Pickford in one of her first film roles. It is based on the 1901 French play Au Téléphone by André de Lorde. A print of The Lonely Villa survives and is currently in the public domain. The Lonely Villa was produced by the Biograph Company and shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey. It was released on June 10, 1909, along with another D.W. Griffith split-reel film, A New Trick.
Stanner E.V. Taylor was an American screenwriter and film director of the silent era. He wrote for more than 100 films between 1908 and 1929.
Dorothy West was an American stage and film actress and radio performer.
The Girl and the Outlaw is a 1908 American silent short Western film directed by D. W. Griffith for American Mutoscope & Biograph Company. It starred Charles Inslee as the outlaw but other members of the cast are largely unconfirmed. Florence Lawrence and Mack Sennett made early appearances.
The Red Girl is a 1908 American black-and-white short silent Western film directed by D. W. Griffith for the American Mutoscope & Biograph Company. It stars Florence Lawrence and the cast includes Charles Inslee, George Gebhardt, D. W. Griffith, Mack Sennett and Linda Arvidson.
The Fascinating Mrs. Francis is a 1909 American silent short comedy film directed by D. W. Griffith. The Internet Movie Database lists Mary Pickford as appearing in this short. However, Pickford did not begin with Biograph until the end of April 1909.
A Wreath in Time is a 1909 American silent comedy film written and directed by D. W. Griffith, produced by the Biograph Company of New York City, and co-starring Mack Sennett and Florence Lawrence. At its release in February 1909, the short was distributed to theaters on a "split reel", which was a single reel that accommodated more than one film. A Wreath in Time shared its reel with another Biograph short also directed by Griffith, the drama Edgar Allen Poe [sic]. Original paper rolls of contact prints of both motion pictures, as well as safety-stock copies of the two films, are preserved in the Library of Congress.
Lucky Jim is a 1909 short film directed by D. W. Griffith. It was produced by the Biograph Company and starred Marion Leonard and Mack Sennett. Originally released in a split-reel with Twin Brothers (1909), prints of the film still exist today.
The Politician's Love Story is a 1909 short drama film directed by D. W. Griffith for the Biograph Company.
The Gibson Goddess is a 1909 short comedy film directed by D. W. Griffith. It stars Marion Leonard.
The Prussian Spy is a 1909 American silent short drama film directed by D. W. Griffith.
A Burglar's Mistake is a 1909 American silent short drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. The film was released on March 25, 1909 by Biograph Company and was met with liked viewers. The film is presumed lost.
Pippa Passes; or, The Song of Conscience is a 1909 silent short directed D. W. Griffith. It was produced and distributed by the Biograph Company. It is based on a play Pippa Passes by Robert Browning.
A Rude Hostess is a 1909 American silent film comedy written and directed by D. W. Griffith, produced by the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company in New York City, and co-starring Marion Leonard and Arthur V. Johnson. At its release in April 1909, the short was distributed to theaters on a "split reel", which was a single reel that accommodated more than one film. A Rude Hostess shared its reel with another Biograph comedy short directed by Griffith, Schneider's Anti-Noise Crusade. Original contact-print paper rolls of both motion pictures, as well as projectable safety-stock copies of the films, are preserved in the Library of Congress.