|
|
|||
|
|
1921. D.W.
Griffith, Inc. Released by United Artists. 9 reels. Photographed by Henrik
Sartov. Set design by Charles M. Kirk.
"DREAM STREET" Copyright 1921, by D.W. Griffith. Suggested by Thomas Burke's Stories "Gina of Chinatown" and "The Sign of the Lamp." Arranged for the Screen by Roy Sinclair. Cast of Characters: Miss Carol Dempster, Ralph
Graves, Charles Mack, Tyrone Power, Edward Peil, Morgan Wallace, Porter
Strong, W.J. Ferguson, Charles Slattery, George Neville.
|
Because of his past achievements, some
audiences expected every Griffith film to be an epic of broad scope, but
the director showed with Broken Blossoms that he could create moving
cinema from an intimate story. Griffith tried to recreate that success
with Dream Street, but the result was an unwieldy mess- half again
as long as its inspiration and lacking all of its predecessor's charm and
delicacy. Dream Street is easily one of Griffith's weakest films.
The story, set in a hazy, indistinct London, is a romantic triangle between dancer Gypsy (Carol Dempster), singer Spike (Ralph Graves), and his composer brother, Billy (Charles Emmett Mack). Of these talents, only Dempster's can be demonstrated in a silent film. Throughout this tale, Griffith is more concerned with great themes than plot or characterization. Many of his previous films presented allegorical representations of good and evil, but here those extremes are personified by a preacher of the streets and a violin player with the beautiful mask of evil. Love is represented by the Eternal Star. The result is a film that is pretentious and self-consciously artistic with heavy-handed symbolism, reinforced by the languorous presentation. Dempster's training as a dancer (and performance as one) is reflected in her graceful movements. This is probably the actress' best performance after Isn't Life Wonderful, although it is wasted on this material. Griffith's Dream Street is a place of brutality and desire for escape. It seems that all of the male characters are trying to seduce Dempster, but both of the brothers who yearn for her are thoroughly unappealing. The supporting characters are worse. Porter Strong offers blackface comic relief as "Samuel Jones from Georgia," and Edward Peil (who played Evil Eye in Broken Blossoms) provides the Chinese stereotype as Sway Wan, though a title says he is Malaysian. Unlike Broken Blossoms there are no positive Chinese characters for balance. There are no sympathetic characters, as they each betray each other. Dempster's father is a professional stool pigeon, and when Sway Wan dares approach her, Dempster turns him into the police for running an opium den. Previously responsible for the misty close-ups in Griffith's films, this time Henrik Sartov received full credit for the photography. The entire picture is beautifully lit and photographed with atmospheric photography of sets of Limehouse London. The image has a certain amount of up and down unsteadiness, which is inherited from the print used for the transfer. The transfer speed for the VHS release from Critics' Choice was a bit too slow, though it does not affect enjoyment of the film, other than the fact that the thin narrative really can't support a 135 minute running time. The uncredited piano score by Philip Carli gives the film its primary entertainment value. (Review © 1997 David Pierce) |
|
© 1997 David Pierce