South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-08-27
HEARTS OF THE woRLD"

"HEARlS Of IHE WOhLD
David Wark Griffith says of his
Hearts of the World" his great,
est cinema production so far. which
is being screened at the oliver the
ater for the entire week-two per-
formances being given daily-that
it Is not primarily a ganda
film, but a love story-the romance
Of boy and girl with the war
serving as a background And this
is true. for one of the sweetest love
stories ever told on the screen IS
the one OF The Boy and The Girl
in Hearts OF the World This
statement OF Mr.. Griffith's. how
ever. rs trifie misleading Al
though ;he love element Is kept
well in the foreground. trench
scenes and battlehelds are plentiful.
Mr.. Griffith has projected on the
screen as much of the war a. il is
possible 10 take from the actual
scenes of the conflict and place on
the screen and ne has presented the
war TO the picture public from a
different angle than has been pre-
scented by any previous picture
dealing with the war. In Hearts
OF the World" he contrasts France
before the war with France during
the war and in this manner a
clearer conception OF what the war
really is and what it really means
is given
The other war pictures which
have been shown locally have filled
~ .trr fe1,,
and although nearly all have had
some thread Of love story it has
Not served the purpose Of the one
I'm Mr. Grifiths picture. One is
given an idea Of how the French
people lived before the war how
they worked. laughed and played
and snned like the rest Of the
world how they loved and finally
how the war came 70 shatter their
plans. wreck their lives and destroy
their homes Mr. Grifhrh under
stood his art thoroughly when he
selected his PLAYERS Cor Hearts Of
the World" Lillian Gish is The
Girl and her type Of childish beau
~. her remarka BILE command OF IA
cial expression and her every ac-
tion go 10 make her role one OF in
terest She does even better work
in this picture than in The Birth
OF a Nation" i'm which she won
thousands Of hearts Her sister.
Dorothy. who is the Little Disturb
81. is the hit OF the 6lm with her
piouant face and boyish ways and
one is captivated by her Charlie
Chaplin air and the saucy move
mem of her foot which has a tend
ency 10 want 10 kick certain of
tenders when their backs are turn
ed
Hearts OF the World" is with
out doubt work of genius, the
film is not tainted with cheap melo-
drama II is picture with thrills
and vet one is not permitted 10 lose
sight or people in Witnessing he
battle scenes some of the most
wonderful photography ever screen
ed is afforded in the battle field
scenes. The pictures are so well
blended that it is dihcult 10 tell
which is staging and which i the
real thing Tn picturjng the French
village before the war Mr Griffith
introduces ms specta tors TO the
characters who are 10 take part in
the story and the audience feels
itself one with the villagers and Is
better able 70 appreciate the emo
tions and the position OF the peo-
pie when wa comes
The story deals with the romance
~ The Boz and the Girl both
children Of American parents who
riye i'm France They have planned
for their marriage and set the dsv
hen the war IS declared and the
nov departs What ne suffers i'm
The trenches and what the gir' SUI
rers AZ home when the Germans in
wade the town KIN her mother and
father and destroy her home are
scenes which can not be forgotten
Bat the stos has pleasant end
ing fo~ rhey are reunited and the
wedding ceremony which the BOY
performs for himself and the girl
Just before the Germans batter
down the door 90 The room in which
the tVo are hid.nS is one Of the
most touching incidents OF The 1.m
They do not die howe, er. for the
r5tUe Dist.rber who is also DO love
with the Boy, sl'> the Germans just
as they are entering the room
Hearts OF the World as the
name suggests. tells OF people their
hopes their ambitions ,heir sOv-
rows d5sap appointments and struE-