Falling Leaves

"Falling Leaves" as a title suggests a picture of sentiment in which consumption figures, put out by a French film maker last summer. This picture may have been suggested, by that, but it has freshness although there are many points of similarity. Mace Greenleaf plays in it the role of a doctor who has discovered a cure for consumption. Blanche Cornwall plays a mother whose daughter (Marion Swayne) is in a decline. The Solax Kid plays the little boy who ties the leaves on to the trees as in the old story. If the story has been told before, it is here well told again and prettily acted. It is a picture of sentiment and of a kind that is always popular. For this reason we call it a feature. It is prettily set, lighted and photographed. - The Moving Picture World, March 23, 1912

One of the most celebrated of Alice Guy's Solax films, "Falling Leaves" is a remarkably moving and sweet short, based as it is in a child's naiveté in trying to save her older sister from dying from tuberculosis. The business of her tying falling leaves back to tree branches, to prevent the prediction she overhears from a doctor that her sister will be dead when the last leaf falls, also reminds me of another early film to feature moving foliage and a character called "baby," as the child here is nicknamed. That film, the Lumière brothers' "Le Repas de Bébé" (1895) is usually remarked upon for its windswept background as it is for being a prototypical home movie. Moving pictures in two senses of the words. "Falling Leaves" adds a third, metaphorical sense in its melodramatic appeal. Moreover, the baby here attempts to arrest that movement, the passage of space and time. Odd thing is, she succeeds. Although Hollywood wasn't the center of the filmmaking world yet, evidently Hollywood endings were already becoming a thing.

I've seen this one a couple times before, but especially reviewed it again now because it's also an early film to deal with medical care and a contagious disease. Besides D.W. Griffith's "A Country Doctor" (1909), I'm not aware of much earlier than this. Reviewing both back to back, a comparison is in some ways telling. Both are cleverly framed: Griffith's film cinematographically by bucolic panning shots and Guy's plot, reportedly, follows that of a popular song of the day, "The Consumptive Girl or Baby's Secret." Appropriately, then, the girl's illness in the film is announced by her piano playing being interrupted by a coughing fit. Both films feature a good amount of crosscutting, too. While Griffith's is more for excitement, Guy employs it for a bifurcated narrative that in the end will combine. Technically, there's also some nice tinting effects, including for day-for-night shooting, in the surviving prints of this one, and at least one shot features strong low-key lighting. We still get the tableau style of title cards announcing proceeding action, but the simplicity of the story and the complicating of the plot with the parallel narratives helps to overcome that.

Perhaps, most remarkable, however, is that Guy's film focuses on the domestic sphere for the affect of illness, as opposed to the professional priority of Griffith's gaze on the actions of the doctor. Guy wasn't only the first female filmmaker; she was a filmmaker who provided an entirely unique perspective--all the more valuable as it was amid a male-dominated profession. Although one of the most effective, "Falling Leaves" is hardly her only film to privilege the perspectives of women and children. Such a viewpoint entirely alters the trajectory of such a picture; while Griffith's is oriented towards action, Guy's sympathies are with the family's coping. The family's doctor is a minor character, and the other one is, too, for most of the scenes. Nature, though, remains a prominent feature in both, and the pretty landscapes are tied with movement as well as serving as stark contrast to the heinous diseases inside.

In 2012, 100 years after the release of this movie, a movie starring Eddie Murphy called "A Thousand Words" had roughly the same plot. In "A Thousand Words" Eddie Murphy's character believed that he would die when the last leaf fell from a tree in his backyard. The leaves only fell when Eddie spoke so he had to be more judicious with his words if he wanted to live.

In "Falling Leaves" Dr. Earl Headley (Mace Greenleaf) tells Winifred Thompson (Marian Swayne) that she will die of consumption by the time the last leaf falls (i.e. By winter's end). Consumption was the name of tuberculosis back in the days. Her little sister Trixie (Magda Foy), taking the statement quite literally, tried to tie the leaves to their branches to keep her poor big sister alive.

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This worthwhile and often moving melodrama deals with what at the time was a very topical concern, dramatizing the effects of tuberculosis and the hope of a cure for it. The story is slightly over-optimistic, in that it implies more than was true at the time about what could be done for afflicted patients, but as a story it is well-crafted, and it is quite effective, in addition to obviously being well-meaning.

The main characters are two sisters, one of whom has tuberculosis, their parents, and the doctors who attend the sick girl. The nicely-chosen title "Falling Leaves" comes from a touching misunderstanding of the younger sister when she hears a doctor's gloomy prognosis for her beloved sister. Her innocent misconception drives the plot and makes her a very sympathetic character.

Given the somber nature of the material, the characters are quite believable, and are played with sensitivity yet without any excess emoting. The two daughters and their mother are particularly endearing characters. The story, likewise, is told with good pacing. This is one of director Alice Guy Blaché's best surviving movies, and her naturalistic approach works quite well in this story. It's easily one of the better features of its genre and era.

This film begins with Dr. Headley showing off his success at treating tuberculosis (in this film called by the old term 'consumption')--a serious epidemic in the early 20th century throughout the world. Then rather abruptly, it switches to a dramatization of a tuberculosis victim. However, instead of realistically portraying its effects, the actress goes from seemingly normal to grandiose spasms in a matter of seconds. The mother shows great concern, while the youngest child (Trixie) just seems kind of lost--wandering about the frame. When the doctor comes out after examining the young lady, he waxes poetical and talks about falling leaves--more like he's delivering a speech than a real doctor.

Fortunately for the sick girl, Trixie snaps out of her useless wandering about and decides to take action (even though she looks to be only about 6 years-old). She sneaks out of the house at night and locates Dr. Headley who then agrees to treat her older sister. Then, with the aid of Headley's serum, the girl is cured and lives happily ever after.

Overall, while the film has obvious dramatic flaws, it is very good for a 1912 film. Had it been made just a few years later, it would have been seen as very old fashioned. BUT, in 1912 ALL films were old fashioned and dated. So, relatively speaking, it's a very good film. Seen today, it is more an interesting curio.