The Female of the Species

Subtitled "A Psychological Tragedy", this one's about four survivors of a deserted mining camp making their way across a hot and windy western desert. Claire McDowell leads the group; alongside her are: her ailing husband Charles West, and her sister Mary Pickford. Before leaving, Ms. McDowell invites abandoned woman Dorothy Bernard to join the group; and, she gratefully accepts. As they journey, Mr. West's health falters, and Ms. Bernard is rebuffed for showing him some possible affection.

At their first rest stop, lady leader McDowell takes Ms. Pickford out to fetch some water, leaving husband West alone with the comely Bernard. Pickford has already begun to suspect Bernard is making advances on her brother-in-law, and persuades her sister to sneak back and catch the twosome. Sure enough, they discover Bernard and West trysting - however, it was West who initiated the contact, not the suspected Bernard. After West dies of his ailments, McDowell and Pickford become obsessed with vengeance, disbelieving the innocent Bernard…

A atmospherically visual treat from D.W. Griffith, G.W. Bitzer and the good folks at Biograph; "The Female of the Species" is filmed in warm and windy California. The performances of the lead actresses McDowell, Pickford, and Bernard are outstanding. The story is not up to snuff, however - the "womankind" strengths are unbalanced by some odd motivations and situations. Perhaps the most implausible moment occurs when husband West's "dominant vagary" temporarily cures whatever is ailing him, so he can vigorously attack his alluring prey. Obviously, somebody needed to bottle vagary!

****** The Female of the Species (4/15/12) D.W. Griffith ~ Claire McDowell, Mary Pickford, Dorothy Bernard

Claire McDowell is my favorite character in this film, an amazing presence. I've been watching this film all my life, I bought an 8mm from Blackhawk Films in the 70s, to view it, using my Dad's projector and screen without music. We were all interested in Mary Pickford's performance, very much unlike her later roles, of course. She's such a trouble maker in this movie! And Dorothy Bernard is so lovely, she really makes you feel for her, unjustly accused of flirting with Mary Pickford's older sister (Claire McDowell)'s husband! I enjoy the title cards, especially the use of the word "vagaries" - an archaic word that I've recently used in a song, with all credit to DW Griffith. When the baby cries, I always felt that I could HEAR it in this silent film. I get that involved in it. In fact, we started wearing our hair like they do, when we first saw this movie in the 70s on public television! Now I have it on DVD, that Griffith collection of short films. I think I'll watch it today!

Some very good cinematic touches make this simple melodrama a good short feature. The story is simple and a bit too dependent on coincidence, but otherwise it is a skillfully made little film that will hold your attention. The plot concerns a small group of survivors from an abandoned mining town, who are making a desperate journey across the desert when tensions erupt and threaten all of their lives. The acting is quite good for the most part, and the cast includes Mary Pickford, though in a role quite different from those that would later make her famous. The filming was done with the old method of fixing the camera's field of reference for each scene, but Griffith did a lot to make up for it. In particular, the desert atmosphere is established very well through good backgrounds, blowing sand, and the like. It's a worthwhile film for anyone interested in these very old short features.

As with most of Griffith's Biograph one-reelers, this film is melodramatic and moralistic. It tells the story of three women and a man marooned in the desert, trying to walk out. The man dies; acrimony between his wife and one of the women ensues; they find an orphaned indian baby and are reconciled by their mutual devotion to the maternal virtues. This is standard Griffith fare. The film is exceptional, though, for the quality of photography and composition. The clearly-drawn characters, and the emotional intensity revealed by the use of close-ups, looks forward to Griffith's use of these techniques in "Birth of a Nation" three years later.

Three women find themselves stranded in the desert in this drama from D. W. Griffith, and to complicate matters one of them suspects another of having cheated with her husband shortly before his death. An unusually downbeat picture from Griffith that is loaded with atmosphere and a measure of tension, but which ultimately goes nowhere due to an incredibly weak ending.