Hearts in Exile

"Hearts in Exile" is a dated, convoluted melodrama, but it's not all bad for what it is. Such flawed melodramas were typical back then, and I've seen better and worse than this. My main interest in anticipation of viewing, besides being part of my search to see a lot of old silent movies, was that it stars Clara Kimball Young. She was a rather big star in the silent era, and I found her role in another 1915 film, "Trilby", to be interesting. Set in Russia, "Hearts in Exile" begins with a peaceful love triangle among charity workers, which becomes a tragic love rectangle with the addition of police chief Nickolai. He arranges for Young's husband to be unjustly imprisoned in a Siberian work camp. All of this happens because everyone is in love with Clara Kimball Young. The painful situation of our three leads begins to be relieved only after the play briefly becomes a love pentagon, as a woman becomes jealous over Nickolai's desire for Young.

This narrative is sensationalism with convoluted turns common of old-fashioned soap operas. There are too many lurking eavesdroppers. The acting is broad and theatrical, including Young, and her role here isn't as interesting as hers was in "Trilby". But, the acting doesn't matter much when the camera is stationary, with few close-ups and lacking varied camera perspectives. On the other hand, the film achieves a decent pacing cutting back and forth between the various plots. There's a couple near match cuts on the action between Nickolai and Serge, the husband, smoking. Additionally, there are so many melodramatics going on that it's admittedly somewhat intriguing--at least for those familiar with the genre.

(Note: This is the first feature-length film I've watched via download from the Internet, and it's an undesirable means of viewing a film due to the loss of picture quality. Unfortunately, the video from which the film was uploaded onto the web seems to be out-of-print. I certainly prefer and recommend theatrical and home video viewing, but such options aren't always accessible.)

In Czarist Russia, attractive Clara Kimball Young (as Hope aka Anna Ivanovna) has "consecrated her life to work among Russia's persecuted poor." She dispenses food, medicine, and funds to the needy, from a busy charity headquarters. Poor doctor Vernon Steele (as Paul Pavloff) helps as much as he can, and wealthy merchant Claude Fleming (as Serge) donates money. Both men are in love with Ms. Kimball Young. In fact, her "pretty face" attracts most men in Russia. Another significant suitor is married Count Montagu Love (as Nicolai), who doesn't know how to take "Nyet!" for an answer…

Although Mr. Fleming is a nice guy, Kimball Young loves Mr. Steele. However, to help with her work for the poor, she marries the wealthier Fleming. Unfortunately, both men are jailed as the revolution picks up steam. As married Fleming is sentenced to serve more time, Steele decided to trade identities with his friend, to help Kimball Young and Fleming remain together.

But, as fate would have it, a mix-up puts Kimball Young with Steele in Siberia. Since she's still married to Fleming, the two must resist their sexual urges. Then, one day they learn Fleming has died. As she is free from holy matrimony, the lovers call upon Jesus Christ to preside over a hasty wedding ceremony. The couple is happy until "you-know-who" shows up alive…

The story concludes conveniently, as you might expect from seeing this plot play out both before and after this 1915 feature, with various settings. "Hearts in Exile" was one of the last in the series of films Kimball Young made with actor-director and husband James Young. Like much of what she did around the time, it was a success. Kimball Young was, at this time, one of the most popular stars in Hollywood. "Hearts in Exile" was #22 in Motion Picture Magazine's poll for the year; Kimball Young emotes well, but readers preferred her performances in "My Official Wife" (1914) and "Trilby" (1915).

**** Hearts in Exile (4/12/15) James Young ~ Clara Kimball Young, Vernon Steele, Claude Fleming, Montagu Love