The Revenue Man and the Girl

A very tense and dramatic story of the Kentucky mountains which gives some of the Biograph players a chance to do some remarkably human and poignant acting. The story is like a mountain torrent, now lashed into white foam, now deeply emotional like a pine-shadowed pool. It is produced and acted to give a deep and lasting impression. The scenario is strong. The producer deserves much credit for his scenes and his types. The heroine and the little girl especially deserve praise. The heroine pictures her love for the revenue man and her sense that her father's death in a fight with his posse should be revenged. Love wins. - The Moving Picture World, October 7, 1911

In the Kentucky backwoods, Dorothy West helps her moonshiner father take some jugs to his still; along the way, she meets dashing Edwin August. Ms. West and Mr. August are immediately attracted to each other - but he is "The Revenue Man ", which means, of course, trouble for the moonshiners. After August begins arresting the bootleggers, citizens dependent on the alcohol trade take up arms against the man. Even West wields a rifle; when a loved one is shot, she wants to hunt down, and kill, revenue man August. When she comes upon him, and takes aim, she hesitates after she sees he is a lover of doves, like she…

Director D.W. Griffith's prowling, bearded posse of moonsshiners becomes quite visually menacing in the woodsy exterior; which is New Jersey, actually, as photographed by G.W. Bitzer. The subsequent hiding of August under West's bed is an exciting moment; and, West performs amicably. In "The Revenue Man and His Girl", West foreshadows some later Griffith/Lilian Gish scenes. Little Gladys Egan appears, naturally, as the little girl. Alfred Paget and Donald Crisp also appear.

**** The Revenue Man and His Girl (9/25/11) D.W. Griffith ~ Dorothy West, Edwin August, Gladys Egan

A shared fondness for doves sparks an attraction between hillbilly moonshiner's daughter Dorothy West and the revenue man (Edwin August) out to break up her clan's moonshining operation in this movie from D.W. Griffith set amongst the hills of Kentucky. Griffith creates a fair amount of tension with this one - a scene in which half a dozen members of the clan emerge as one from the bushes is even quite chilling. The abrupt ending of the online print suggests some footage is missing.

Revenue Man and the Girl, The (1911)

*** (out of 4)

D.W. Griffith short set in the hills of Kentucky where a government man comes to force taxes on a group of moonshiners but he ends up falling for a girl (Dorothy West). This is a pretty good short with Griffith once again standing up against poor people and putting down the government. West is very good in her role and Mabel Normand is also on hand.

You can find this short online and on some fan made Griffith compilations.