Le chapeau de New York

A wonderful old film that is still enjoyable ninety years later. One of the better shorts from Griffith's Biograph period with fine performances from Lionel Barrymore and Mary Pickford. Miss Pickford always seems to brighten up a film. Wonderful actress!

I viewed this short film in my film class and I was quite impressed with it considering it's age. It is easy to understand the story although there is no voices but it's still well defined by the music. And the characters are well defined as well.

This short melodrama has a somewhat offbeat story that works pretty well thanks to its efficient characterizations and its observations on human nature. And not the least of its merits is the chance to see Mary Pickford in one of her earlier roles, as the young woman at the center of the story, who longs for "The New York Hat". The story begins with Mary's dying mother leaving an unusual request with her pastor, and then goes on to show how the situation affects everyone involved. At first it doesn't seem like much to work with, but it is done efficiently, and Pickford is charming and sympathetic as always.

Young minister Lionel Barrymore's gift of an expensive hat to Mary Pickford sets tongues wagging in their small town, but there is an innocent explanation behind it all. D. W. Griffith delivers an indictment of small-town prejudice and discrimination with a clear eye and a growing confidence towards the technical aspects of film-making.

Whenever I watch films from the silent era I do sometimes struggle to focus on the film itself rather than be lost in the fact that I am seeing something that was filmed over 100 years ago and that everyone who made it is long dead – and indeed everyone who watched it on its release is almost certainly gone the same way by now too. It is always a sobering thought and I think seeing people on the screen makes it seem more amazing than, for example, seeing a painting created hundreds of years ago. Anyway, the downside of such thoughts are that if the film isn't particularly gripping then such things tend to take over my mind and it was this case with this simple film.

The plot sees a mother of a young girl pass away. She has a small amount of money to leave her daughter but does not trust her husband and so leaves it to a minister to make sure it is kept safe for her Mollie. Mollie is a simple girl but when she sees a beautiful hat in the local store all the way from New York, she really wants it despite not having the money. The minister sees this and decides to get it for her using a small amount of her mother's trust. It is a simple act but when the town gossips see a minister buying a hat for a young girl, well, tongues soon get to wagging.

It is a very simple tale which takes longer to build to the crux than it does to resolve and as such it is not really the most engaging. The thing that holds the attention though is that the cast do a very good job of delivering the material silently (obviously). I was expecting the occasional title card to show their words here and there, but the only titles are setting the scene rather than specifics. Pickford and Barrymore are both expressive and (mostly) do not overact too much to compensate for the silence, but actually do well with character with just their faces – particularly Pickford. The supporting cast are fine although I did enjoy the stern faced old biddies enjoying their scandal.

The New York Hat is now more a historical curio rather than a great film to be enjoyed on its own terms. The director and the main cast are the main headlines and, outside of this, the story really isn't enough to hold a modern viewer.