The Country Doctor

You might have noticed opening shots in movies when they appear after the titles. These are called establishing shots, and they set in motion the locale, time (current or in the past) and the mood of the film. The first such cinematic shot appearing in film took place in July 1909 with the release of D. W. Griffith's "The Country Doctor." The establishing shot in this film is a panning opening (camera moves left to right). Most establishing shots are a series of wide static shots. Griffith's opening takes a deliberate view of the countryside, which was filmed in Greenwich, CT. The sequence lingers over the warm plush scenery until ending at the front door of the doctor's house. This opening establishes the bucolic nature of the residing family which the plot revolves around, who are seen in the following sequence running through a field of flowers. The opening shot also becomes symbolic to nature's role in the subsequent action as well as to the contradictory irony that nature plays in everyone's lives (see linked article). Appearing as the sick child's mother is actress Florence Lawrence, who was becoming a familiar face to Biograph Studio Production audiences. Yet the studio still refused to identify the name of this actress to the public. Griffith's opening served as a template for future movies in cinema, weighing the importance in that initial shot of films going forward.

This Griffith short is relatively straightforward, on the surface anyway: a country doctor has to tend to two girls who are bedridden and may be dying at the same time. One may live and one... well, you should watch it to find out that part. What stands out of course is the parallel editing, and the ending is somber and melodramatic, but the actors play the emotion without ever going over the top. I didn't get the 'metaphysical' panning shot part of it, showing the valley where the doctor lives at the start and the beginning. It doesn't add much to the drama of the story, and is Griffith's way of jamming in something spiritual, but the shots look exactly the same from the opening to the closing. We also don't get any sense of the doctor's family life before these two girls become sick, it just jumps right into this conflict of the story: will the doctor be able to save both girls. That makes for a good subject, and again the actors are all solid, but it's not great. There isn't much room for anything as far as changing up shots, it's all static and this only works to the benefit of near the end (to cut away from that would be unthinkable).

Frank Powell (as Dr. Harcourt), Florence Lawrence (as Mrs. Harcourt) and little Gladys Egan (as Edith Harcourt) are the perfect country family; however, tragedy strikes their idyllic world when little Gladys becomes gravely ill. Fortunately, wealthy Harcourt is also "The Country Doctor", and can sit by his daughter's bedside as she struggles to regain her health. Unfortunately, poor mother Kate Bruce and daughter Mary Pickford need Dr. Harcourt's services as Adele DeGarde, the girl in their family, is likewise bedridden. The good doctor is torn between his little girl and his responsibility as the town's doctor.

G.W. Bitzer's Greenwich, Connecticut location footage is generous, and this film's highlight; though, you'll wish it was better preserved. The story, dealing with a doctor's responsibility, is a good one. Both Mr. Powell and Ms. Lawrence go too far over-the-top in their portrayals this time around, however. Ms. Bruce and Ms. Pickford are more restrained, but little daughters Egan and DeGarde absolutely steal the show with their deadpan bedside manners, especially little Gladys!

**** The Country Doctor (7/8/09) D.W. Griffith ~ Frank Powell, Florence Lawrence, Gladys Egan, Mary Pickford

The Country Doctor (1909) : Brief Review -

Amongst DW Griffith's early works which had more heart than anything else as he tells a emotionally gripping short story of a big, noble soul. The Country Doctor is that perfect tale we hope to read in children's books and just as it happens. The emotional connect and sentimental offering of the main character is always important when it comes to such films and someone like Griffith couldn't have missed it surely. The Country Doctor is about a doctor and his emotional struggle between family and duty. In the first frame we see a pan shot of nature, scenery and then we see doctor and his family walking down the Greenery. In the very next frame, the film comes to point with his daughter falling suddenly ill. While he is worrying about her health, he is called by a native whose daughter is also terribly ill. His duty beckons and he leaves his daughter. Here we get to see Griffith's smart direction. It was 1909 so obviously dialogues and long dramatic sequences did not exist, yet he manages to show the doctor's pain. His longing for daughter and such things. That scene when he moves aside front the bed and pulls his hand away, we know how he's feeling. The next scenes are showcased as we are seeing two situations at the same time, one the doctor's daughter with her mother and the other house where the doctor is busy treating someone else's daughter. Eventually we are drove into a sentimental climax where you feel for the doctor but also have proud feeling for him. His noble work is acknowledged and that's where i think the motive of making this short is fulfilled. Overall, it's a fine piece of filmmaking as well as a good heartwarming storyline that you can connect to. The same noble stories have made Big noise in 1940s you know, so give a try to early attempts which established cinema for us.

RATING - 7.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

With exteriors filmed in pastoral Cunnecticut and an excellent cast of Griffith's top actors (Florence Lawrence, Mary Pickford, Kate Bruce, baby Gladys Egan), The Country Doctor is still an effective dramatic work, showing a doctor's moral and emotional struggle over treating a young patient while his own daughter lies dying at home.

The family's happiness at the beginning of the film is emphasized with very long takes of the happy threesome walking down their garden path, stopping in a field to pick flowers, smiling and stretching their arms skyward with contentment. Miz Larwence chews the scenery somewhat in these first shots, her gesturing breaking the serenity of the landscape. Once the film goes indoors and she trades her white summer gown for a sober black dress, she is much more controlled. The doctor/father, Frank Powell, also uses some dated indication techniques throughout the film. The real laurels go to the two children of the film, Gladys Egan and Adele DeGarde, who both play their sick-little-girl roles superbly, with subtle, realistic emotion.

There is especially lovely cinematography and scenery in this film. Billy Bitzer's opening and closing panoramic shots of the valley are stunning. Well worth seeing for many reasons, and definitely accessible to modern viewers.