The Ocean Waif

I just saw this film as part of TCM's Women Pioneer Filmmakers Series. What a fascinating woman Alice Guy Blache was! And what a shame (although that isn't a strong enough word) that her legacy is not well-known to the public. This film is quite enchanting--parts of it reminded me of "Broken Blossoms" (1919). But while it has elements of tragedy, and even a dark streak of incest courtesy of the foster father, there are tender and light-hearted moments of comedy that keep it from bogging into too much sentiment. Guy's motto was "Be Natural", and it's amazing how well the actors in her company took this to heart--there is very little of the histrionic style of acting in this film, which makes it so much easier for a modern audience to watch.

Alice Guy Blache's films should be revived, they should be available on VHS and DVD, and her legacy needs to be recognized!

Frederic Chapin who wrote the story and Eustace Hale Ball who wrote the screenplay have put together a very hybrid concotion here. The ocean waif part of the story is lkie somethig out of a Mary Pickford film while the plot about the novelist coming to write in a haunted house is straight out of George Cohan's hit play of 1913, Seven Keys to Baldpate which was actually filmed in 1916 in Australia and would be filmed again, with Cohan himself in the lead, in 1917. It's quite neatly done if one ignores those very tiresome close-ups that were fashionable in nearly all US films 1915-1918. The best thing is perhaps Londoner Edward Norton doing the "British servant" act that he would continue to do for in umpteen films for three further decades......

The glaring close-ups contribute to the even more glaring predictability of the rest of the plot.

Alice Guy-Blanche was one of cinema's true pioneers, yet it seems as if her work barely gets any recognition. Kino has released quite a few of her films on DVD (including this one), which I'm definitely pleased to see. But even with quite a few of her films being available on disc, she still doesn't have as big a following as she deserves. From my point of view, she belongs on the same list as great early film pioneers like the Lumiere brothers, Georges Melies, D.W. Griffith, and Edwin S. Porter. She was one of the first female filmmakers, and a lot of her films are truly amazing, from the 1906 epic "The Birth, The Life, and the Death of Christ" to the sweet 1912 drama that is "Falling Leaves", she left quite a legacy behind her. A legacy that deserves more attention.

What about THIS Alice Guy Blanche film? Is it any good?

It certainly is very good. In fact, it's MAGNIFICENT!!!

There's just something about this film that I found to be very beautiful. It's hard to put into words the beauty of "The Ocean Waif", I'd recommend you see it for yourself just to take in the experience. The truly impacting experience.

If I had to put into words what makes "The Ocean Waif" so beautiful to me, it would be the pure sweetness of it. It's just so sweet and lovely! The characters are so charming and likable (except for the antagonist), the humor is so funny, and the emotion is so strong. There's scenes that are intense, there's scenes that are hilarious, and there's scenes that are just plain romantic.

It never really gets all too melodramatic like some silent films seem to do. It manages to be a very calm and peaceful film for a majority of its running time. The plot is simple, the length is short, and it never goes over the top with drama. Sure, there's drama, but that drama manages to be very well written and well shot. Everything works on both technically and script wise. To me, it was all around perfect.

After 100 full years of existence, "The Ocean Waif" still manages to be charming, funny, heartwarming, and unspeakably beautiful...and on top of all of that it's only 40 minutes!

A true masterpiece, if there were only more films like it!

The Ocean Waif (1916)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Silent melodrama about author Ronald Roberts (Carlyle Blackwell) who gets word that his latest book is a huge seller so he's asked to write another. He winds up in a small location to write but he ends up getting involved with a young woman named Millie (Doris Kenyon) who is trying to get away from her abusive father.

Alice Guy directed this film, which has enough good moments to make it worth viewing, although there's no doubt that it's still far from being a classic or even a good movie for that matter. I think the main reason to watch it is for the performances that are actually pretty good. Blackwell certainly makes you believe his character but it's Kenyon who steals the picture. I thought she was very good no matter what type of emotion her character was playing and I especially liked the chemistry of the two actors.

The film features some nice cinematography and there's no doubt that Guy has a good way to build up the relationship. With that said, even for 1916 standards the story itself really isn't anything we hadn't already seen and there's no question that it's quite predictable. Fans of silents will want to check it out.

Handsome young novelist Carlyle Blackwell (as Ronald Roberts) receives a message while yachting. His current novel is wildly successful and the publisher wants a follow-up. Meanwhile, on shore, pretty Doris Kenyon (as Millie) is beaten and pushed around by her alcoholic foster-father William Morris (as Hy Jessup). Having finally had enough, Ms. Kenyon runs away and moves into an abandoned mansion. There are rats living there, but Kenyon manages to stay out of their way. They are joined by Mr. Blackwell and his fussy valet Edgar Norton (as Hawkins). Blackwell needs a romantic and inspirational place to write his new book...

At first, Kenyon tries to stay hidden. The men wonder if she's the ghost talked about in the village. With Blackwell in the picture, you can count on romance. He is attracted to Kenyon, but his fiancée visits. There could even be a murder...

"The Ocean Waif" has deteriorated in spots, but can be enjoyed and understood. Directed by Alice Guy and produced by her husband Herbert Blache, the movie features nice Gothic house and fairly representative performances. The main draw, Carlyle Blackwell was a very big star. There is a limited level of restoration; due to severe damage, taking out every white spot would have been visually disarming. The film was certainly a longer feature, with at least 15 minutes missing. Apparently, a "bathing scene" featuring Kenyon is cut. Even more obvious, much of the ending is lost. A couple title cards, short clips and flashbacks successfully end the story.

**** The Ocean Waif (1916-11-02) Alice Guy ~ Carlyle Blackwell, Doris Kenyon, Edgar Norton, William Morse