At the Crossroads of Life

At the Crossroads of Life is a typically Victorian-style melodrama in which a girl's wishes to be an actress are condemned by her stern father, a man of the cloth who has no time for those in the acting profession. Back then, actors were seen as dubious characters (and movie actors were considered the worst of the lot, looked down upon even by stage actors).

Linda Arvidson plays the ambitious daughter, with D. W. Griffith - who also wrote the screenplay - playing her suitor. The acting is a little florid, something that Griffith knew wasn't right for the screen - and which can be seen in his relatively reserved performance here. Wallace McCutcheon's direction is pedestrian at best. Although he would quickly become the most influential director of the early cinema, Griffith would be rehashing this melodramatic story over and over for the next twenty years.