The Heart of a Hero

Grapevine Video of Phoenix, AZ specializes in finding silent film titles from film collectors of titles that are little known and very difficult to see. Their recent (June 2009) release of the 1916 film "The Heart of a Hero" is a good case in point. This is a visualization of the life of patriot Nathan Hale which is based on a play by Clyde Fitch. Robert Warwick plays Nathan (and does a fine job) and Gail Kane the girl whom he loves (Alice Adams). The characters and the settings feel real and its story telling is quite effective, especially for 1916. If you are interested in historical films and/or early silent drama, then you might be interested in this title (www.grapevinevideo.com). The orchestra score included on the film doesn't do justice to the film.

Kodascope catalogs highlighted a large number of short documentaries and even a few features suitable for schools. Among the latter was "The Heart of a Hero" (1916) starring Robert Warwick in the days when he was a top matinée idol. He plays Nathan Hale – and does an excellent job too at a time when too many movie stars tended to rant and rave. The other thespians, led by the lovely Gail Kane, are also kept well in hand by Parisian import Emile Chautard. True, the director is inclined to adhere to the prevailing chain-that-camera-to-the-floor mentality, but he does allow a few horizontal pans and even a slight vertical tilt to relieve the composition tedium. Actually the 5-reel cutdown moves with admirable celerity. A lot of money was obviously spent staging the production. The screen often literally overflows with costumed extras. The sets are eye-catching and photography is nothing short of amazing. Because the film was buried in Kodak's catalog, it was hardly ever borrowed and now survives in a magnificently all-tinted version on a Grapevine DVD.