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.

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

One of D.W. Griffith's most interesting Biograph short films, with one of his favorite settings being in the countryside, you won't find much cinematic melodrama from 1909 under a quarter-hour better than "The Country Doctor." There's a repurposing of the crosscutting common of last-minute-rescue pictures, of which Griffith made many, such as the same year's "The Lonely Villa," for the dramatic tension of a character's dilemma (the doctor trying to treat two young patients, one his daughter, in separate locations). Another technical innovation is the framing of the story by two panning shots, from cinematographer Billy Bitzer, at the beginning and end. The first shot is a pan right--like the meandering stream in the frame or film reel unwinding the frame--demonstrating the bucolic nature of the rather ironically named, as it turns out, "Valley of Stillwater" where the drama will proceed. A pan left resolves our intrusion on the tragedy by escorting us out of it at the end. For a short that largely takes place in two rooms (complete with Biograph logos on the walls to protect against bootlegs), these framing pans along with some idyllic rural photography of the doctor's family enjoying the outdoors early on make for a pictorially lovely early film.

There are at least a couple other historically interesting things about this one. I reviewed it because it's an early cinematic depiction of a doctor and an apparent outbreak of disease (which, although unmentioned in the picture, appears to be diphtheria). Although the doctor's dilemma in which sick child to treat is effective drama, I'm not sure his treatment matters much--seeming to consist at most of applying a wet rag to relieve fever symptoms--but, I suppose, they wouldn't necessarily know any better back then. It seems somewhat odd, too, that despite the image we may have of the early 20th century as given to more widespread contagious diseases, our pandemic of 2020 aside, there don't seem to be many films that deal with such epidemic subjects. When they do, it tends to be to give one main character an illness for dramatic purposes. But, then again, this was long before disaster movie formulas were a thing, and most silent films are lost and only a few of those that survive are available for someone like me to view them.

The other thing is the acting, which isn't bad for its time--part of the evolution of the style of Griffith players adopting a system of gestures more in line with cinematic expression than broad theatricality. Sure, the doctor goes from that goofy, happy-go-lucky face to deathly concern twice and just as abruptly as the last, but that his change in demeanor is so readily apparent at its slightest alteration on screen points to the effectiveness of the acting. Additionally, there's the "Biograph Girl" (later, "IMP Girl"), Florence Lawrence, reportedly one of America's first movie stars, in the cast as the doctor's wife. Future mega-star Mary Pickford has a bit part, too. There doesn't appear to be much of Lawrence's early work widely available anymore, at least not in as good of shape as the prints for this one, so her prominent role here is a nice opportunity. She's fine is the introductory serene moments, but there's certainly some dated arm waving and flailing about later. Even that, though, may get a pass considering the era the film was made and that her daughter is dying in the picture, and I don't think it severely detracts from what is, overall, an exemplary 1909 short, technically and dramatically.

This somber D.W. Griffith drama is still quite effective in grabbing hold of your emotions and making you anguish over the dilemmas facing its characters. It's hard to see how even today anyone could significantly improve on the way that it gets the most out of the material.

Griffith chose to open the story with a long panning shot of a beautiful countryside, before introducing "The Country Doctor" and his family. This opening is very effective in establishing the setting, and in fact the first few minutes are taken up with that shot and with some light-hearted scenes of the family outdoors. When the more serious part of the story is suddenly introduced, it is that much more effective for the contrast that has been established.

The main story is based on a simple but powerful premise, as the doctor must make agonizing decisions between his duty as a physician and his loyalty to his own family. Many things work together to make it so effective. The cast (which includes early audience favorite Florence Lawrence as the doctor's wife, and Mary Pickford in a smaller role) is pretty good, and the technique is quite refined for 1909. The cross-cutting at crucial points is particularly effective, as is the careful setup of several significant parallels.

Although many other film-makers of the era deserve to share the credit with Griffith for introducing and experimenting with the kinds of techniques that would soon become standard, this feature is a good example of why Griffith attained the kind of reputation that he had. It's very carefully done, and it works well enough to remain effective even today.

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.