Enoch Arden: Part II

Public protests changed the film business when it came to showing movies in theaters. From 1905, films were shown almost exclusively in small nickelodeon movie theaters. For five cents, viewers were treated to a bill of very short films or a longer one called one-reelers (because a movie could fit onto one projector reel) that were no more than 10- 15 minutes. These movies had self-contained plots within their short timeframes.

Director D. W. Griffith, when he saw several Italian imports that were much longer than the standard one-reeler, realized the potential of expanding plots would be much more of an enriching experience for his audience. He had earlier produced a two-part (in essence a sequel to the first movie) motion picture, "His Trust" and "His Trust Fulfilled" which was separately played. However, the two-part film, even though having the same characters, had two different plot lines. To see "His Trust" and "His Trust Fulfilled," viewers were charged by Nnckelodean theater owners two separate times.

When Griffith's June 1911's "Enoch Arden" was released as a two-reeler, 33 minutes long, theater owners resorted to their standard practice of charging the regular price for first half, then cleared out theater. To see the second half, viewers had to pay again.

Public clamor following this procedure was so great theaters decided to charge double to see the entire movie without interruption. Biograph Studios, who funded the production of Griffith's film, recognized theater owners were profiting by charging more for viewing the movie. The studio ended up upping the rental expense for the two-reeler. "Enoch Arden" was just the start of longer movies being produced in the United States. Because of the small theaters nickelodeon owners had, there would be a demand for larger movie venues since more people were willing to stay longer even though it would cost more. The era of cramped nickelodeons was slowly drawing to a close.

On a technical note, Griffith was getting more comfortable with improving the aesthetics of his films. He directed his cameraman to get in tighter for a two-shot closeup of the husband/wife duo (photo seen below). He realized by showing a closer examination of the pair's emotions the audience would realize the tremendous love between the two before they split.

For those who are familiar with the Tom Hanks film "Castaway," the 2000 movie is quite similar to Griffith's. In fact, it appears to be a direct rip-off. "Enoch Arden" is based on the Alfred Tennyson 1864 dramatic poem of the same name. The United States has a law in the books, The Enock Arden Law, that grants a divorce or a legal exception to a person allowing individuals to remarry if his or her spouse has been absent for a number of years--usually seven--without explanation. After seven years, the missing spouse can be declared legally dead.

This silent short film by D.W. Griffith is a fine example of melodrama in the early years of the silver screen. Very few script cards are used, and one must imagine what the discussions were between the players. In the very earliest years of cinema, most films were shorts - ranging from 10 to 20 minutes.

This story was based on a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson. It's a fine example of drama, tragedy, love and self-sacrifice. Hollywood would later revive the plot of this tale and turn it into a wonderful comedy. "My Favorite Wife," in 1940, starred Cary Grant and Irene Dunne (with Dunne receiving top billing). The highly successful film earned three Oscar nominations for RKO; and 20 years later, 20th Century Fox wanted to make another film to star Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin. That fell through and three years later, it came out with "Move Over, Darling," starring Doris Day and James Garner. I saw this short, "Enoch Arden II," as a bonus special on my DVD of "Move Over, Darling."

The star of this film, Wilfred Lucas, was typical of many of the actors of the very early years of silent films. Many made more than 300 films, starring in some and having supporting or lesser roles in others. But, since shorts were just that, 10 to 20 minutes, most had only a few actors in the cast. Lucas was in a total of 409 films. In 1911 alone, he made 46 films - all shorts. He broke into film in 1908, at the age of 37. More than 200 of his films were talkies, but his roles after the end of the silent era were almost exclusively uncredited.

One of the extras on the Move Over, Darling DVD was this, Part 2 of Enoch Arden of which-according to the text on the listing of special features-Part 1 was missing. What I saw was compelling enough in depicting a man going on a voyage and ending up on an island alone while his wife waits for him and his kids are growing up. For several years, another man asks for her hand but she refuses most of that time waiting for her husband to come back. If you know the plot of the movie I mention at the beginning of this review, you can probably guess what happens here but since this was more of a drama, the result isn't quite what you might expect. D.W. Griffith does well enough in his direction of his silent version of Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem. So on that note, that's a recommendation. Update-The next day after this review: It seems the person who wrote about Part 1 missing was mistaken as I watched the same thing on Internet Archive with the same length. Also, music on the MOD DVD was repetitious so I definitely prefer the score on IA.

This short feature completes the story of Tennyson's "Enoch Arden", starting with a short summary of the first part, and then picking up right where the earlier film left off. It is most notable for the effective use of cross-cutting, as it goes back-and-forth between Arden's predicament and the lives of his family.

The basic premise of the story contains a lot of possibilities, so it is no surprise that besides the direct renderings of "Enoch Arden", both comedies like "My Favorite Wife" and dramas like "Cast Away" have been based on similar premises, and end up going in very different directions. The Cary Grant/Irene Dunne feature, for example, went for comedy, and thus started at a much different point in the story.

On the other hand, the strong point of "Cast Away" was in how Tom Hanks and the production team made his experience on the island so believable and compelling. Unfortunately, almost all of the sequences away from the island were much less believable, and too often were rather routine.

Here, the story continually switches back-and-forth, and in general it works pretty well. It would be next to impossible for a movie to convey the depths of emotions as well as a fine writer like Tennyson could do in a poem, but Griffith does well enough, especially given the limitations of cinema in 1911. Besides the parallel editing, he uses an occasional detail to help emphasize the themes and possibilities.

As for the cast, Linda Arvidson again is probably the most effective, as Annie. The two male characters are less fully developed, but things still fit together pretty well in telling the somber yet interesting story.

Enoch now has grown children. With the help of Philip, they have managed to survive despite trying times. Annie resists marrying him for a long time, but eventually she decides to move on. However, the marriage is sad because she still longs for Enoch, who is still all alone on the island. Philip has no satisfaction in the marriage even though the children love him and are grateful for him. This is a story poem by Tennyson, and I leave the ending to you. This is quite powerful film made in 1911.