The Idol Dancer

Idol Dancer, The (1920)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

One of two films D.W. Griffith made in Florida, this one is considered by many to be his worst feature and from what I've seen, I would agree. Set in the South Seas, a wild child native (Clarine Seymour) finds the visiting white folks tiresome because they keep trying to get her and her people to wear dresses of religious folks. One day a man (Richard Barthelmess) washes up on the beach and before long he gets a crash on the native girl but another preacher comes for a visit and grows a crush to. While these romances are going on, an evil white man is trying to stir up trouble with another native tribe of black men in hopes that he can get them to attack the other side for pearls. As you can tell, the story here is all over the place and never does it make any sense nor is it every clear what Griffith is going for. The film runs 102-minutes, which is about forty-two minutes too long. The entire story with the rival locals comes off very forced and the romance never blossoms, which is shocking because the director can usually pull that off with ease. The tribal dance done by Seymour is incredibly stupid and I have to wonder how much whiskey Griffith had before directing her. There are some good things though, including the scenery, which is downright beautiful. It's nice seeing the coastline of Florida before everything that's there now. Seymour is also very good in her role (outside the dance) bringing an innocence to the screen, which is quite refreshing. Griffith's other South Sea tale, The Love Flower is much better.

Richard Barthelmess (as Dan McGuire) is a Beachcomber, "a derelict thrown upon the shore by shifting waves and winds of many adventures"; gin is his only consolation. Clarine Seymour is Mary, with the "blood of vivacious France, inscrutable Java, and languorous Samoa mingle in her veins"; the South Sea natives call her "White Almond Flower". Arriving on the South Sea isle is its missionary's nephew Creighton Hale (as Walter Kincaid), "an invalid, whose greatest moral offense has been kissing his cousin in a dark hallway." Ms. Seymour's heathen dancing ignites passion and jealousy in Mr. Barthelmess and Mr. Hale.

"The Idol Dancer" is Seymour, but another dancer steals the show: Florence Short (as Pansy), she first appears about five minutes into the film. Described as "a savage flower who yields to missionary clothes, but wriggles free from all other conventions," the character is ludicrous. It's difficult to believe there was a time when this sort of portrayal was inoffensive! Short lusts after Peter, a native minister, and several others. Also eye-opening are two fight scenes between "white boy" Thomas Carr and "native boy" Ben Grauer. The latter boy doesn't wear pants, and worships the Devil (he's native, remember); this upsets young Carr, who wants the other kid to wear pants, and convert to Christianity. Later, (if you are still watching) the boys have a re-match. Carr wins the second fight, and forces pants on Grauer; though, he does put up a struggle! When Grauer tries to take his pants off, Carr threatens to punch him; then, he makes Grauer go to Church.

Otherwise, this D.W. Griffith directed film is notable for the scenic South Sea photography, by G.W. Bitzer. George MacQuarrie and Kate Bruce are noteworthy (as Rev. and Mrs. Franklyn Blythe). Herbert Sutch (as Old Thomas) is "a trader on the beach, very much perplexed by the strange, sweet, exotic maidenhood of his adopted daughter (Seymour)." Barthelmess and Hale perform well, despite it all. Sadly, Seymour unexpectedly died as this film was being released; she was a promising young actress.

*** The Idol Dancer (3/21/20) D.W. Griffith ~ Richard Barthelmess, Clarine Seymour, Creighton Hale

"The Idol Dancer" is one of D.W. Griffith's two South Seas dramas made in Florida; "The Love Flower" is the other. It's a low point in his career--before his resurgence with "Way Down East". The story involves missionaries trying to make natives wear pants. Richard Barthelmess, as an alcoholic beachcomber, and Clarine Seymour, as the idol dancer, are briefly amusing, but the boring missionaries and the film's questionable morals soon ruin that.

Griffith's direction is prosaic and slipshod. The climax is derivative of "The Birth of a Nation", and like that film "The Idol Dancer" is racist, too, but has nothing to make itself worthwhile despite it. This one deserves its place as one of Griffith's lesser and ignored, or forgotten, pictures.