La Nuit mystérieuse

Like so many D.W. Griffith films, "One Exciting Nigh": has an informative subtitle, so "A Comedy Drama of Mystery" opens in "somber Africa", where the origin of Carol Dempster (as Agnes Harrington) is shown. Moreover, title cards advise viewers to watch the film's beginning scenes with intensity. It's good advice. Indeed, the well-designed plot unfolds in layers; and, the film's characterizations are a great strength. The drama centers on Ms. Dempster, and two suitors - Henry Hull (as John Fairfax) and Morgan Wallace (as J. Wilson Rockmaine). Dempster has accepted a proposal of marriage to Mr. Wallace; not for love, but to save her foster mother from scandal; Wallace witnessed Mrs. Harrington (Margaret Dale) steal a watch, as the Harrington family faced financial ruin. Then, Dempster catches Mr. Hull's eye; and, the two fall desperately in love…

Intricate, imaginative storytelling, and direction from Griffith, who weaves his characters into the standard mysterious "Old Dark House" formula, involving, of course, money and murder. The film's strong performances are tainted by some disturbingly offensive racial stereotypes. For example, the depiction of ambition among black-faced Porter Strong (as Romeo Washington), introduced in his listless "colored" community, is bound to leave you stone-faced. At least Mr. Strong's rolling bug-eyed "darkie" will provide a classic example of a racist character "type", if you're interested. However, such depictions taint an otherwise excellent, near indispensable, Griffith film.

Dempster was not always well-served by mentor Griffith; but, herein, she excels. Her awkwardly beautiful, and naively vulnerable character offered Dempster one of her best roles; and, it is delivered at a time when she had the silent acting prowess necessary for a leading role. Hull is outstanding as her leading man; a thoroughly believable young romantic, he makes their relationship work. Watch for the great courtship scene with Hull, Dempster, and her parasol; it defines their young, innocent love. Wallace is fine as the man who comes between them. Smaller roles, like Charles Mack's turn as an unfortunate houseguest, are likewise expertly played. "One Exciting Night" is perhaps too long; but, Griffith keeps thing moving, and little seems superfluous. The close-to-the-edge and ending scenes could blow you away.

******** One Exciting Night (10/2/22) D.W. Griffith ~ Carol Dempster, Henry Hull, Morgan Wallace, Charles Emmett Mack

D. W. Griffith made his only venture into the mystery field here, primarily due to the success of the "old dark house" genre, stimulated by Mary Roberts Rinehart's novel, THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE, which was very successfully filmed and staged (with Avery Hopwood) as THE BAT. The script written by Griffith (as Irene Sinclair) is extremely complicated, and engages the cast in a jointed series of plots revolving for the most part about attempts at discovery of a missing half-million dollars of bootlegger takings, secreted somewhere within a mansion that is replete with secret passages and hidden panels. Griffith gave his mistress, Carol Dempster, the female lead romantically linked with Henry Hull, whose kinetic limberness is difficult to match, although she acts well, and vigorously too, as much of the scenario provides comedic lunacy; Morgan Wallace is particularly engaging as a Dempster suitor. The film is well-edited, and the special effects by Edward Scholl are creative, to say the least; however, Griffith's penchant for adding numerous story lines to his cinematic landscape causes more than a bit of weariness in the viewer as the work pitches constantly among romantic, mystery and comedy themes; as to be expected, the small moments of detail when the talented players are given rein are generally the most satisfying.

...but I hated the editing, continuity and aspecially the inserts. I know it's made 100 years ago but most films made don't have those issues.

The story was nice and the actors were okay.

There are two reasons why you'd rent One Exciting Night, an old silent movie nearly 100 years old: Either you love D.W. Griffith's movies, or you love Henry Hull and this is the only silent movie of his you can get your hands on. I watched it for Henry, and it was worth it. He's so cute! With the advent of talkies, and his fame on Broadway for playing the old, crotchety Jeeter in Tobacco Road, he was almost always made up to be an old man and told to use a gruff, gravely voice. You'd never think, watching him in Jesse James or Great Expectations, that he looked like Matt Dillon when he was young! Seriously, folks, if you don't think it's possible that the grizzly old doctor from High Sierra was ever handsome, you've got to rent this silent movie.

This long romance-mystery takes place mostly in a beautiful mansion. Guests get together for a party, but there's a burglary underfoot. While dead bodies pop up and detectives try to figure things out, there's also a love story. The beautiful Carol Dempster feels pressured to marry the older, creepy Morgan Wallace because her mother wants his money, but as soon as she meets Henry Hull, her heart tells her to disobey.

This movie has a running time of 2 ½ hours, and it easily could have been edited down to a flat two hours if all the racism was eliminated. I'll admit it leaves a really bad taste in your mouth and ruins the rest of the movie. The prominent characters of color are white actors in blackface, and while it's not hard to believe black actors wouldn't want to take such insulting roles, it's more likely that the studio preferred to pay white actors.

If you do decide to watch it, with your fast-forward button handy, you'll be treated to another D.W. Griffith epic. This may start out as a simple house party, but you'll get to see where the studio put its money: a huge rainstorm that topples trees threatens to tear the young lovers apart. Henry not only wrestles with the rain, trees, and mud, but he also gets into fistfights with bad guys and gets to woo Carol with a big, sweeping kiss. This movie contains one of two onscreen kisses I've seen him enjoy, so that's pretty exciting. It's a whole different ball game to master silent acting versus talkies, and it's just delightful to see Henry Hull, famous for his gravelly voice, as the young romantic lead with delicate features. Plus, Carol is cute as a button and gets to parade around in some adorable dresses, too!

This was long for a silent film, over two hours, but probably the best silent film I have seen to date.

The story starts in Africa where a man is traveling with his sister-in-law, who is ill and just delivered a baby girl. They receive news that his brother, her husband was gravely ill himself. Subsequently both parents die...thinking that if he gets rid of the baby there is nothing to stop him from inheriting the estate, title and fortune...the uncle first thinks of killing the baby girl, but instead gives her to the nurse to take to America and raise in anonymity.

Sixteen years later, the girl named Agnes has been raised by this cold nurse who she believes to be her mother...but not really understanding warm motherly affection. The nurse having run out of money compromises herself and gets observed stealing by a wealthy older man. This man takes advantage of the situation by promising not to turn her in if she will marry young Agnes to him. After explaining the situation to Agnes she agrees to sacrifice herself to the old creepy man in marriage, which is how they become engaged.

Subsequently, a young wealthy land owner returns from his travels and meets Agnes...the two fall in love. He invites Agnes and her "mother" to stay at his estate.

The estate which has been unoccupied for years has, unbeknownst to the young man, been being used by bootleggers to store their stock bootleg. Learning the house is being opened up again, they rush to get their supplies out the back.

In the evening there is a big dinner party, but we discover that before the dinner party one bootlegger turned on the other and tried to steal a half a million dollars in cash. He is cornered and killed by his partner but not before he managed to stash the cash. While the staff are opening the house up, the young man's butler discovers the bag containing the cash...but he only sees the important documents that were placed by the bootlegger on top. Thinking the papers were important he takes them downstairs and locks them in the safe which is behind a hidden panel in the wall.

Staff members discover the murdered bootlegger upstairs and the police detectives are called. Meanwhile a dinner party happens and many guests and staff are behaving suspiciously as people sneak off...we assume one of them is the murderer and looking for the money.

And so this becomes a murder mystery...with lots of shady characters!

It was great...although I am not sure it needed a hurricane like storm, but it has one!

"Don't reveal the villain and pay attention to the early scenes..."

I am going to honor their wishes and not share who the villain is, only to say that I was able to guess but it did not dim my delight with the film at all.

A bit of a surprise that I enjoyed tremendously!

I loved one of the end scenes tremendously...a hand kiss followed by a kiss on the cheek (do you know which one).

I highly recommend this to silent movie fans and just cinema fans in general!

"Mystery of love, the sweetest of mysteries without which there would be no light...no music..."

"That moment when a man asks a woman to go with him on the path of Love. The path that goes through life and on through eternity."