Hearts of the World (1918)

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writers:

D.W. Griffith (English translation)
D.W. Griffith (scenario)

Release Date:

13 January 1921 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

D.W. Griffith's Supreme Triumph

Plot:

A group of youngsters grow up and love in a peaceful French village. But war intrudes and peace is shattered...

Plot Keywords:

Army | Engagement | Village Life | Attempted Rape | Musician

Cast

D.W. Griffith	...	Himself (in prologue for British release)
David Lloyd George	...	Himself - the British Prime Minister (in prologue for British release)
Sir Edward Grey	...	Himself - British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Addressing House of Commons (archive footage)
René Viviani	...	Himself - the French Premier Addressing French Chamber of Deputies (archive footage)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Elizabeth Asquith	...	Nurse
Valerie Germonprez	...	Red Cross nurse
Lady Lavery	...	Nurse
Diana Manners	...	Nurse
Bettina Stuart-Wortley	...	Nurse

Also Known As:

Love's Struggle (USA) (pre-release title)
Aos Corações do Mundo (Portugal) [pt]
Coeurs du monde (France) [fr]
Corazones del mundo (Spain) [es]
Cuori del mondo (Italy) [it]

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Filming Locations:

Aéroport du Bourget, Le Bourget, Seine-Saint-Denis, France

Company:

D.W. Griffith Productions

Trivia:

The movie was commissioned by Great Britain, which hoped that a depiction of WWI would help spur the United States to join the allies. Although D.W. Griffith had the cooperation of the British, French and Belgian governments to film in their territories, his cameraman, G.W. Bitzer, was of German descent and was not allowed in France. Griffith used an army cameraman instead.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Moving Picture Boys in the Great War (1975)

Hearts of the World

I just returned from a screening of Hearts of the World at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. This screening showed a restored version of the film with live piano accompaniment by the brilliant pianist, Donald Sosin. The film itself was quite spectacular but it was made even more so by the incredible artistry of Donald Sosin. He played for the entire 2 1/2 hours, without a break, and with just a few notated markings. He presented a very operatic treatment of the story, which suited the plot perfectly. I was fascinated by his ability to improvise many musical themes and leitmotivs-all with such great flare and virtuosity. I must admit that these silent films can have very fragile plots but with the right kind of music accompanying them, they take on real substance and even nuance. MOMA should be congratulated for taking silent films so seriously and making sure that they all receive live musical accompaniment