America (1924)

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writers:

Robert W. Chambers (screenplay)
Robert W. Chambers (story)

Release Date:

21 February 1924 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

Tagline:

Love of tender girlhood! Passionate deeds of heroes! A rushing, leaping drama of charm and excitement!

Plot:

The story of a family caught up in the American Revolutionary War. |

Plot Keywords:

Card Game | Patriotism | Epic | Thomas Jefferson | Battle

Cast

Neil Hamilton	...	Nathan Holden
Erville Alderson	...	Justice Montague
Carol Dempster	...	Miss Nancy Montague
Charles Emmett Mack	...	Justice Charles Montague
Lee Beggs	...	Samuel Adams
John Dunton	...	John Hancock
Arthur Donaldson	...	King George III
Charles Bennett	...	William Pitt
Downing Clarke	...	Lord Chamberlain
Frank Walsh	...	Thomas Jefferson
Frank McGlynn Sr.	...	Patrick Henry
Arthur Dewey	...	George Washington
P.R. Scammon	...	Richard Henry Lee
Lionel Barrymore	...	Capt. Walter Butler
Sydney Deane	...	Sir Ashley Montague

Also Known As:

Love and Sacrifice (UK)
América (Spain) [es]
Amerikka (Finland) (TV title) [fi]
Amor Pátrio (Portugal) [pt]
Pour l'indépendance (France) [fr]
Taisteluun vapauden puolesta (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

141 min | USA:93 min (Killiam Restoration with narration)

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Filming Locations:

Farmington, New York, USA

Company:

D.W. Griffith Productions

Trivia:

This film is regarded as major turning point in the career of D.W. Griffith. Its critical and public failure ended Griffith's tenure as the industry's preeminent director.

Movie Connections:

Edited into The Negro Soldier (1944)

In many ways, exceptional,...but bogged down by a silly and meaningless romance

I really wanted to like this film and I don't think I was terribly disappointed. Being an American History teacher, I felt an obligation, almost, to see this film and as far as the history went, it wasn't bad. Sure there were a few mistakes here and there (especially with the timeline--the movie only appeared to last a few months or perhaps a year--not over six years of actual fighting), but the overall spirit of the film and the battle sequences were excellent. Unfortunately, the movie ALSO included a pretty meaningless subplot involving a difficult to believe romance between a poor patriot and a rich Loyalist. For the most part, it really served to distract from the overall plot and just seemed "tacked on"--like a plot device instead of a real honest-to-goodness romance. In fact, as much of the romance boiled down to the dumb cliché of "love at fist sight", it was kind of annoying the more I think about it.

However, in spite of this romance, the film is truly interesting and inspiring---plus, in so many ways it seems as if the much later film, THE PATRIOT, was copied from this Griffith film!!! Both films followed the exploits of an evil leader fighting for the British and using horrible and evil tactics against the civilians--and both having the secret intention of using this as a "springboard" to starting their OWN nation in the America!!! The only major difference is that this film is set in the North and THE PATRIOT was in the Carolinas. It sure would have been nice if Mel Gibson and the rest had acknowledged their debt to D. W. Griffith for the story ideas. It just doesn't seem all that likely that the two stories were created independently of each other.

PS--Despite me liking this film and some other of Griffith's films, he DOES deserve to once again "burn in hell" for his having White actors portray all the Black servants in the film! This is a sick and bigoted thing that Griffith did in so many of his films--especially in BIRTH OF A NATION. I gotta assume based on this and the way he portrays Blacks that he was A-OK with slavery and was quite the apologist for this "quaint institution" (don't get mad at me--this IS meant as sarcasm).