Directed by John Ford
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Fox)
Ford's story of a Bavarian family torn apart by war is one of the best of his silent period. An elderly mother and her four sons live a simple life in the "old country" where everyone is happy, except for the arrogant, spoiled military officers that mingle among them. War breaks out and two sons are drafted, a third stays home to help with the farm, but luckily the fourth had emigrated to America earlier. Time passes and the ravages of war take their toll. When America is dragged in, the fourth son joins up, leading to a moving scene in a fog shrouded wheat field of Europe. Only the final sequence, with grandma coming to America, dealing with immigration and getting lost in New York, comes across as contrived. Director Ford and cinematographers Charles Clarke and George Schneiderman make extensive use of fluid camera movement, most unusual in American silents. Just watch the opening scene as the camera follows the postman through the village. They also utilize light and shadows for artistic touches, with many memorably framed scenes. Ford's silent western epics usually get all of the attention, but this is better than any of them.
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