SILENT FILMS ABOUT THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Tomorrow is the big day – July 4th! Balladeer’s Blog is squeezing in another seasonal post before then.

THE SPY (1914) – This four-reel movie was based on the 1821 novel of the same name by THE James Fenimore Cooper. The story is set largely at a home in Scarsdale, New York as American Rebel families share feuds, intrigues and romances with British Loyalists. 

Everybody is keeping a secret or two and which characters are spies and which are really what they say they are remains uncertain until the very end. Cooper based the man who emerges as the central American spy on the real-life Enoch Crosby, a friend of John Jay.

Even in this June of 1914 release, George Washington’s reputation for running his own spy networks was well and truly in force in popular culture and the wily general even shows up in disguise a few times. Things work out well for the Americans, but the deep-cover double agent hero doesn’t get credit until after his tragic death. 

A large battle set-piece at a bridge was impressive for 1914 and was praised by Moving Picture World and Variety that year. Herbert Rawlinson and Edna Maison starred.

THE HEART OF A HERO (1916) – Unlike The Spy, this film has survived to the present day. The movie was released on November 6th of 1916, runs 68 minutes and is based on Clyde Fitch’s 1898 play Nathan Hale.

The story follows Hale from his 1769 entry to Yale at age 14 (!) and his graduation in 1773. When the Revolutionary War breaks out, Nathan joins the militia and begins rising in the ranks. After earning distinction as a soldier, Hale is persuaded in September 1776 to undertake the spy mission which costs him his life.

The film presents a popular version of his last words. Nathan Hale was played by Robert Warwick and his true love Alice by Gail Kane.

BETSY ROSS (1917) – Alice Brady starred as the legendary Betsy Ross, stated maker of the first American flag, with John Bowers as her costar. Lillian Cook, Frank Mayo and Kate Lester also appeared.

This September 17th, 1917 release was an hour long and was largely an early chick flick.

Romantic complications and sisterly rivalry over a soldier’s affections dominate the plot. Eventually, though, things do get around to an appearance by George Washington (George MacQuarrie) and Betsy’s enduring work of art. 

Portions of the movie are rather dark from decomposition before the film was preserved properly. If you like silent movies you’ll love this flick, warts and all. If not, you may want to at least take in one viewing during your lifetime. By its release date the U.S. had soldiers dying in Europe, so the film’s patriotic appeal was no doubt large. 

THE SPIRIT OF 76 (1917) – Producer Robert Goldstein would actually go to prison over this movie looking at events from the American Revolution. Government censors, behaving even more idiotically than they usually do, were queasy about the way Goldstein’s movie presented the British in an ugly light.

No, I’m not joking. Because America and Great Britain were serving as allies against the Central Powers at the time, sinister motives were attributed to Goldstein’s production depicting British acts of violence against Americans and egging on their Native American allies to join them in attacking non-combatants.

Even the movie’s faintly realistic presentation of battlefield violence during the Revolutionary War was twisted to imply that Robert Goldstein was trying to discourage American youths from enlisting in the army by “scaring” them about their potential fate. 

The film was seriously edited down before its November 27th, 1917 release but even that version became a scandal. Goldstein was ultimately convicted of violating the Espionage Act and served just over 2 years in a federal prison. (Given the fairly new nature of motion pictures, court rulings of the time held that films were not protected by the First Amendment. In later years that would change, of course.)

Ironically, Goldstein’s only real crime was against history. At the heart of The Spirit of 76‘s depiction of actual events and real historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, King George III and others was a fringe conspiracy story. 

Robert Goldstein caused a lot of confusion by using the name of the real-life Catharine Montour for one of his fictional characters. The actual Catharine was an Iroquois woman later nicknamed Queen Catharine and there are still places in New York state named after her. 

The Spirit of 76 presents a Catharine Montour who is a Native American beauty who travels to England and has an affair with the young King George III. When he lies to her about marrying her, she returns to New York, determined to become Queen Catharine of America and plots to make George pay for rejecting her by taking the American colonies from him.

I don’t know if Montour’s real-life nickname Queen Catharine confused Goldstein and his team or what. On the plus side, this movie features the British-educated Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant, a Redcoat ally. He’s even played by an actual Native American – Chief Dark Cloud.     

CARDIGAN (1922) – This 70-minute film was adapted by Robert W. Chambers himself from his own novel. William Collier Jr. & Betty Carpenter starred and the movie was released on February 19th, 1922.

Michael Cardigan (Collier) is an Irish American man involved in a romantic rivalry for the hand of Felicity Warren (Carpenter). The real-life British Loyalist Captain Walter Butler is presented in a fictional capacity as the other suitor.   

Eventually, Captain Butler betrays the heroic Michael Cardigan into the hands of the Cuyahoga Indians like King David betraying Uriah (or like Doyle’s The Crooked Man). Cardigan is tortured but providence rescues him before he can be disfigured or permanently crippled. 

This horrific incident drives Michael over to the side of the American rebels. Over time he becomes a Minute Man, witnesses Patrick Henry’s pronouncement “Give me liberty or give me death!” and participates in the battles of Concord & Lexington.

In further historical adventures he is on hand for John Hancock signing the Declaration of Independence in July of 1776 and eventually wins the hand of his lady love. Unfortunately, Cardigan is one of the many silent films that were lost over the years. Contemporary reviews provide what we know.

JANICE MEREDITH (1924) – This TWO HOUR AND THIRTY-THREE MINUTE Revolutionary War romantic epic was released as The Beautiful Rebel in England. It starred THE Marion Davies, the famed mistress of William Randolph Hearst.

Once again, Hearst was forcing Marion outside her comfort zone of light comedy and trying to force the public to view her as a Great Thespian. (Yes, in Citizen Kane the title character’s obsession with forcing his lady on the public as an opera singer was an analogy for what Hearst did to Davies.)   

Janice Meredith is the beautiful daughter of a wealthy New Jersey landowner. As the Revolutionary War rolls on she is pursued by even more men than the later Scarlett O’Hara, but her two main suitors are American rebel Charles Fownes and British aristocrat Philemon Hennion, her father’s preference.

Alongside the romantic soap opera elements Janice proves crucial to Paul Revere’s ride and to the Americans at Trenton. By the time of the Siege of Yorktown in 1781, Janice and her father are living among the besieged British troops.

The dastardly Lord Clowes, another man lusting after Janice Meredith, ties her up and tries to flee with her. Charles rescues her from the villain, finally impressing her father into accepting him as the man Janice prefers. After General Cornwallis’ surrender, Charles and Janice are married in a ceremony held for them at George Washington’s Mount Vernon home. 

Iconic comedian W.C. Fields (above right, looking a lot like Oliver Hardy) made his very first silent movie appearance here and got to do a comedy bit with gifted comedienne Marion. He plays a British guard whom Janice vamps at one point to help her true love escape.

AMERICA (1924) – Years ago I wrote a lengthy review of this D.W. Griffith silent film about the American Revolution HERE. I’m presenting a truncated version for this blog post.

Neil “Commissioner Gordon” Hamilton starred as Nathan Holden, a rebel Minute Man in Massachusetts. He also participated in the Boston Tea Party in 1773. Nathan is part of a romantic triangle between an American Rebel, a British Loyalist and a beautiful lady from a snobbish Loyalist family. (Griffith had used Cardigan as a template and even credited Robert W. Chambers on some posters.)

The one and only Lionel Barrymore played the Loyalist, who – again like in Cardigan – was being depicted as the real-life Walter Butler. The star-crossed lovers Nathan Holden and Nancy Montague struggle to keep their romance alive against the backdrop of historical events like Paul Revere’s Ride, the Battle of Bunker Hill, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Valley Forge and many others.

Various actors portray figures like John Hancock, Samuel Adams, William Pitt, King George III, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee and, of course, George Washington. Some impressive battle scenes are scattered throughout this film as well.

Events come to a head during the bloody battles of the Mohawk Valley, where Nathan gets a Paul Revere moment of his own as he delivers a warning of an impending attack and saves several families – including Nancy’s, at last winning them over.

America ran for 2 hours and 21 minutes and was released on February 21st, 1924. 

FOR MY REVIEW OF THE MOVIE MUSICAL 1776 CLICK HERE.