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The Burglar's Dilemma"
**** (out of ****)
Piercing tales of morality, redemption, forgiveness and society's role are the themes to be found in this pair of films directed by David Wark Griffith, better known as D.W. Griffith, early cinema's greatest pioneer.
This year's theme, Life is Short - my year long look at short films - has focused on comedy however I'd like to switch gears and turn our attention to silent dramatic works, for which there may be no better examples than the early films of D.W. Griffith during his time at the Biograph Company.
Griffith has often been regarded as the Father of American cinema for creating a cinematic language and "inventing" various techniques such as cross-cutting, close-ups and flashbacks. Although Griffith is best known for his feature-length films such as "Broken Blossoms" (1919), "Intolerance" (1916), "Orphans of the Storm" (1921) and the infamous "The Birth of A Nation" (1915) he demonstrates in these Biograph shorts just how ahead of the game he was when compared to other films and filmmakers from this era. Make no bones about it, Griffith influenced practically every filmmaker in the United States during this time. Allan Dwan - a pioneer filmmaker in his own right - put it this way, "The only man I ever watched was Griffith, and I just did what he did." Watching Griffith's films you will become impressed by the fluidity of his pacing and camera movement. I know it may not sound like much of a compliment to today's readers but watching Griffith's films from this early time period is like watching cinema from 1920s - when the art of Hollywood storytelling had become more refined - and the work of King Vidor, Clarence Brown and Frank Borzage. This is quality filmmaking.
Viewing "The Burglar's Dilemma" (1912) and "One Is Business, The Other Crime" (1912) one is struck by the humanism projected in Griffith's work and the earnest sense of morality. With these titles Griffith is making films possessing a social conscience and thus turning him into a more complex figure than modern day audiences may give him credit for. "The Burglar's Dilemma" tells the story of two brothers, one referred to as the Householder (Lionel Barrymore) and the other as the Weakling Brother (Henry B. Walthall). It is the Householder's birthday and when three lovely ladies - two of which are the Gish sisters (Lillian and Dorothy) - come to celebrate, the Weakling Brother becomes jealous after the ladies ignore him. Once the guests leave, the Weakling brother gets into a drunken stupor resulting in him pushing the Householder down to the ground. The Weakling fears the worse when his brother doesn't move.
The film briefly shifts focus to a Young Burglar (Robert Harron) who is ordered by his Boss (Harry Carey) to go through with a burglary job. As fate would have it, the house the young man is sent to is the Householder's. When the Young Burglar is unknowingly spotted by the Weakling, the Weakling senses an opportunity to pin his murder on the Burglar.
Whether drawing inspiration from Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment and / or the biblical story of Cain and Abel (Griffith was raised in a Methodist household), "The Burglar's Dilemma" goes beyond being a story about the morality of murder or a fable on jealousy and revenge but could be interpreted as a commentary for criminal justice reform. Following the Weakling's summoning of the police, the Young Burglar is pressured into a confession, reinforcing the film's opening warnings in the title cards - "Representing the manipulation of the third degree" and "the fallacy of circumstantial evidence".
As "The Burglar's Dilemma" unfolded I thought about its title. The story seemed to be the Weakling Brother's, although a film called "The Weakling's Dilemma" may not sound interesting. And so I took a moment to ponder what could be the meaning of this title. Moving passed the suggestion this is the Burglar's story, what exactly is the Burglar's dilemma? While hardly innocent - the Burglar did break into the home with the intent to steal - the film hints he is really a good person that was coerced into this lifestyle. It is not unlike a message implied in Griffith's "The Musketeers of Pig Alley" (1912) about a street thug who shows an act of chivalry, indicating perhaps environment dictates behavior. The Burglar has limited options and must choose between a difficult life of poverty or "the fallacy" that a life of crime may offer a possible escape.
One has to wonder how much of this story was borrowed from Griffith's own life. When Griffith was only 10 year old his father, a Confederate colonel, died. How would this impact the family as a whole and young Griffith in particular? Having arrived at a crossroad - continue his education or provide for the family - the young Griffith gave up schooling (What job opportunities are out there for a 10 year old?) but how different could his life have turned out, coming from such a humble and impoverished family?
We mustn't overlook one more aspect of the film - social class. Why does the Weakling believe he can get away with his deceit? Why do the police believe the Weakling over the Young Burglar? Is it because the Weakling is a finely dressed gentleman and the Young Burglar doesn't have an air of sophistication about him? When we factor in the class divide "The Burglar's Dilemma" really comes down to a story of can the rich get away with murder?
Still it is the existential aspect of the film that I found most interesting - can the Weakling get away with murder? Will he allow the police to convict the Young Burglar for his crime? Where is his sense of moral conviction as he torturously watches the Young Burglar being ferociously interrogated. This central question may be why the character is referred to as a Weakling. Does he have the moral courage to do the right thing?
Acting in silent films can often inspire unintended laughs from modern viewers, who find the performances to be overly dramatic. There are moments when Henry B. Walthall engages in some of the wild melodramatic gestures these viewers will find campy and dated but the performance overall is effective. Lionel Barrymore on the other hand delivers a much more grounded performance. Barrymore was this country's version of Laurence Olivier, representing the epitome of acting. Sadly the role doesn't require much from Barrymore though it is interesting to see him this early in his life career. Robert Harron as the Young Burglar makes more of an impression, getting across his character's youth and innocence (in the legal and maturity sense).
At 15 minutes "The Burglar's Dilemma" is a beautifully constructed and executed morality play. Like any great filmmaker Griffith plays his audience like a piano, taking us through a range of emotions. I can only imagine an audience in 1912 found this story quite gripping.
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One Is Business, The Other Crime"
*** 1/2 (out of ****)
Ethics and morality are at the heart of Griffith's "One Is Business, The Other Crime". The film tells a story that should resonate with modern audiences as it asserts the working class and the wealthy elites live by two different set of rules. It is a socially relevant message that can be heard today from the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders or Ralph Nader. Let us marvel for a second and reflect on the fact this film was made in 1912!
Griffith takes a plotting device we have seen many times since which involves taking a poor couple and a wealthy couple and explores their difference. The couples are married on the same day as the title cards imply each believes they are good and honest people who will lead decent lives traveling down the righteous path. But as often happens in life circumstances cause us to veer off that road. This usually for one of two reasons - desperation or greed. Financial times are hard on the poor couple (Charles West and Dorothy Bernard). Food is scarce, the husband can't find a job and the landlord has threatened to evict them. The pressure is on. What will the husband do? To what ends will his desperation lead him to?
The wealthy couple (Edwin August and Blanche Sweet) on the other hand seems happy and in love. But one day a letter arrives for the husband, who is some kind of politician (it is moments like this when it would have been useful if Griffith had used title cards to provide more information) and is offered a bribe from a railroad company. He will be given $1,000 for voting in favor of a piece of legislation and given an additional $4,000 after its passage. The wealthy husband appears willing to accept the offer.
We can argue to an extent Griffith used elements of a thriller in "The Burglar's Dilemma" to get across his social message. That makes the message much more easy to digest because you may not be aware of the "hidden" meaning and / or not feel overwhelmed by the message. "One Is Business" is a straight told drama. There is no escaping the moral of the story. It can feel heavy handed.
By sheer coincidence the Poor Husband passes the Wealthy Husband's home and sees through his window. The Poor Husband sees the man pull money out of an envelope. Again there is an absence of title cards but the Poor Husband is tempted to steal the $1,000. It would certainly solve all of his problems. His sense of morality however prevents him from going through with the act.
It is not until the Poor Husband arrives home and sees the poor state of his wife that he decides he must take bold action. He
will have to steal from the Wealthy Husband.
Griffith's ultimate point is, when the poor man takes from the wealthy man it is called stealing. What do you call it however when the politician takes money? Are the two men really any different? Why do we as a society legitimize the criminality of business?
All of the performances are effective but I'd like to single out Blanche Sweet, who may have been the biggest star of the cast. She was most certainly the one Griffith pushed the most. Although the Chicago native may not be as well remembered today when compared to some of her contemporaries, namely Lillian Gish or Norma Talmadge, Sweet was popular and known for playing roles well beyond her years. When "One Is Business" was made for example, Sweet was only 16 years old, having been born a year after the invention of cinema, 1896. It is her character that comes to serve as the film's moral conscience.
Like "The Burglar's Dilemma", "One Is Business" also runs 15 minutes and its story feel complete. It may be fascinating for some viewers to know films with this type of social messaging were being made at this time. That is what gives "One Is Business" most of its appeal to me.
As we have discussed the work of D.W. Griffith I have purposely avoided the elephant in the room. In modern times the name Griffith all boils down to his historical epic, "The Birth of A Nation" (1915) and condemning it as a vile and racist film. By doing this we also condemn Griffith as a racist and if some would have their way, perhaps even banish all of Griffith's work. That's what makes it all unfortunate. I can't mention Griffith's name without bringing all of this up. The individual work by Griffith can't be judged on its own merit but instead must be viewed in a wider context in relation to "Nation". Happily I have chosen two pre - "Nation" works, which hopefully will provide a different perspective on Griffith's films, assuming anyone is still watching his films in 2025. Something tells me I'm the only one. Both of these films show a social awareness and are, for the times, examples of liberal storytelling. Griffith was a complex character and his work deserves to be examined for its impact on our film culture.
