Hundreds of years ago, two Scottish clans feud in the highlands surrounding their neighboring castles. These families are led by patriarchal chieftains Hobart Bosworth (as MacDonald) and Brandon Hurst (as Campbell). Their sons and subjects raid each other's cattle, kill an occasional serf, and take their women by force. Our heroine, lovely Lillian Gish (as Annie Laurie), is aligned with the Campbell clan not only by blood, but also through best friend Patricia Avery (as Enid Campbell). Ms. Gish has caught the eye of arrogant cousin Creighton Hale (as Donald Campbell), but exchanges more passionate glances with bigger, brawnier rival Norman Kerry (as Ian MacDonald). With his broad shoulders and big grin, Mr. Kerry brutishly arouses Gish...
The family feud heats up when the MacDonald clan abducts Ms. Avery, as part of a revenge attack. A truce is reached, but Avery shocks all parties by announcing she has fallen in love with handsome abductor Joseph Striker (as Alastair MacDonald). When Gish seems likely to follow cousin Avery into the arms of another rough and ready MacDonald, Mr. Hale plots the Campbell clan's final solution to the age-old family feud. This leads to a thrilling last act, with Gish trying to stop a massacre
MGM made "Annie Laurie" a blockbuster for their high-prestige star, which turned out to be one in a series of miscalculations in handling Lillian Gish. On balance, her final silent films had to be considered, at the time, a modest success; still, the bottom line was money, and too much was being spent for too little. This expensively made film lost a bundle.
"Annie Laurie" hasn't achieved the classic status now afforded other Gish fare from this era, like "The Scarlet Letter (1926) and "The Wind" (1928); importantly, both were directed by Victor Sjöström. Another reason is that Gish became a spokesperson for silent films, and decided against promoting certain films. Her efforts had an unquestionably positive effect on film preservation, overall, but she left a few jewels behind. "Annie Laurie" isn't thematically up to Gish-Sjöström levels, but it's an excellent example of silent cinema. Director John S. Robertson, who was considered one of the best directors available in the 1920s, turns in some of his finest work. The castle massacre, frantic mountain chase, and Technicolor finale are exceptional.
******** Annie Laurie (5/11/27) John S. Robertson ~ Lillian Gish, Norman Kerry, Creighton Hale, Hobart Bosworth
