Over Silent Paths

A thief gets lost and collapses in the desert in this Griffith melodrama, only he isn't really lost because the daughter of the prospector he just killed for his gold finds him on the way into town after burying her father. Go figure. A typical example of Griffith's Work from this era that relies heavily on coincidence, but is beautifully shot by Billy Bitzer.

A strongly dramatic picture, representing what sometimes follows a quest for gold. Here is murder, for one thing, with the situation complicated by the murderer falling in love with the daughter of the man he killed, and she, in her turn, doing her duty and avenging her father's death by turning her lover over to the officers. One could not want a more dramatic, or more thrilling picture. From the heights of joy to the depths of grief is but the transition of an instant. The girl has that trying experience. Then the lover receives his portion. One follows the film, fascinated by the complications of the story and wondering what to expect next. The acting is sympathetic, so much so that one involuntarily wants to offer sympathy when the young woman finds her father murdered. And again a feeling of exultation springs up when one sees the girl forcing the murderer to go to the sheriff's office to be arrested The setting is of the sort that adds to the attractiveness of a picture. - The Moving Picture World, May 28, 1910

If you look close you can see a sign saying it's that far from Burbank in this one-reeler shot by Griffith on his California trip in 1910. Marion Leonard is pretty far from her usual society lady role in this drama about how Dell Henderson shoots her father, W. Chrystie Miller, for the gold he has mined. It's a short piece about redemption and forgiveness and it's shot beautifully. The modern viewer may be a bit impatient with it, since it depends very heavily of Miss Leonard's pantomime to communicate a wide range of emotions.

Nonetheless, Billy Bitzer's camera-work more than makes up for the workaday plot. He shoots the desert scenes from knee level, raising the horizon above the audience, making civilization impossibly distant. He also gives us extensive shots of San Fernando in 1910, a western town of wooden buildings -- with advertising! -- and adobe shacks. My, how things change.

Over Silent Paths (1910)

*** (out of 4)

D.W. Griffith melodrama about a father (W. Chrystie Miller) and daughter (Marion Leonard) mining gold who finally decide to pack it up and head home. Before they can do so a wanderer (Dell Henderson) comes upon the father, kills him and takes off with the gold. The daughter swears out vengeance against the man but winds up falling in love with a man she rescues not knowing he's the murderer. OVER SILENT PATHS is a pretty good film from the legendary director as it hits on many subjects that he could tackle throughout his career. This includes the obvious part of revenge but the real focus here is in the second half when we get a morality tale with what the daughter should do when she finds out the truth. If you think Griffith is too over-sentimental at times then you're probably going to go crazy watching this but for the most part this is a very well-made, beautifully shot and well-performed film. I thought Leonard was extremely good in her role, which is far from the type we're used to seeing her play. Miller, a tad bit over-the-top in that 1910 way, is also watchable as the bad guy. Griffith adds his master touch to the story and makes the film flow at a very good pace and it keeps you entertained throughout.