Enoch Arden: Part I

This is the story of two men vying for the love of a woman, Annie Lee. Enoch Arden wins her over and they marry. But because there is little money, he goes away on a merchant ship, a dangerous venture at that time. The ship sinks and Arden manages to get to the shore of an unpopulated island. There his fellow sailors die and he is all alone. Meanwhile, Annie doesn't lose faith. She watches the waters every day. She feels they are married forever. Philip continues to seek her out.

Taken in its entirety this short film ranks with the strongest dramas D.W. Griffith made at Biograph, notable for its understated acting and for cameraman Billy Bitzer's beautifully composed images. Although it lacks the sort of bravura, race-to-the-rescue sequence that would become the director's specialty, Enoch Arden has a deeply moving, melancholy atmosphere that lingers with the viewer long after it's over. Historically speaking, this film is also notable for the director's early attempt to tell a story with a longer running time. Single reel works running about ten minutes were the standard product of the day, and the notoriously risk-averse executives who controlled the American Biograph Company opposed longer films, and tried to discourage Griffith from expanding past the one-reel format. The likeliest reason was the same one Hollywood executives cite today: longer movies mean fewer screenings daily, thus less profit. (Some things never change!) But when Biograph released Enoch Arden in two parts, with instructions for exhibitors to play them on successive days, audiences objected and asked to see the entire film in one sitting. Exhibitors bowed to public demand, and the two-reel drama was born.

Viewing Part One of the film today it's easy to see why audiences responded as they did; the first reel establishes a compelling, suspenseful situation involving sympathetic characters, but ends without resolving it. For those viewers unfamiliar with the Tennyson poem which served as the film's source material this first portion is intriguing, but ends inconclusively.

The story is set in an 18th century fishing village, and concerns a romantic triangle involving fisherman Enoch Arden, his girlfriend Annie Lee, and a wealthy rival named Philip Ray. Enoch wins the girl, they marry, and within a few years they have three children. In order to provide for his young family Enoch chooses to go to sea on a fishing vessel for an extended voyage, over the objections of Annie Lee. When the ship founders, Enoch and two other sailors make their way to an island, but his shipmates die, leaving Enoch the sole survivor. Annie Lee, meanwhile, anxiously watches for his return while Philip Ray stands by.

This is where Part One ends, and while the exposition has been well handled and the production values are first rate for the era, the ending is abrupt and the story is obviously incomplete. Just as we become fully involved in the situation, the film ends. (Although for modern-day viewers, Parts One & Two have been conveniently joined for video and DVD releases.) It's no surprise that audiences of 1911 demanded to see the second reel post haste, for Griffith's Enoch Arden must be viewed in its entirety to be a fully satisfying experience.

This is a solid filming of the first half of the story of "Enoch Arden", based on Tennyson's poem. It's really incomplete in itself, since it leaves off right in the middle of the story, but even at that it's probably not a lot different from the way that a mini-series or other present-day broadcast might require viewers to come back later to see how things turn out.

The sea-side settings create a good atmosphere that help the story considerably, in that they add to its believability. Linda Arvidson was well-cast as Annie, since her natural expression conveys a rather somber look at life, and a healthy respect for how vulnerable human beings are to fate and to the elements.

Since this first part does not complete the story, you really have to watch the next part as well in order to evaluate the picture as a whole. But it can definitely be said that this first part gives a solid telling of the story that would certainly make most viewers want to see the rest of it.

Enoch Arden Part 1 (1911)

Enoch Arden Part 2 (1911)

*** (out of 4)

Two-part film from Griffith with part 1 about a strong fisherman who marries and has two children but when he can't afford to pay the bills he decides to take a dangerous voyage to sea. In part 2, feared dead Enoch's wife marries another man only to discover, years later, that her husband is still alive. Both films are certainly melodrama at its highest but there's a certain tender charm running through part one and a strong sense of threat throughout part two. When originally released this was shown in two parts but movie crowds wanted to see them together so theater owners edited the two films together and charged double price on tickets. When Griffith and other studios learned of this they decided to sell all two-reelers for double the price to make sure the theater owners weren't making extra money.

This story is a slight reworking of an early D. W. Griffith short, THE UNCHANGING SEA. While both films are short, this remake is significantly longer and allows for a much fuller and more interesting tale. It's interesting that the movie is broken into two sections here on IMDb, as I saw them both together as one 33-minute film.

A man goes to sea and is shipwrecked--leaving his wife to raise their two small kids. Many years pass and she holds out hope that he'll return. Again and again through the years, a friend offers to marry her. Only after her kids have grown does she agree. A short time later, the husband is rescued and returns! How exactly this is handled, you'll have to see for yourself.

Part I concerns the marriage, his going to sea and the shipwreck. Part II concerns life after this up until his return.