The Heart of Humanity

The Heart of Humanity
	Lantern slide
Directed by	Allen Holubar
Produced by	Carl Laemmle
Screenplay by	Allen Holubar; Olga Scholl
Story by	Allen Holubar; Olga Scholl
Starring	Dorothy Phillips; William Stowell; Erich von Stroheim
Cinematography	Fred LeRoy Granville
Edited by	Frank Lawrence
Production; company	A Jewel Production
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	December 22, 1918 (New York City); February 15, 1919 (United States);
Running time	110 mins.
Country	United States
Language	Silent; English intertitles

The Heart of Humanity is a 1918 American silent war propaganda film produced by Universal Pictures and directed by Allen Holubar. The film stars Dorothy Phillips, William Stowell, and Erich von Stroheim.

Overview

The film "follows the general theme and construction of the D. W. Griffith film Hearts of the World and, in places, parallels [its] plot".[1] The film was made toward the end of World War I and is known for showcasing von Stroheim as a lecherous 'Hun'.

Cast

Dorothy Phillips - Nanette
William Stowell - John Patricia
Robert Anderson - Paul Patricia
Walt Whitman - Father Michael
Margaret Mann - Widow Patricia
Erich von Stroheim - Eric von Eberhard
Lloyd Hughes - Jules Patricia
Frank Braidwood - Maurice Patricia
George Hackathorne - Louis Patricia
Patrick H. O'Malley, Jr. - Clancy
William Welsh - Prussian Officer
Lieutenant Smith - Canadian Officer
Joseph W. Girard - Canadian Colonel
Valerie Germonprez - Red Cross Ambulance driver
Gloria Joy
Tom London (billed as Leonard Clapham)

Plot

Nanette (Dorothy Phillips), an American girl living in a small Canadian village, is in love with John Patricia (William Stowell), the eldest of five brothers. The war interrupts their romantic idyll, as everyone goes overseas to Belgium and France. Nanette becomes a Red Cross nurse and is terrorized by the evil Prussian Lt. von Eberhard (Erich von Stroheim). It is up to John to save her from the Hun's advances.

Reception

The New York Times criticized the "theatricalities and sentimental artificialities of his plot" but characterized "some of [Holubar]'s battle panoramas [as] among the most comprehensive and vivid ever reproduced on the screen."[1] It pointed out that "children add to the charm and effectiveness of some of the scenes, and their costumes and acting reveal that intelligence and care in direction elsewhere evident in the production. One receives the impression, however, that the making of a few of the scenes in which the children appear was not very good for the children."[1]

Preservation status

A copy of the film is preserved at the EmGee Film Library and in private collections.[2] It was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in 2014.[3]

gollark: Probably, yes. I have a friend who likes programming language theory a lot but doesn't really expect to be able to get work in that (eventually).

gollark: The theoretical stuff isn't necessarily worse depending on what you want to do.

gollark: There are still more "industry-oriented" options for studying it and some which are less so.

gollark: Computer science isn't software engineering, though. CS is meant to teach more theory-oriented stuff.

gollark: As in, you think the majority of them don't *ask* for it, or you think the majority don't need degree-related skills?

References

"The Screen". The New York Times. December 22, 1918. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
The Heart of Humanity at SilentEra
"The Heart of Humanity. 1919. Directed by Allen Holubar | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved January 21, 2019.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[nyt1918-1] "The Screen". The New York Times. December 22, 1918. Retrieved May 13, 2011.

[2] The Heart of Humanity at SilentEra

[3] "The Heart of Humanity. 1919. Directed by Allen Holubar | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved January 21, 2019.