More ‘Masterworks’ From Griffith on Tap

Kino releases its second installment in its “Griffith Masterworks” collection ($30 each), which features new restorations of five feature films and six shorts directed by legendary filmmaker D.W. Griffith, on Tuesday.

Griffith, best known for his landmark but racist 1915 Civil War epic “Birth of a Nation,” was the architect of modern filmmaking. He introduced such innovative techniques as cross-cutting, close-ups, fade-outs, location shooting and naturalistic screen acting.

“Female of the Species & Selected Biograph Shorts (Vol. III)” contains six shorts directed by Griffith from 1909 to 1913. Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish and Lionel Barrymore are among the performers in these straightforward dramas, which deal with such topics as mental illness (“The House of Darkness”) and drug addiction (“For Our Son”).

The best film in the collection is 1921’s opulent “Orphans of the Storm.” In the drama set during the French Revolution, Lillian and Dorothy Gish play sisters--the resourceful Henriette and the blind Louise--who leave their countryside home in hope of having Louise’s sight restored. But they are separated when Henriette is abducted by a vile Marquis, and Louise is forced to become a beggar. Joseph Schildkraut also stars as a handsome nobleman who loves Henriette.

Despite good reviews and a strong box office, “Orphans,” Lillian Gish’s last film with Griffith, lost money because of unexpected copyright and accounting problems.

In 1924’s “America,” Griffith turns his eye on the American Revolution. The battle scenes are stirring, and Neil Hamilton is fine as a young patriot in love with the daughter (Carol Dempster) of a rich Tory. But Griffith’s stereotypical depiction of Native Americans is embarrassing, and Lionel Barrymore’s performance as a murderous redcoat is beyond belief.

The well-meaning 1924 drama “Isn’t Life Wonderful” was Griffith’s last independent production for United Artists. Its failure at the box office put him in deep personal debt and conflict with his partners.

Shot on location in Germany, “Wonderful” seems quite naive and sophomoric today. Nevertheless, Carol Dempster is moving as a Polish war orphan struggling to make money for the family that took her in and for her dowry so that she can marry a soldier (Neil Hamilton) suffering from gas poisoning.

After leaving UA in 1924, Griffith signed with Paramount, where he made three films, including the so-so 1925 comedy “Sally of the Sawdust.” W.C. Fields plays a circus huckster and Carol Dempster is his sweet ward, Sally.

Griffith’s last film is the rarely seen 1931 melodrama “The Struggle.” The independent production was made on a shoestring budget from a tax refund Griffith received.

Hal Skelly stars as a blue-collar family man who loses everything when the bottle takes over his life. “The Struggle” was torn apart by the critics and quickly withdrawn from circulation. Despite some effective scenes, the earnest drama is pretty much a struggle to watch.

A nearly forgotten figure, Griffith died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1946 at age 73 in Hollywood.

To order the collection, call (800) 562-3330.

Killer Bs: Arriving Tuesday is “Serpent’s Lair” (Republic), a truly dreadful supernatural thriller that gives black cats a bad name. Jeff Fahey stars as a successful businessman who is seduced by a mysterious woman only to discover that she’s in cahoots with Satan.

Sam Elliott, Charles Martin Smith and Anne Ramsay star in “The Final Cut” (Republic), a cut above the typical straight-to-video thriller about an ingenious bomber terrorizing Seattle.

Amanda Pays and the late Mark Frankel have charm to spare in “Solitaire for Two” (Paramount), a wispy British romantic comedy that strives but ultimately fails to become the next “Four Weddings and a Funeral.”

Oldies but Goodies: On Tuesday, MCA/Universal releases the George Burns Collection, which features three of the legendary actor-comedian’s early comedies with wife Gracie Allen ($15 each).

The duo star in the wacky 1934 comedy “Six of a Kind” as a crazy couple traveling cross country. W.C. Fields is on hand as a small-town sheriff.

Also included in the collection are 1935’s “Love in Blume,” which co-stars Dixie Lee (Bing Crosby’s first wife), and 1935’s “Here Comes Cookie.”

Coming Next Week: Richard Gere, Laura Linney and Edward Norton star in the box-office hit thriller “Primal Fear” (Paramount).

Disney’s “James and the Giant Peach” is a computer-generated live-action musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s story of a young boy and his dreams of going to New York. Randy Newman did the music.

“The Star Maker” (Miramax) is an Oscar-nominated Italian drama about a con man who changes his destiny when he meets a woman.

Damon Wayans and Dan Aykroyd star in the basketball comedy “Celtic Pride” (Hollywood).

Mark Walhberg, Reese Witherspoon and William Petersen star in the suspense thriller “Fear” (MCA/Universal).

Ian Hart stars in “Land and Freedom” (Polygram), Ken Loach’s drama about the Spanish Civil War.

Lisa Eichhorn and Stanley Tucci are wasted in the half-baked romantic comedy “A Modern Affair” (Columbia TriStar).