True Heart Susie

Silent cinema is often mentioned in the same breath with the celebrities of that era, like Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks. In TRUE HEART SUSIE, two silent cinema stars come together: director and father of narrative cinema D.W. Griffith and his muse, actress Lillian Gish. In our contemporary context, the racist Griffith and conservative Gish cannot be separated from their political ideologies, but in the 10s and 20s they were known as the best in the business. Griffith was a film technique pioneer and Gish was dubbed the First Lady of the Screen by Vanity Fair. A title that would stick.

TRUE HEART SUSIE was overshadowed by the box office success of BROKEN BLOSSOMS, which Griffith and Gish made together that same year. But in later years, the film was given the praise it deserved. The subtitle of the film was “The Story of a Plain Girl”. Lillian Gish plays the plain girl Susie, who is deeply in love with her neighbour William. In secret, Susie is the catalyst for the happiness in William’s life. She finances his studies without his knowledge, but his success makes him unreachable to her.

The best films of silent cinema are not always the epic, lengthy dramas or the expensive adventure movies. Some of the best films of the era told simple stories about carefully drafted characters. Screenwriter Marian Fremont wrote such a story with TRUE HEART SUSIE. Griffith’s nostalgic adaptation of Fremont’s intimate screenplay was called a “rural poem” by Lillian Gish. The actress was known for her vulnerable, emotional performances and she embodies Susie’s hope and despair with the slightest changes in expression, her awkwardness is depicted in Gish’ uncertain gait and with small comedic moments, the first lady of the silver screen creates a real woman, whom the audience roots for the entire film.