xtina09 True Heart Susie is an absolutely adorable film! This 1919 film is a cute love story that follows the lives of Susie and William. Lillian Gish does a great job playing the sweet and innocent character of Susie who is secretly in love with Robert Harron's character William Jenkins. This film starts when the two are still in school and in their adolescent years and follows their story into adulthood. Susie proves to be anything other than just the "plain" girl when she goes above and beyond to make William, her true love, reach his happiness. This movie is very entertaining, combining romance and drama so that the audience is left in suspense and eager to find out if and when Susie and William will somehow end up together in the end. From the eyes of someone who has grown up with the latest technology and special effect films, True Heart Susie is a film that was able to capture my attention and hold onto it until the very end of this 87 minute long film. Despite it being a silent film, the cast of True Heart Susie was able to convey true emotions through their actions and facial expressions so that the audience can easily understand and interpret what the characters are thinking and filming. True Heart Susie is not a color film, however, because of tinting is not black and white. Tinted print is used to show the time, place, and mood in this film. Orange tint is used whenever the setting is indoors or to show that it is daytime. Blue tint is used to express that it is nighttime. The art direction and editing are great. The famous D.W. Griffith shows just how talented he is with the camera and his art direction in True Heart Susie.

Elizabeth Stone True Heart Susie is one of the most beautifully crafted early silent films. It does not put so much emphasis on the story, but rather the formation of the characters. The story begins with Susie being obviously infatuated with a young man named William Jenkins, but he is clueless to her deep feelings. She keeps her love for him discreet while she pays for his college tuition. He leaves town leaving Susie upset. When he returns, William marries another woman named Betty Hopkins. Betty is high maintenance and mean, and after awhile becomes very difficult for William to live with. William is a very clueless guy and is portrayed as an innocent boy whose intentions are not to hurt anybody. But Susie becomes totally heartbroken. The film focuses on Susie's up-close facial expressions. This was the first time in film that the up close shots were really utilized for film. Small non-verbals were a key to telling not just the story, but rather the emotion of Susie's one-sided romance. An example of this is when Susie kicks up her foot out of disappointment when she is walking with William. Also, when she is overhearing people talk and she is outside the door, the camera zooms in on her face, and she gives a series of very descriptive quick facial movements that indicate surprise, distress, and disappointment. After many days of being love sick and agonizing over her lost love, Susie's aunt can no longer take her pain and decided to help Susie. She tells William how Susie paid for his education and how she has loved him for a long time. William becomes so overwhelmed with emotion; he then takes her in his arms and promises her forever.

Emilyjkwin D.W. Griffith's True Heart Susie is quite an enjoyable film in the realm of classic silent movies. While Griffith's The Birth of A Nation, or Intolerance are more well known, True Heart Susie is definitely much easier to follow and much less controversial than his other films. The alternate name "The story of a plain girl" is an apt description. While many would argue that there are few "plain" facets of Lilian Gish's image, her acting is revolutionary in its subtle and muted nature. Prior to Gish, most actors and actresses acted on a much more grand scale in terms of expressions, thus the stereotype of dramatic faces and actions in silent film, as if every moment was pivotal and life changing. If given a chance, this is a very stomach-able silent film, and will be endearing if you are a willing audience. The story is one of unrequited love, as Susie is passed over by the object of her affections for a more outgoing girl. Susie is very much the good girl character, even taking in the untrue woman who is married to the man she loves, and caring for her when she is sick, although bitterly. The plot gently reminds me of Gone With the Wind, but only very gently. Susie is not as successfully independent as Scarlett O'Hara, but this film is from a different time. Susie in today's terms would perhaps be the anti-feminist, as a hopeless romantic who's motivations are mainly rooted in the happiness of a man, however in the context of the very early 1900's Susie is as much of an independent woman as Scarlett would have been. Susie can fend for herself, and although the world in the movie see's her as plain, the audience can see that she is full of natural beauty.

Bartholomeu Wrathbone The thing that really shocked me about this movie was how much I loved it even though it had nothing going for it. And by that I mean this. I am not a fan of love stories. I am a 19 year old college guy. This is an OLD movie! Yet, it managed to appeal to me in every way possible.It began by making me like the main characters. That is probably the most important thing to do in a love story is make sure your audience likes the characters. Because if they don't, then heck, why would I watch the movie? I don't give a crud what happens to this couple. But the fact is that I was already captured by both of the characters within the first few scenes and I wanted them to live happily ever after no matter what.The story is excellent and has you wanting so hard for things to go your way. The text cards are well placed and even add extra humor to parts intended. The comedy is very innocent and tasteful. Makes me wish more movies today could make things funny without being totally gross. Lillian Gish is so good. Her facial expressions make some actresses of today look like amateurs. She knows just what parts of her lips and where to turn eyes to portray all of the character's emotions without being too dramatic like most of the actors/actresses of her day.I am being quite vague with all my details because I don't want to give away the story. And what a great story it is. By the time I was done watching the movie I was so happy and full of emotion that I probably had the mindset of a 15 year old girl. I had to get rid of all of that mushiness by working out so I could re-enter my man-beast persona. Yeah it was that good of a movie. You should definitely check it out.