the audience applauded

Memorable, crazy movie

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

What a beautiful movie, and as the familiar expression goes, they don't make them like this, anymore! Lillian Gish is True Heart Susie, a plain young woman devotedly in love with her neighbor, portrayed by Robert Harron, who, in turn, is attracted to a more flashier type of woman, portrayed by Clarine Seymour. He is totally unaware of True Heart Susie's love, devotion, and sacrifice for him, as she deprives herself to help him get ahead in his profession. All ends well, and true love wins out in the end! As always, Lillian Gish was excellent. She may have been plain, but her heartfelt expressions made her a beautiful woman, in my opinion. Robert Harron and Clarine Seymour were both excellent, and it is so sad to note that both of them died very young soon after this movie. The direction by D.W. Griffith was excellent.

Lillian Gish stars as the title character in TRUE HEART SUSIE (1919), a bucolic romance directed by DW Griffith. Susie loves William (Robert Harron), but he doesn't fully commit himself to her. Susie makes sacrifices so that William can go to college and become successful. He comes back to town as a minister, and Susie expects that they will marry, but Bettina, a vibrant and modern city girl (Clarine Seymour) sets her sights on the hapless William.TRUE HEART SUSIE is a quite charming film, a portrait of a different era with different values. Susie typifies domesticity, constancy and self- sacrifice, simple country values. Bettina and her friends, the "paint and powder brigade", represent the city life – fast-paced and artificial, enticing men with "suggestive clothing" and heavy use of makeup to emphasize the physical and superficial. Susie becomes insecure because of her appearance and determines to entice William with the same "paint and powder" and flashy dress as Bettina, and her aunt says that she looks like a "Jezebel"! So Susie changes her clothes and goes back to her normal simple look. It's pretty obvious which side will win out in the end, but William and Bettina's marriage proves an unexpected roadblock for Susie. Griffith could lay it on thick with his title cards in many films, driving home the moral of the story with sledgehammer force, but in this film he is comparatively restrained.Lillian Gish again shows her acting prowess as Susie, a simple girl who shows herself to be very resourceful and self-sacrificing. Gish was one of the great screen beauties of her time, but she is quite convincing as the plain heroine. Gish is superbly expressive, nuanced and naturalistic, the only off moment being a bit of jumpiness that Griffith liked to induce in his leading ladies for some very strange reason. Robert Harron is also quite good as William, who is oblivious at first to Susie's affections, but then comes to realize his mistakes. Clarine Seymour is charismatic as the scheming Bettina, full of energy and mischief. Future Griffith leading lady Carol Dempster is effective in a small but important role as Bettina's best friend.Longtime Griffith cinematographer Billy Bitzer again shows his mastery of the camera. The film has a warm, tranquil feel throughout, taking advantage of the beautiful country scenery and using different tints for day, night, and indoor and outdoor scenes. Overall, TRUE HEART SUSIE is a charming film, a "small" film in Griffith's repertoire, but in its modest way, one of his most artistically successful. It features fine acting, a moving story, and it's lovely to look at. SCORE: 9/10

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.

Being a guy I typically don't go for the romance stories. But, this gem of a movie really drew me in. It was a great chance to see grade A acting of that film era. The characters are exaggerated in a way that comes off funny rather than cheesy and awkward. You feel connected to Susie even thought its evident she isn't very bright.The story is comical and well composed. The title cards are well placed and add wholesome humor now and then. The acting really draws you into the experience. Lillian Gish does an amazing job of expressing a wide range and depth of emotion without seeming overly dramatic like many other silent-era actors. It's almost impossible to believe how much emotion is packed into her acting without the aid of sound, which to me, seems like it would be a huge boon. The close-ups convey more meaning than most other shots in the film, its incredible.Besides Lillian's star performance, the other actors do a great job fulfilling their roles as well. The antithesis to Susie is very well portrayed. You hate her for cowardice but love her for her charm. She is not the one-dimensional antagonist so easily found in many films. The male lead in the film is also well-done, he is still lovable despite his betrayal of Susie's love. This keeps the viewer hooked until the very end. The love that the viewer has for the characters keeps them interested whilst watching them on seemingly a downward slope - keeps them hoping and praying that it all works out in the end.A huge complaint I here about silent films from other modern movie watchers is that the drag. True Heart Susie doesn't do this. Its definitely a classic that keeps the viewer entertained. A star example of the silent era.