Isn't Life Wonderful
Encyclopedia
Isn't Life Wonderful? is a film, directed by D. W. Griffith
for his company D. W. Griffith Productions, and distributed by United Artists
. It was based on the novel by Geoffrey Moss
and it went under the alternative title Dawn. The title of the film was spoofed in the Charlie Chase
comedy Isn't Life Terrible (1925).
Most of the scenes were filmed in Germany and Austria. Only one was filmed in New York at the studio. The film also stars Carol Dempster
and Neil Hamilton. The film was also a failure at the box office, and led to Griffith leaving United Artists shortly after its run in theaters.
The film did receive some positive critical notices at the time, but its stock has risen considerably since; it has for some decades been considered one of Griffith's greatest films. Most also feel this film features the finest performance by leading actress Carol Dempster.
. They move to Germany and struggle to survive the conditions there, during the Great Inflation. Inga (Carol Dempster
) is a Polish war orphan who has only accumulated a small amount of money from the rubble and hopes to marry Paul (Neil Hamilton). Weakened by poison gas, Paul begins to invest in Inga's future and he serves as their symbol of optimism.
D. W. Griffith
David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance .Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera...
for his company D. W. Griffith Productions, and distributed by United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
. It was based on the novel by Geoffrey Moss
Geoffrey Moss
Major Geoffrey Cecil Gilbert McNeill-Moss was a British soldier and writer who published under the name Geoffrey Moss....
and it went under the alternative title Dawn. The title of the film was spoofed in the Charlie Chase
Charlie Chase
Charlie Chase is a radio and television host best known for his work on The Nashville Network program Crook & Chase.-Childhood:Charlie Chase was born October 19, 1952 in Rogersville, Tennessee...
comedy Isn't Life Terrible (1925).
Most of the scenes were filmed in Germany and Austria. Only one was filmed in New York at the studio. The film also stars Carol Dempster
Carol Dempster
Carol Dempster was an American film actress of the silent film era.-Biography:Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Dempster got her start in films as a protégé of legendary film director D.W. Griffith alongside other Griffith actresses of the mid-1910s Lillian and Dorothy Gish and Mae Marsh...
and Neil Hamilton. The film was also a failure at the box office, and led to Griffith leaving United Artists shortly after its run in theaters.
The film did receive some positive critical notices at the time, but its stock has risen considerably since; it has for some decades been considered one of Griffith's greatest films. Most also feel this film features the finest performance by leading actress Carol Dempster.
Synopsis
A family from Poland has been left homeless in the wake of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. They move to Germany and struggle to survive the conditions there, during the Great Inflation. Inga (Carol Dempster
Carol Dempster
Carol Dempster was an American film actress of the silent film era.-Biography:Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Dempster got her start in films as a protégé of legendary film director D.W. Griffith alongside other Griffith actresses of the mid-1910s Lillian and Dorothy Gish and Mae Marsh...
) is a Polish war orphan who has only accumulated a small amount of money from the rubble and hopes to marry Paul (Neil Hamilton). Weakened by poison gas, Paul begins to invest in Inga's future and he serves as their symbol of optimism.
Cast
- Carol DempsterCarol DempsterCarol Dempster was an American film actress of the silent film era.-Biography:Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Dempster got her start in films as a protégé of legendary film director D.W. Griffith alongside other Griffith actresses of the mid-1910s Lillian and Dorothy Gish and Mae Marsh...
(Inga) - Neil Hamilton (Paul)
- Erville AldersonErville AldersonErville Alderson was an American film actor. He appeared in nearly 200 films between 1918 and 1957. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri and died in Glendale, California.-Selected filmography:*America...
(The professor) - Helen Lowell (Grandmother)
- Marcia HarrisMarcia HarrisMarcia Harris , born Lena Hill was an American actress. She appeared in 48 films between 1915 and 1932.She was born in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.-External links:*...
(The aunt) - Frank PugliaFrank PugliaFrank Puglia was an Italian film actor. Puglia had small but memorable roles in films including Casablanca and 1942's The Jungle Book. Born in Sicily, the actor started his career as a teen on stage in Italian operas. He emigrated to the U.S...
(Theodor) - Hans Adalbert Schlettow (Leader of the Workers)
- Paul Rehkopf (Hungry Worker)
- Walter Plimmer (The American)
- Lupino LaneLupino LaneLupino Lane was an English actor and theatre manager, and a member of the famous Lupino family. Lane started out as a child performer, known as 'Little Nipper', and went on to appear in a wide range of theatrical, music hall and film performances...
(Rudolph) - Robert Scholtz
- Dick SutherlandDick SutherlandDick Sutherland was an American film actor of the silent era. He appeared in 76 films between 1921 and 1932. His crude threatening looking features were a result of acromegaly...
- Louis WolheimLouis WolheimLouis Wolheim was an American character actor.His trademark broken nose was the result of an injury sustained while playing football for Cornell University. Despite his rugged visage, Wolheim was intelligent and cultivated, speaking French, German, Spanish, and Yiddish. He was also a mathematics...