America (1924 film)
| America | |
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theatrical poster
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| Directed by | D. W. Griffith |
| Produced by | D. W. Griffith |
| Written by | Robert W. Chambers |
| Starring |
Carol Dempster Neil Hamilton Lionel Barrymore |
| Music by |
Joseph Carl Breil Adolph Fink |
| Cinematography |
G. W. Bitzer Harold S. Sintzenich |
| Edited by | James Smith Rose Smith |
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Production
company |
D. W. Griffith Productions
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| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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141 minutes |
| Country | United States |
America is a 1924 silent historical war romance film. It describes the heroic story of the events during the American Revolutionary War, in which filmmaker D. W. Griffith created a film adaptation of Robert W. Chambers’ novel The Reckoning. The plot mainly centers itself on the battles of the New York State, with romance sliced into the individual movie scenes.
The story shifts between the British in Northern New York, and the colonial patriots in Massachusetts and Virginia. Much later in the film in New York, a little remembered sub-plot takes place. British general Captain Walter Butler (Lionel Barrymore), a loyal and ruthless supporter to the king, leads the Iroquois Native Americans in viciously barraging attacks against the settlers, including the massacre of women and children, who are siding with the Revolution.
In Lexington, Massachusetts, Nathan Holden (Neil Hamilton) works as an express rider and minute man for the Boston Committee of Public Safety. At a mission to deliver a dispatch to the Virginia legislature, he meets Nancy Montague (Carol Dempster) and falls in love with her, but her father Justice Montague (Erville Alderson), a Tory judge, is not impressed with the rider. Captain Butler tries unsuccessfully to court Nancy. Nathan and Nancy declare that regardless of which side he fights for, they will always love each other. While visiting in Massachusetts, Justice Montague is accidentally shot by Nathan Holden. Nancy Montague’s brother, Charles Montague (Charles Emmett Mack), is influenced by George Washington’s heroism and decides that he wants to support the colonists. However, he dies shortly after being wounded at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Nancy hides the truth from her father when she tells him that her brother died fighting for the crown.
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Wikipedia