The Struggle (film)
| The Struggle | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | D. W. Griffith |
| Produced by | D. W. Griffith |
| Written by |
Anita Loos John Emerson D. W. Griffith (uncredited) |
| Based on | novel The Drunkard by Emile Zola |
| Starring |
Hal Skelly Zita Johann Charles Richman Helen Mack |
| Cinematography | Joseph Ruttenberg |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $300,000 |
| Box office | less than $100,000 |
The Struggle (1931) is a sound feature film directed by D. W. Griffith, and was his only other full-sound film besides Abraham Lincoln (1930). After several films directed by Griffith failed at the box office, this was Griffith's last film. The film was made primarily at the Audio-Cinema studios in the Bronx, New York with some outdoor filming on the streets of the Bronx.
The Struggle stars Hal Skelly, Zita Johann, Charles Richman, and in her film debut, Helen Mack. Longtime Griffith actress Kate Bruce made her final film appearance in this film as Granny, and this was also the final film for Claude Cooper.
A young couple's marriage is threatened by the husband's alcoholism.
The film was inspired in part by Griffith's own battles with alcoholism. He partly funded it with a 1929 tax refund that had been invested in stocks that did well despite the Depression. Shooting took place July–August 1931.
The film received poor reviews and was not a success at the box office. In 1935 United Artists considered re-releasing the film but could not get a Code Seal from the Breen Office unless cuts were made, so decided not to do it. In 1940 another distributor B.A. Mills considered re-releasing it under the title Ten Nights in a Barroom but encountered similar difficulties. Griffith never made another movie although he did marry an actress from the film, Evelyn Baldwin.
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