The White Rose

White Rose, The (1923)

** (out of 4)

Light melodrama about a preacher (Ivor Novello) who decides to "see the real world" before taking over his new church. While out he runs into a poor woman (Mae Marsh) and the two soon become lovers, which leaves her pregnant. After hearing she's pregnant, the preacher takes off and soon ends up with a rich girl (Carol Dempster) but fate might bring all three together. This is yet another moral tale from Griffith who wants again comes off very harsh on the rich while showing that the poor are the strong people of the world. I've seen over one hundred films from the director and it seems this is the type of film he always goes back to. The movie isn't too bad but it is rather bland in its execution, which means only Griffith die-hards should seek it out. Novello, who would go onto star in Hitchock's The Lodger, turns in a very good performance and his moral breakdown at the end is certainly the highlight of the film. Dempster is also fine in her role but I think this is one case where Griffith should have used her in the lead. Marsh, back with the director for the first time since Intolerance is decent in the later part of the film but suffers a little at the start due to what seems like a lack of direction. Towards the end of the film when the poor girl is kicked around by the rich, she takes shelter with the black folks who take her in as one of her own. This type of support for blacks was certainly rare in these days but that didn't stop them from having mostly whites play them (the preacher was played by a real black actor).