Young Romance (USA,1915)

Two youths (Tom Clancy and Nellie Nolan) worked in different sections of the same department store without knowing each other and longed for both romance and adventure. Therefore, they decided on their own to pretend for one week that they were upper class members and ended up travelling to Hotel Imperia and Belleview Mansion, places attended by such wealthy people. During this time they met and fell in love with each other.

During her trip, Nellie took the identity of a wealthy client of the store, but while she was travelling she was notified that the person she was impersonating had inherited a fortune due to recent death of an uncle who lived abroad. And some people thought Nellie was the actual heir. Another funny scene is when the couple go to a fancy restaurant not too long after they met and Tom was very nervous about how he would pay for such expensive dinner.

Unfortunately, the publicity around the inheritance of Nellie made her being the target of unscrupulous people who wanted to steal her money and another guy started romancing Nellie, who unfortunately fell for him. Nellie was invited for a ride in his motor boat and she accepted it. However, Nellie was left in an abandoned island and forced to give part of the money to the guy who was romancing her, but ended up being a scoundrel. Even after she agreed to give 10 thousand dollars to the guy, he still kept her in that island until the money was cashed.

Nellie`s ordeal is over when Tom overheard a conversation about the scheme to rob Nellie and went to the island to save her. Love was still there and flourished smoothly.

After one week passed, they both returned home, without having the courage to tell to each other that they were actually poor and their love story was over, although the heartache remained. Tom ended up being promoted to the same section where Nellie worked and they immediately bumped into each other. Rather than questioning each other about why they lied that they were rich, they got so happy to be reunited that they fell into each other`s arms and there was the expected happy end.

A film worth seeing also for its romantic, nostalgic touch of an era when love was far more innocent and life was simpler. This has an undeniable appeal with modern audiences. The storytelling is also easy to follow and beautiful sea landscapes are also pleasant to the eyes. Subtle, light acting with the bonus of beautiful clothing and furniture. The female protagonist is played by actress Edith Taliaferro, who made a name for herself at the stage, but made only three silent films in the 1910s. This film is also noteworthy for having been written by William C. de Mille, brother of famous director Cecil B. DeMille. Actor Tom Forman, who played the role of Tom Clancy, despite having been a popular actor, started having career problems already in the silent era and unfortunately committed suicide in 1926.

2 de November de 2024 0

Dorothy Davenport (left) in The Best Man Wins (USA,1911)

Dorothy Davenport (left) in The Best Man Wins (USA,1911).

The World Photographic Publishing Company, Nestor Studios – The Moving Picture World, Volume 10, Number 13 (page 1036).

The Best Man Wins (USA,1911). IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0001502/

Promotional still from the 1911 film, The Best Man Wins From the weekly advertisement for Nestor in The Moving Picture World A MERRY XMAS AND A MERRY FILM Monday, December 25th, 1911 “THE BEST MAN WINS” A tender love romance; Dan Cupid’s victory; a jolly barn dance; an exciting ploughing bee, and the delightful charm of life on the farm are exquisitely shown in The Best Man Wins. You’ll win if you get it! DAVID HORSLEY, BAYONNE, N. J. SALES CO. SOLE DISTRIBUTORS Description on page 1079— “The Best Man Wins” is a very clever comedy amid rural surroundings in which a plowing contest is pulled off to decide who shall gain the favor of the farmer’s daughter. There is considerable competition between the farmers’ sons of the vicinity, but the real contest comes off between the young man the girl’s father wants her to marry and a young man from the East who has made quite an impression upon the girl and is anxious to marry her. By some strange good fortune the young man from the East wins the contest and, while the dance is at its height, slips away with her and gets her promise to marry him. It is not to be easy sailing, though, for the jealous lover sees them slip away and, finding the girl’s father who has no use for the Eastern boy, makes an attempt to stop the proceedings. The old man finds the young folks and proceeds to read the riot act to the young man. At this point the young man from the East plays his trump card: he hands the old farmer his credentials showing that he is a representative of the Agricultural Department at Washington, D. C. This wins the old man’s consent to the arrangements made by the young folks and everybody is happy but the disappointed lover. Harold Lockwood plays the part of the Eastern boy with dignity and spirit.

23 de January de 2024 0

Prompt of the Day

Daily writing prompt

Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?

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Thinking about the past is something I have done since I was a kid and I have no idea why; I just know that I have always loved history and to compare life in the past with life nowadays. Even in my childhood I read many history books although it is not common someone so young do it. I have always loved the entire new world that history can bring to us and how we can travel throughout so many different lifestyles without even leaving home.

Then, I grew up, started to attend college and pursued other hobbies and studies, but history has always been with me even though I have never professionally worked with it. However, I still think that history is a wonderful tool to decision making because it gives a chance of learning with past mistakes. I know that it is not really healthy to live in the past and I consider it that I have done it for a while in my younger days, but those days have been gone for a long time.

Thinking about the future is tempting for most of us, but I never did it too often because it causes anxiety and the truth is that we have no control over the future. All we can do is living in the best way and hope that it will bring back good things, but nothing is certain. On the other hand, we suffer for thinking too much about the past exactly because it is so certain. It is certain we cannot change it, all is there, fixed, it is over even if we do the very same things all over again because now is already a different moment and it will cause different consequences. The ability of moving on is very important for human happiness and knowing how much we should stick to the past is an art.

So by nature, I have spent much more time thinking about the past than the future because I am a historian at heart. There is also a touch of escapism in it. Many people like to think about the past as an ideal place when things were so much simpler and easier, a place where we can somehow return in case things go wrong right now. “The grass is always greener on the other side”, according to the saying. We all want a place to rest when feeling tired, somewhere safe and for some people the safety can be the past.

But past thoughts can also be useful for us to cherish what we have nowadays, how much people fought and obtained throughout the eras and how in many regards we are much luckier than our ancestors. We have a bigger lifespan, better health care and comfort standards, among many other things. We can study, get better informed and it means that, no matter how problematic is, we will always have alternatives to make life happier and more comfortable. So, thinking about the past can be a very positive activity whenever it is used wisely.

5 de January de 2024 0