Sweethearts Charles West and Blanche Sweet have fun at an 1861 dance; then, he and the other men, including Robert Harron, are off to fight for the Union, in the Civil War. Women and children cheer the departing throng - but they don't get far, as the war rages just outside town. In the first conflict, Mr. West becomes panic-stricken, and goes AWOL. He runs home to Ms. Sweet, scared witless. Sweet is somewhat crazed, herself, and practically throws him out; obviously, she is ashamed of her boyfriend. Luckily, he manages to gather his wits, and return to the front before he is missed. He goes just before being discovered by wounded Union Commander Charles H. Mailes, who arrives at Sweet's home to recuperate. On the battlefield, West gets a chance to prove himself, after a tragic event
Though less than twenty minutes long, this is an "epic" film. The cast of extras is very large; memorably, many of them march by (presumably) G.W. Bitzer's camera as they go off to war. Cheering crowds, and warring soldiers, are all over the screen. "The Battle" is one of the better early films directed by D.W. Griffith. The battle sequences are excitingly staged; and a stagecoach ride thrills. The story of cowardice during wartime is bold; Griffith had just explored the theme with "The House with Closed Shutters" (1910; but, in that instance, Walthall's "cowardly" character had been drinking heavily; West's character is truly stricken by fear. Charles Ray would play a similar coward in 1915.
West and Sweet get a chance to emote
and, over-emote. The total lack of understanding Sweet shows West is a little hard to understand; it looks like she may have been playing a little "mad" herself. Probably, Griffith was directing the two to express some extra craziness for entertainment value. Harron is at his usual best. Familiar faces include Donald Crisp as the Union soldier first in line, to the left, when West joins up; and, look for Lionel Barrymore steering the stagecoach just after Harron expires on the battlefield.
****** The Battle (11/6/11) D.W. Griffith ~ Charles West, Blanche Sweet, Robert Harron