Isn't Life Wonderful

Isn't Life Wonderful is a 1924 American silent romantic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith for his company D. W. Griffith Productions, and distributed by United Artists. It was based on the short story "Isn’t Life Wonderful?" in the 1923 book Defeat by Geoffrey Moss, and it was released under the alternative title Dawn.[2]

For the British film, see Isn't Life Wonderful!

Isn't Life Wonderful
Lobby card
Directed byD. W. Griffith
Written byD. W. Griffith
Based on"Isn’t Life Wonderful?"
by Geoffrey Moss
Produced byD. W. Griffith
StarringCarol Dempster
Neil Hamilton
CinematographyHendrik Sartov
Harold S. Sintzenich
Music byLouis Silvers
Cesare Sodero
Production
company
D.W. Griffith Productions
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • November 23, 1924 (1924-11-23)
Running time
120 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)
Budget$260,000[1]
Box office$400,000[1]

Plot

As described in a review in a film magazine,[3] among the thousands of refugees who flocked to Berlin was the family of a Polish professor (Alderson) and the days following the war show them in a terrific struggle for mere existence. They manage to get a place to live but their combined resources and the high prices of food during the Great Inflation result in their only being able to get a potato apiece and for long periods they have to subsist on horse turnips. Despite this, the love of one son, Paul (Hamilton), for his cousin Inga (Dempster) is so great that they determine to overcome all obstacles. Inga works overtime in another place and collects a pitiful supply of things for their new home, and Paul builds a little hut and finds a little allotment where he grows enough potatoes to keep him through the winter. All is rosy, and they start to harvest their little crop, but they are followed by workmen who temporarily made beasts through their hunger and suffering of their families rob them of all. The world looks grim, but Inga rises to the occasion and makes Paul realize that they still have each other and that after all “Isn’t Life Wonderful.”

Cast

Production

Most of the scenes were filmed in Germany and Austria. Only one was filmed in New York at the studio. The film stars Carol Dempster and Neil Hamilton. The film was a failure at the box office, and it led to Griffith leaving United Artists shortly after its run in theaters.[4]

Reception

The film did receive some positive critical notices at the time, and its stock has risen considerably since its initial release; it has for some decades been considered one of Griffith's great films.[5]

Legacy

The title of the film was spoofed in the Charley Chase comedy Isn't Life Terrible (1925).

Preservation

Prints of Isn't Life Wonderful are held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, Cinematek (Brussels, Belgium), Filmoteka Narodowa (Warsaw, Poland), Museum of Modern Art, Arhiva Națională de Filme (Bucharest, Romania), George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection, and Danish Film Institute (Copenhagen, Denmark).[6]

References
  1. "Griffith's 20 Year Record". Variety. September 5, 1928. p. 12. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  2. Progressive Silent Film List: Isn't Life Wonderful at silentera.com
  3. Sewell, Charles S. (December 13, 1924). "Isn't Life Wonderful; Powerful in Its Simplicity and Realism, D. W. Griffith's Latest Is Limited in Its Appeal". The Moving Picture World. New York City: Chalmers Publishing Co. 71 (7): 624–625. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  4. Drew, William M. "D. W. Griffith (1875-1948)". Gilda's Blue Book of the Screen. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  5. "Rotten Tomatoes". rottentomatoes.com. Richard Brody. April 6, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  6. Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: Isn't Life Wonderful
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