American Cinematographer - November 1988 - 87

by Mike Maginot
Hearts of the World
Directed by D. W. Griffith.

Braga star, but Christopher Walken gives
the standout performance.
Robbie Greenberg's

Photographed by G. W. Bitzer.
(Video Yesteryear)

colorful
fantasy and human

camerawork melds the

drama of the David Ward/John Nichols

Sojourns into cinemas shadow
days don't always begin at the video store.
Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy will get shelf
space because of their timeless comedy, but
the works of Griffith, Eisenstein, Ince, and
De Mille are represented by token titles that
do little to suggest the wide range of
material that survives from the silent era.
When major companies release
silent movies on video they are given very

promotion. Small companies that re¬
lease silents often neglect to add music or
add music that is totally inappropriate. Si¬
lents are seldom golden or any other color
that films were once tinted or toned. Stores
don't stock many silents, so collectors
search for them.
Video Yesteryear's release of
Hearts of the World includes a tolerable
poor

score by Rosa Rio at the Hammond organ.
The print that was transferred is only fair,
but the pleasure here is being able to see
one of Griffith's most interesting films. Shot
on location in France and boasting genuine
battle footage from WWI, Hearts of the
World is Griffith at his most naturalistic;
even the studio shots are inspired.
Griffith's stock company of play¬
ers knew of the war and its effects first
hand and give knowledgeable perfor¬
mances. Featured are Lillian Gish, Robert

Harron, Dorothy Gish, and George

Siegmann.
*

*

*

The Milagro Beanfield War
Produced by Robert Bedford and
Moctesuma Esparza.
Directed by Robert Redford.

Photographed by Robbie Greenberg.
(MCA Home Video)
Traditional values

versus com¬

mercial enterprise isn't a new theme. Redford follows in the cinematic footsteps of
Frank Capra and John Ford to bring this kind

of work to the screen, be it big or small.
Ruben Blades, Richard Bradford, and Sonia

script into

a

cohesive vision. The living

members of the Milagro community interact
with a spirit from the past without special

THE

RADIAN SYSTEM

effects, just the magic of a New Mexico
sunrise

or

sunset.

35mm
*

*

Hemispheric
Projection on your

*

My Life As a Dog
Produced by Waldemar Bergendahl.
Directed by Lasse Hallstrom.
Photographed by Jorgen Persson.
(Paramount Home Video)

30 to 65 foot

diameter dome.
contact

Young Ingemar learns to deal
with love and death, despite a sense of
doom and an empathy for dogs lost in space.
Hallstrom gets the kind of performance from
his juvenile actors that Truffaut achieved in
Small Change. The film is full of charming
vignettes, some of the best played against a
snowy backdrop of rural Sweden.
My Life As a Dog is an endear¬
ing film that becomes more endearing with
each video viewing. Both the English lan¬
guage and a Swedish version with sub-titles
are

THE RADIAN GROUP, INC.
9930 East Bunker Hill Place

Tucson, AZ 85748

MOVIMG?
PLEASE NOTIFY US
6 WEEKS IN ADVANCE

available.
*

*

Miss/Mrs./Mr.

*

(please print)

Name

Zelly and Me
Produced by Sue Jett and Tony Mark.
Directed by Tina Rathborne.
Photographed by Mikael Salomon.
(RCA/Columbia Home Video)

New Address

Apt. No.

City

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Zip

MAIL TO
AMERICAN

Zelly and Me could easily be
described as My Life /Is a Dog American
style. Set in Virginia in 1958, an orphaned
girl (Alexandra Johnes) is taken in by her
well-to-do grandmother (Glynis Johns), a
jealous woman who can't stand the child
showing love towards anyone but her. Zelly
(Isabella Rossellini) is the girl's governess;
together they share a special friendship that
is only interrupted once a week by Zelly's
day off, which is spent with her boyfriend
(David Lynch).
Written by director Rathborne,
Zelly and Me is a touching film well acted
and

beautifully shot.

November 1988

A

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American Cinematographer - November 1988

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