A powerful and poetic
slice of melodrama.
A powerful portrait of
innocence and
childlike determination.
I first became aware of this little gem from Mark Cousins' excellent documentary The Story of Film, and I was surprised to find it in great quality on Youtube. Falling Leaves is a fantastical and whimsical film from the pre-Griffith silent era of cinema. It was directed by Alice Guy, often considered to be the first great female director, and is held as a classic of early French film.
The most important aspect of the film is it's powerful imagery. The simple metaphor the film bases itself around, falling leaves represent the inevitability of time, is shown gloriously and leads to what is now one of my favourite visuals of the entire silent era. Falling Leaves also boosts an impressive child performance, the earliest example of one I can think of. Young Magda Foy shows a strong will and relentless determination which is highly admirable and moving to watch unfold. This character is an adorable star of the era for me now. Furthermore the film handles the sensitive emotions of serious illness elegantly, showing the wider effects on the family and by extension tells it's story very well.
Overall, Falling Leaves is a simple yet perfectly balanced piece of early melodrama. I recommend tracking it down on Youtube, for this is a film which I feel deserves a bit more recognition and praise than it seems to receive.
By Jack D. Phillips
A Zoom Film Review
No comments:
Post a Comment