Nina, the Flower Girl

Nina, the Flower Girl
Scene from the film
Directed byLloyd Ingraham
Written byMary H. O'Connor
Produced byD. W. Griffith
StarringBessie Love
CinematographyFrank Urson
Production
company
Distributed byTriangle Film Corporation
Release date
  • January 21, 1917 (1917-01-21) (U.S.)
Running time
5 reels
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

Nina, the Flower Girl is a 1917 American silent drama film produced by D. W. Griffith through his Fine Arts Film Company and distributed by Triangle Film Corporation. The film starred Bessie Love, an up-and-coming ingénue actress.[1] It marked the final acting role for Elmer Clifton, who was by then moving on to directing full-time.

The film is presumed lost.

Plot

Nina (Love), who is blind, makes artificial flowers. Jimmie (Clifton), a hunchback newsboy and artist, is in love with her. Nina has been deceived into thinking that Jimmie is a prince who lives in a palace. When wealthy Fred Townsend (Hadley) and his mother offer to finance a surgery to restore Nina's vision, Jimmie misunderstands and thinks that the Townsends plan to harm her. He tries to protect her, but learns of their true intentions.

Nina undergoes the surgery and regains her vision, but Jimmie fears she may no longer love him once she sees he is not a prince. He plans to end his life by falling from a high place but instead encounters a surgeon who corrects his hunchback. He and Nina are reunited and in love.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

Cast

Production

To prepare for her role as the blind girl, Love spent time at the Los Angeles Institute for the Blind.[3]

During filming, a six-piece orchestra played music for the actors, and real champagne was used on camera.[5]

Release and reception

Upon its release, it was shown with a Keystone comedy.[10]

The film received mediocre to negative reviews.[11][12][13] In particular, its blatant sentimentality was poorly received.[14]

Bessie Love's performance was praised,[3][6][11] described by one reviewer as "an excellent bit of unaffected acting".[15]

References

  1. ^ Hanson, Patricia King, ed. (1988). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films 1911–1920. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-06301-3.
  2. ^ a b "Triangle Film Corp". The Moving Picture World. February 3, 1917. p. 745.
  3. ^ a b c "Oak Park Theatre". Forest Leaves. Vol. 11, no. 3. Forest Park, IL. January 19, 1917. p. 5.
  4. ^ "At the Oak Park Theatre". Forest Leaves. Vol. 11, no. 3. Forest Park, IL. January 19, 1917. p. 14.
  5. ^ a b "Living Pictures in New Bessie Love Play". Motography. Vol. 17, no. 2. January 13, 1917. p. 60.
  6. ^ a b Graves, George W. (January 20, 1917). "Nina, the Flower Girl". Motography. Vol. 17, no. 3. pp. 150–151.
  7. ^ Nash, Jay Robert; Connelly, Robert; Ross, Stanley Ralph (1988). Motion Picture Guide Silent Film 1910–1936. Cinebooks. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-933997-10-3.
  8. ^ "Triangle Program". Motography. Vol. 17, no. 3. January 20, 1917. p. 160.
  9. ^ Harrison, Louis Reeves (January 20, 1917). "Nina, the Flower Girl". The Moving Picture World. p. 358.
  10. ^ "At Leading Picture Theaters". The Moving Picture World. February 3, 1917.
  11. ^ a b Saxe, M. J. (February 10, 1917). "What the Picture Did for Me". Motography. Vol. 17, no. 6. p. 280.
  12. ^ Milne, Peter (January 20, 1917). "Nina, the Flower Girl". Motion Picture News. Vol. 15, no. 3. p. 439.
  13. ^ "Film Reviews". Variety. Vol. 45, no. 7. January 12, 1917. p. 24.
  14. ^ Hutchinson, Tom (1984). Screen Goddesses. Exeter Books. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-671-07150-9.
  15. ^ Todd, Stanley (October 1917). "The Rise of Bessie Love". Motion Picture Magazine. Vol. 14, no. 9. p. 37.
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