Nursing a Viper

Plot

Set during the tumultuous French Revolution, 'Nursing a Viper' tells the story of a wealthy bourgeois couple who manage to maintain their safety and property by publicly professing republican sympathies. When a violent mob descends upon a nearby aristocratic chateau, a terrified nobleman seeks refuge in the couple's home, begging for protection from the bloodthirsty revolutionaries. The husband and wife, displaying compassion, conceal the aristocrat by disguising him as one of their servants, successfully hiding him from the searching mob. However, their act of mercy backfires tragically when the aristocrat, once safe, attempts to force his unwanted attentions upon the wife who saved him. Hearing his wife's cries for help during the struggle, the husband intervenes, violently removing the aristocrat's disguise and exposing his true identity before thrusting him outside to face the same mob from which he had been saved.

Historical Background

1909 was a pivotal year in American cinema, marking the transition from simple novelty films to more sophisticated narrative storytelling. D.W. Griffith, then relatively unknown, was in the midst of his most productive period, directing dozens of films that would help establish the language of cinema. The film industry was still centered in the New York/New Jersey area, with Hollywood not yet established as the film capital. The Biograph Company was one of the leading production houses of the era, competing with Edison, Vitagraph, and other early studios. This period saw the development of many cinematic techniques that would become standard, including close-ups, cross-cutting, and more sophisticated editing patterns. The choice of the French Revolution as a setting reflected contemporary interest in historical epics and moral tales that could be told without controversy. The film industry was also facing legal challenges, particularly from Thomas Edison's Motion Picture Patents Company, which controlled many key patents and attempted to monopolize the industry.

Making Of

The production of 'Nursing a Viper' took place during a crucial period in Griffith's development as a filmmaker. Working under the constraints of Biograph's factory-like production system, Griffith was learning to tell complete stories within the severe time limitations of one-reel films (approximately 10-12 minutes). The cast was composed of Biograph's stock company actors, with whom Griffith worked regularly and developed a shorthand communication style. Arthur V. Johnson, Marion Leonard, and Frank Powell were among Griffith's most trusted performers during this period. The film was shot quickly, likely in just one or two days, using natural lighting and minimal set construction. Griffith was already experimenting with camera positioning and editing techniques that would become his trademarks, though this film primarily uses the more straightforward continuity editing common to the period. The mob scenes would have required coordination of numerous extras, a challenge for early filmmakers working with limited resources and technical equipment.

Visual Style

The cinematography of 'Nursing a Viper' reflects the state of the art in 1909, with the use of stationary camera positions typical of the period. The film was likely shot by Biograph staff cinematographers such as G.W. 'Billy' Bitzer or Arthur Marvin, who worked regularly with Griffith. The camera placement follows the theatrical convention of a fixed audience perspective, with scenes composed as if on a stage. Natural lighting was used, with scenes filmed outdoors or in studios with large windows to maximize available light. The film employs medium shots for most scenes, with occasional closer shots to emphasize emotional moments, a technique Griffith was pioneering. The mob scenes would have required wider shots to accommodate the larger number of actors. The cinematography serves the narrative clearly, with compositions designed to ensure the story's action and emotional beats are easily understood by the audience.

Innovations

While 'Nursing a Viper' does not represent major technical innovations, it demonstrates Griffith's growing mastery of emerging cinematic techniques. The film makes effective use of continuity editing to maintain narrative clarity across different locations within the couple's home. Griffith was beginning to experiment with cross-cutting between parallel actions, though this technique would be more fully developed in his later works. The film also shows Griffith's developing understanding of pacing and rhythm in editing, using cuts to build tension during the confrontation scenes. The use of disguise as a plot device allows for visual storytelling through costume changes rather than relying solely on intertitles. The mob scenes demonstrate early attempts at managing large groups of extras for dramatic effect, a challenge that would become easier with more advanced camera and lighting equipment in subsequent years.

Music

Like all films of 1909, 'Nursing a Viper' was a silent production accompanied by live music during exhibition. The specific musical accompaniment would have varied by theater, ranging from a single piano player to small ensembles in larger venues. Theater musicians would have selected appropriate music from their libraries, using popular songs, classical pieces, and stock musical cues to match the film's mood and action. Dramatic scenes like the aristocrat's attack on the wife would have been accompanied by tense, agitated music, while the mob scenes would have called for dramatic, chaotic musical passages. The French Revolution setting might have inspired the use of period-appropriate music like the 'Marseillaise' or other revolutionary songs. Some theaters employed cue sheets that suggested specific musical pieces for different types of scenes, though these were not standardized until later in the silent era.

Memorable Scenes

• The aristocrat's desperate flight from the mob and seeking refuge in the couple's home
• The tense moment when the couple disguises the aristocrat as a servant
• The attempted assault on the wife by the man she saved
• The husband's intervention and dramatic unmasking of the aristocrat
• The final scene where the exposed aristocrat is thrust out to face the mob

What Critics Said

Contemporary critical reception of 'Nursing a Viper' is difficult to document due to the limited film criticism of the era. Most newspapers of 1909 did not employ dedicated film critics, and reviews of individual short films were rare. However, trade publications like 'The Moving Picture World' and 'Variety' occasionally mentioned Biograph releases in their coverage of the industry. Griffith's films from this period were generally well-regarded within the industry for their narrative clarity and emotional impact. Modern film historians and critics view 'Nursing a Viper' as an example of Griffith's early mastery of the short film form, demonstrating his ability to tell a complete, morally complex story within the severe time constraints of the one-reel format. The film is often cited in studies of Griffith's early career as evidence of his developing visual style and narrative techniques.

What Audiences Thought

Audience reception of 'Nursing a Viper' in 1909 would have been gauged primarily through box office receipts and theater bookings rather than systematic surveys or reviews. Biograph films of this period were generally popular with audiences, and Griffith's work was becoming recognized for its emotional power and storytelling clarity. The film's dramatic subject matter and moral lesson would have appealed to the predominantly working-class and middle-class audiences who attended nickelodeons and early movie theaters. The French Revolution setting would have provided exotic visual interest while the story's themes of betrayal and justice would have resonated with contemporary audiences. Like most films of the era, it would have been shown as part of a varied program including comedies, travelogues, and other dramatic shorts, with individual films rarely being the primary draw for audiences.

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