Swords and Hearts
About Swords and Hearts
Confederate officer Hugh Frazier stops to see his sweetheart Irene Lambert and finds Union soldiers on his trail. Jenny Baker, a poor woman who does not hide her admiration, puts on his overcoat, takes his horse, and rides off so the soldiers follow her. After the war, Jenny and Hugh are reunited. D. W. Griffith directed the Biograph short from a script by Emmett C. Hall.
Cast & crew
More about Swords and Hearts
Biograph released the short on August 28, 1911. The Wikipedia infobox lists 16 minutes and Wikidata lists 17. G. W. Bitzer photographed it.
Themes
Background
The short sets a Confederate visit and a postwar reunion against the American Civil War, using Biograph's stock company.
Look
G. W. Bitzer photographed the one-reel Biograph drama.
Preservation
Copies are held by the Museum of Modern Art and the BFI National Archive.
Notes
- Wilfred Lucas plays Hugh Frazier, Claire McDowell plays Irene Lambert, and Dorothy West plays Jenny Baker.
- William J. Butler plays Old Ben, Charles West a suitor, Verner Clarges Hugh's father, and Francis J. Grandon Jenny's father.
- Alfred Paget and Donald Crisp are billed as bushwhackers.
- A commentary on the English Wikipedia notes that Jenny's horse rears while she is the only rider shown at that pace.
Scenes
- Jenny puts on Hugh's overcoat and leads the Union soldiers away on his horse.
Also available
- Internet Archive (SwordsAndHearts)
- Wikimedia Commons (Swords and Hearts 1911 D W Griffith G W Bitzer.webm)
