The County Fair
"A Story of Simple People and Great Hearts"
Plot
In this heartwarming silent drama, wealthy landowner Abner Weatherby threatens to evict elderly Aunt Abigail and seize her beloved farm unless her niece Nellie agrees to marry his son. Though repulsed by the arrangement, kind-hearted Nellie considers the sacrifice to save her aunt's home. Their fortunes change when they take in a hungry young drifter named Pete, who reveals himself to be a skilled jockey. Pete volunteers to ride in the upcoming county fair horse race, where the $3,000 prize could save the farm from foreclosure. As the big race approaches, tensions mount between the cruel Weatherby, the desperate Nellie, and the determined young man who holds their future in his hands.
About the Production
The County Fair was one of several rural-themed dramas that Tourneur produced during his American period, showcasing his ability to work with smaller budgets while maintaining artistic quality. The film featured authentic fair scenes with real livestock and period-appropriate settings. Tourneur was known for his meticulous attention to visual composition, and this film demonstrates his signature use of natural lighting and carefully constructed mise-en-scène.
Historical Background
The County Fair was released in 1920, a period of significant transition in American cinema as the industry moved from short films to feature-length productions. This was also the beginning of the Roaring Twenties, a time of rapid social change and technological advancement. The film's emphasis on rural values and traditional morality reflected a cultural nostalgia for simpler times amidst rapid urbanization and industrialization. Post-World War I America was experiencing economic prosperity but also social anxiety, leading many to seek comfort in stories that celebrated traditional American values. The film industry itself was consolidating, with major studios like Famous Players-Lasky (which distributed this film) dominating production and distribution. This period also saw the rise of the star system and the establishment of Hollywood as the center of American filmmaking.
Why This Film Matters
The County Fair represents an important example of the rural melodrama genre that flourished in early American cinema, reflecting the nation's ongoing tension between urban and rural values. The film contributed to the popular image of the American heartland as a place of virtue and authenticity, a theme that would recur throughout 20th-century American culture. It also exemplifies the transition of European artistic sensibilities into American cinema, as demonstrated by Tourneur's sophisticated visual approach to a distinctly American story. The movie's success helped establish the template for countless later films featuring underdog heroes, community solidarity, and the triumph of traditional values over greed. Its preservation and study today offers valuable insight into early 20th-century American cultural attitudes and the evolution of cinematic storytelling techniques.
Making Of
Maurice Tourneur brought his distinctive European artistic sensibility to this American rural drama, employing innovative camera techniques and natural lighting that elevated the simple story. The production faced challenges in securing authentic fair settings, with the production team eventually coordinating with an actual county fair in rural California to film the climactic race scenes. Tourneur was known for his collaborative approach with actors, often allowing them to contribute to character development. David Butler, playing the jockey, reportedly drew on his own experiences growing up around horses. The film's modest budget required creative solutions, including the use of local residents as background performers and the incorporation of real fair activities into the narrative. Tourneur's meticulous attention to detail extended to the smallest props and costumes, ensuring period accuracy throughout the production.
Visual Style
The film's cinematography, overseen by Tourneur himself, demonstrates his characteristic use of natural lighting and carefully composed frames. The fair sequences feature dynamic camera movement for the period, with tracking shots that follow the horse racing action. Tourneur employed deep focus techniques to create layered compositions, particularly in scenes set on the farm. The visual style contrasts the warm, natural lighting of outdoor rural scenes with the darker, more shadowy interiors of the villain's home. The cinematography effectively uses the landscape to reinforce the film's themes, with sweeping shots of farmland representing freedom and virtue, while confined spaces suggest moral corruption.
Innovations
The County Fair showcased several technical innovations for its time, particularly in its outdoor filming techniques. Tourneur's use of natural lighting in exterior scenes was advanced for 1920, demonstrating the growing sophistication of location cinematography. The horse racing sequences employed innovative camera placement to create dynamic movement and excitement, using techniques that would influence later action films. The film also featured effective use of continuity editing to maintain narrative clarity across different locations and time periods. The production's ability to integrate real fair activities into the fictional narrative demonstrated an early form of documentary-style filmmaking within a dramatic context.
Music
As a silent film, The County Fair would have been accompanied by live musical performances during its original theatrical run. The typical score would have included popular songs of the era, classical pieces, and specially composed incidental music. For dramatic scenes, theaters often used somber classical pieces, while the fair sequences would have featured upbeat, lively music to match the action. The emotional climax of the horse race would have been accompanied by increasingly dramatic musical arrangements. Some larger theaters employed small orchestras, while smaller venues used piano or organ accompaniment. The score was designed to enhance the emotional impact of key scenes and provide audio cues for the audience.
Did You Know?
- Director Maurice Tourneur was a French filmmaker who became one of the most respected directors in Hollywood during the silent era, known for his artistic visual style.
- David Butler, who played the jockey Pete, would later become a prominent film director, helming over 100 movies including 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' (1938) and 'Road to Rio' (1947).
- The film was based on a popular stage play of the same name, which had been touring American theaters for several years before its adaptation.
- William V. Mong, who played the villainous Abner Weatherby, was a prolific character actor who appeared in over 300 films between 1910 and 1938.
- This was one of the last films Tourneur made in America before returning to France in 1922.
- The horse racing sequences were filmed at a real county fair in California, with local residents serving as extras.
- The film's themes of rural virtue versus urban greed reflected the post-World War I American mood that romanticized country life.
- Helen Jerome Eddy was known as 'The Girl of a Thousand Faces' for her versatility in playing various character types.
- The movie was part of a wave of 'back-to-nature' films that emerged in the early 1920s as a reaction to rapid industrialization.
- Original prints featured hand-coloring techniques for certain scenes, particularly the fair sequences, to enhance visual appeal.
What Critics Said
Contemporary critics praised The County Fair for its heartfelt storytelling and Tourneur's skilled direction. The Moving Picture World noted the film's 'genuine emotional appeal' and commended Tourneur's ability to extract strong performances from his cast. Variety highlighted the authentic atmosphere of the fair sequences and the effective pacing of the dramatic elements. Modern critics and film historians have come to appreciate the film as a representative example of Tourneur's American period, noting his characteristic visual sophistication and the effective blending of European artistic sensibilities with American genre conventions. The film is often cited in studies of rural melodrama and the work of expatriate directors in early Hollywood.
What Audiences Thought
The County Fair was well-received by audiences in 1920, particularly in smaller towns and rural areas where its themes resonated strongly. The film's straightforward morality tale and relatable characters appealed to mainstream American moviegoers of the era. Audience reports from various theaters indicated strong emotional responses to the film's climactic race sequence and its resolution. The movie performed especially well in the Midwest and South, where county fairs were an integral part of community life. Contemporary newspaper advertisements emphasized the film's 'all-American' themes and family-friendly content, contributing to its broad appeal across different demographic groups.
Film Connections
Influenced By
- European melodrama tradition
- American stage plays
- D.W. Griffith's narrative techniques
- Victorian morality tales
This Film Influenced
- Subsequent rural melodramas of the 1920s
- Underdog sports films
- Family farm dramas
- David Butler's later directorial work