The Greatest Question
About The Greatest Question
As a small child, Nellie Jarvis sees a man and his wife murder a woman and bury her. Years later, an orphan called Little Miss Yes'm, she is taken in by the poor Hilton family. Their eldest son John goes to war. Nellie goes to work for Martin Cain and his wife, the killers, and does not know them at first. After John dies, Mrs. Hilton sees him at the moment of his death. His ghost tells the family not to sell the farm. Oil is found on the land the next day. Jimmie Hilton, who loves Nellie, reaches the Cain house as Mrs. Cain is about to kill Nellie for remembering the murder, after catching her husband trying to assault the girl. The Cains are arrested.
Cast & crew
More about The Greatest Question
Griffith directed and produced. Stanner E. V. Taylor wrote the script from a novel by William Hale. First National released it. James Smith edited. Wikidata also lists Taylor as a director; AFI and Wikipedia credit Griffith.
Themes
Look
G. W. Bitzer photographed the feature.
Music
Albert Pesce is credited with the music.
Preservation
A circulating print matches the December 28, 1919 release. The Internet Archive holds a copy under the identifier used in the catalog.
Notes
- Lillian Gish plays Nellie Jarvis. Robert Harron plays Jimmie Hilton. George Fawcett and Eugenie Besserer play the Hilton parents.
- George Nichols and Josephine Crowell play the Cains in the published cast lists. Wikipedia's plot calls the killers the Scrubbles; AFI and the catalog call them the Cains.
- Ralph Graves is third-billed. AFI's synopsis uses John as the Hilton son who dies in the war.
- Albert Pesce is credited with the music.
- Exhibitors Trade Review, Motion Picture News, and Moving Picture World all reviewed it in the January 10, 1920 issues.
Scenes
- Mrs. Hilton sees her dead son as he dies.
- The ghost at the grave tells the Hiltons to keep the farm, and oil is struck the next day.
- Jimmie pulls Nellie out of the Cain house as Mrs. Cain is about to kill her.
Influenced by
- A novel by William Hale
Also available
- Internet Archive (TheGreatestQuestiondecember281919)
