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''Isn't Life Wonderful'' is a 1924 American silent
romantic drama film Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...
directed by D. W. Griffith for his company D. W. Griffith Productions, and distributed by
United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...
. It was based on the short story "Isn’t Life Wonderful?" in the 1923 book ''Defeat'' by Geoffrey Moss, and it was released under the alternative title ''Dawn''.


Plot

As described in a review in a film magazine, among the thousands of refugees who flocked to Berlin was the family of a Polish professor (Alderson) and the days following the war show them in a terrific struggle for mere existence. They manage to get a place to live but their combined resources and the high prices of food during the Great Inflation result in their only being able to get a potato apiece and for long periods they have to subsist on horse turnips. Despite this, the love of one son, Paul (Hamilton), for his cousin Inga (Dempster) is so great that they determine to overcome all obstacles. Inga works overtime in another place and collects a pitiful supply of things for their new home, and Paul builds a little hut and finds a little allotment where he grows enough potatoes to keep him through the winter. All is rosy, and they start to harvest their little crop, but they are followed by workmen who, temporarily made beasts through their hunger and the suffering of their families, rob them of all. The world looks grim, but Inga rises to the occasion and makes Paul realize that they still have each other and that after all, “Isn’t Life Wonderful.”


Cast


Production

Most of the scenes were filmed in Germany and Austria. Only one was filmed in New York at the studio. The film stars Carol Dempster and Neil Hamilton. The film was a failure at the box office, and it led to Griffith leaving United Artists shortly after its run in theaters.


Reception

The film did receive some positive critical notices at the time, and its stock has risen considerably since its initial release; it has for some decades been considered one of Griffith's great films.


Legacy

The title of the film was spoofed in the
Charley Chase Charles Joseph Parrott (October 20, 1893 – June 20, 1940), known professionally as Charley Chase, was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director. He worked for many pioneering comedy studios but is chiefly associated with pro ...
comedy '' Isn't Life Terrible?'' (1925).


Preservation

Prints of ''Isn't Life Wonderful'' are held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, Cinematek (Brussels, Belgium), Filmoteka Narodowa (Warsaw, Poland),
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
, Arhiva Națională de Filme (Bucharest, Romania), George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection, and Danish Film Institute (Copenhagen, Denmark).Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: ''Isn't Life Wonderful''
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References


External links

* * (30 minute abridgement) {{D. W. Griffith 1924 films American silent feature films 1920s English-language films American black-and-white films Films directed by D. W. Griffith 1924 drama films Films set in Germany American drama films Films scored by Louis Silvers 1920s American films Silent American drama films English-language drama films Surviving American silent films Articles containing video clips