''Nina, the Flower Girl'' is a 1917 American silent drama film produced by

D. W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the n ...

through his

Fine Arts Film Company Fine Arts Film Company produced dozens of movies during the silent film era in the United States. It was one of the film production studios in Triangle Film Corporation, each run by one of the parent company's vice-presidents: D. W. Griffith, T ...

and distributed by

Triangle Film Corporation Triangle Film Corporation (also known as Triangle Motion Picture Company) was a major American motion-picture studio, founded in July 1915 in Culver City, California and terminated 7 years later in 1922. History The studio was founded in Jul ...

. The film starred

Bessie Love Bessie Love (born Juanita Horton; September 10, 1898April 26, 1986) was an American-British actress who achieved prominence playing innocent, young girls and wholesome leading ladies in silent and early sound films. Her acting career spanned ne ...

, an up-and-coming ingénue actress. It marked the final acting role for

Elmer Clifton Elmer Clifton Forsyth (March 14, 1890 – October 15, 1949) was an American director, screenwriter, and actor from the early silent days. Early life Elmer Clifton Forsyth was born in Toronto, Canada, to Cecil Carl Forsyth and Margaret Nicoll ...

, who was by then moving on to directing full-time. The film is presumed lost.

Plot

Nina (

Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

), who is blind, makes artificial flowers. Jimmie ( Clifton), a hunchback newsboy and artist, is in love with her. Nina has been deceived into thinking that Jimmie is a prince who lives in a palace. When wealthy Fred Townsend ( Hadley) and his mother offer to finance a surgery to restore Nina's vision, Jimmie misunderstands and thinks that the Townsends plan to harm her. He tries to protect her, but learns of their true intentions. Nina undergoes the surgery and regains her vision, but Jimmie fears she may no longer love him once she sees he is not a prince. He plans to end his life by falling from a high place but instead encounters a surgeon who corrects his hunchback. He and Nina are reunited and in love.

Cast

Production

To prepare for her role as the blind girl, Love spent time at the Los Angeles Institute for the Blind. During filming, a six-piece orchestra played music for the actors, and real champagne was used on camera.

Release and reception

Upon its release, it was shown with a Keystone comedy. The film received mediocre to negative reviews. In particular, its blatant sentimentality was poorly received. Bessie Love's performance was praised, described by one reviewer as "an excellent bit of unaffected acting".

References

External links

* * *
''Nina, the Flower Girl''
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

{{Lloyd Ingraham 1917 drama films 1917 lost films 1917 films American black-and-white films Silent American drama films American silent feature films Films about blind people Films directed by Lloyd Ingraham Lost American drama films Triangle Film Corporation films 1910s American films 1910s English-language films English-language drama films Lost silent American films