Another D W Griffith morality tale, which I thought was set during the Civil War, but turned out to be in 1917. Lilian Gish is the daughter of an itinerant pedlar working out in the country. When quite young she witnesses the rape and murder of an immigrant serving girl, and then the man's wife helping to bury the body. Year's later, her parents die, and she is taken in by a poor farming family, and attracts the attention of the youngest son. As they get poorer and poorer, she goes out into service, unknowingly with the murderous family. The farming family's eldest son does off to war, joining the US Navy. There is a spectacular scene where he is on the after deck of a submarine when an enemy destroyer is sighted. The submarine crash dives, and you see the actor or stunt double, clinging to the conning tower, then the periscope as the boat disappears beneath the waves. The whole thing looked incredibly dangerous and I doubt would be allowed today, even if anyone would loan a submarine for the stunt. Anyway the boy drowns, but his spirit returns to guide the Mother. Back home, the family is now so poor that the father decides to sell up to someone who is happy to buy the place for a knock-down price. Meanwhile Ms Gish has been subjected to seriously abusive treatment by the wife, and when the husband comes after her she escapes. The sordid truth is now revealed and the evil couple led away. Meanwhile, the Mother has a premonition that they should not sell the land, and the next day oil is discovered (the buyer had been a sharper who knew the real worth of the land). Happy and moral ending.
Review of The Greatest Question
