Interesting silent tells the story of 4th Century Saint Patrick- the prince who became a slave, the slave who became a priest, the priest who converted a nation.
It's long, slow and static. The great outdoors mix with some terrible painted backdrops(staged in the General Film Company Of Ireland's offices, the extras look at the camera, and there is over a reel of Patrick being ordained a Bishop. There are gaffs- the Vatican is high renaissance, there are Martello towers, and train tracks.
But it's Irish. There are some knockout scenes- the chariots coming up through the waves and the beach and a truly stunning job of special effects when Patrick banishes the snakes from Ireland. It doesn't stand up well as a film made after the coming of Griffith but it is pretty damn good compared with other films from the 1900s and early 1910s.
It's long, slow and static. The great outdoors mix with some terrible painted backdrops(staged in the General Film Company Of Ireland's offices, the extras look at the camera, and there is over a reel of Patrick being ordained a Bishop. There are gaffs- the Vatican is high renaissance, there are Martello towers, and train tracks.
But it's Irish. There are some knockout scenes- the chariots coming up through the waves and the beach and a truly stunning job of special effects when Patrick banishes the snakes from Ireland. It doesn't stand up well as a film made after the coming of Griffith but it is pretty damn good compared with other films from the 1900s and early 1910s.
