Henry King's Tol'able David, a film based on a short story by Joseph Hergesheimer about a young man living in rural West Virginia with his family, was widely lauded by audiences and critics upon its initial release. A box office smash, the film also received accolades such as a "medal of honor" from Photoplay Magazine. Russian critics and filmmakers such as Vsevolod Pudovkin were particularly impressed by its mise-en-scène and use of montage. And yet, Tol'able David struck me as a well-crafted, competent, yet unremarkable silent melodrama. One day I hope to read a break-down of just how Tol'able David used such techniques to such revolutionary effect. If I can truly gain an appreciation for its innovations, then I might be inclined to give it a better score. But failing to locate such information (not for a lack of trying, mind you), I can only grade Tol'able David on its merits as viewed from a modern perspective. The story concerns young David Kinemon's coming-of-age when a group of ruffians move into town, kill his dog, inadvertently kill his father, cripple his brother, and prey on Ms. Esther Hatburn, the apple of his eye. The three actors playing the criminals are the highlight of the film. Alternatively psychotic, degenerate, filthy, and downright evil, they provide what all great stories need: great villains. But the pace of the story is ruined somewhat when the audience realizes that the story takes place over a series of months. This leads us to infer that the community, and by extension our hero, has let these bandits invade and dominate Esther and her father for months without doing anything. If the story's time-scale had been reduced, then the film would have had more dramatic weight.
7/10
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