I have a hard time believing that so much happened in the 14-minute run-time of D.W. Griffith's His Trust. More happened in this one-reel film than I've seen in many blockbusters. It's basically an entire Civil War drama: a Confederate man goes off to war, trusts his home and family to an elderly slave, dies, has his mansion and property raided and destroyed by Yankees, and has his trust vindicated by the elderly slave who rescues his wife and daughter, saves his prized saber from the conflagration, and even dutifully sleeps outside while the wife and daughter sleep in a paltry shelter. And yes, the film is horribly racist: the elderly slave is in blackface (as are all of the black characters), he is unquestionably subservient (one uncomfortable scene involves the daughter riding him on his back like a mule), and all of the "black" extras act like performers in a minstrel show. But Griffith's ambition is stunning. He juggles full battle scenes, hordes of extras, and decent sized sets. It's a marvel to behold, if also an uncomfortable one.
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