The Fight for Freedom
The Fight for Freedom is a 1908 Western film probably directed by D. W. Griffith. Filmed in Shadyside, New Jersey in June 1908,[1] the film was released on 17 July 1908.
| The Fight for Freedom | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | D. W. Griffith |
| Starring | Florence Auer |
Release date |
|
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent English intertitles |
Plot
The film opens in a town on the Mexican border. A poker game is going on in the local saloon. One of the players cheats and is shot dead by another of the players, a Mexican named Pedro. In the uproar that follows Pedro is wounded as he escapes from the saloon. The sheriff is called, who tracks Pedro to his home but Pedro kills the sheriff too. While Pedro hides, his wife Juanita, is arrested on suspicion of murdering the sheriff. Pedro rescues her from the town jail and the two head for the Mexican border. Caught by the posse before they reach the border, Juanita is killed and the film ends with Pedro being arrested and taken back to town.
Cast
- Florence Auer as Juanita
- John G. Adolfi
- Kate Bruce
- Edward Dillon as Member of the Posse
- George Gebhardt as Man in Bar / Guard
- Arthur V. Johnson
- Wallace McCutcheon Jr.
- Anthony O'Sullivan as Bartender
- Robert G. Vignola
Attribution to D. W. Griffith
The film is said to be directed by Griffith but the American Film Institute does not confirm this.[2] The Fight for Freedom was released only three days after his first directorial film, The Adventures of Dollie and only three days before another film attributed to him, The Tavern Keeper's Daughter. While the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company was known for the fast production times of its films it is possible that while Griffith's had a role in the production of the film, it was actually directed by someone else.[3][4]
References
- Koszarski, Richard (April 2005). Fort Lee: The Film Town (1904-2004). 978-0861966530. p. 59.
- "The Fight for Freedom".
- Graham, Cooper C. (1985). D.W. Griffith and the Biograph Company. Scarecrow Press. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-8108-1806-4.
- Barry, Iris (1965). D. W. Griffith, American film master. Museum of Modern Art. p. 40.