True Heart Susie

1919 "The story of a plain girl"
6.9| 1h27m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 01 June 1919 Released
Producted By: D.W. Griffith Productions
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

Susie secretly loves her neighbor, William Jenkins, but neither, it seems, can confess their feelings for each other.

Genre

Drama, Romance

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True Heart Susie (1919) is now streaming with subscription on Prime Video

Director

D.W. Griffith

Production Companies

D.W. Griffith Productions

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True Heart Susie Audience Reviews

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good
Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated
Acensbart Excellent but underrated film
Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
Nick Delasbour This is a classic case of allowing society and traditionalism hold you back from what you really desire. There was once a time in society where the belief was that things had to be done strictly by the book and if you did them any other way then you were wrong. This belief system was not only for one part of life, but for all. There was a strict way for church's to operate, people to dress, families to conduct business, and also for people to interact with each other and if you did any of these differently than the norm then you were out of order. This was not the time to be different in society; it was a time to conform to traditionalism. Susie was as true to the traditional ways as "the needle to the pole." Susie allows her traditional ways to keep her from getting the man that she longed for from childhood. She was never willing to tell him what she truly wanted to neither through actions nor words while other girls did. Susie sat on the sideline and watched as other women robbed her of the stock she had invested so much in. Susie was so caught in tradition and being nice that it was too a fault. In the end it hurt her more than it helped. One thing I noticed was that Susie was more loyal to her mother than she was to her own desires and that loyalty cost her many years of happiness. Susie eventually married the man of her dreams, but it was well into her later years of life and she could never be as happy as she could have been had she gone with her gut feeling and told the young man how she felt. Susie surely had a true heart.
jrmontalvo3 D.W. Griffith was a Silent films era genius, this man created masterpieces. In this film, it is a love story between a little boy and little girl, who grow up together, this love story has a little of a spin to it. Most love stories it takes a little for them to both realize they love each other and for them to end up together. Well in True Heart Susie, Susie is in love with William who has no clue that she has those feelings for him, although she makes it as obvious as possible for him to actually understand her feelings he still does not understand. Well William tries going to college, but doesn't have the funding to be able to get into college, Susie finds out this information and sales her beloved cow that was passed to her from her mother as she died, this cow had great meaning to Susie but she sold it to get money for William to be able to go to college. William gets into college and moves away, when he returns from college he has finally been educated, but when William returns from his college life he comes back with a new women he is married to named Betty Hopkins who is only marrying him for his money and has affairs with him behind his back. Susie catches Betty, but loves William so much she can't tell him and therefore keeps her mouth shut, until one night Betty lies to William and leaves the house to go party. She didn't realize she lost her house key and was locked out in the rain and nasty weather for hours until she went to Susie's later on she would catch pneumonia. After Betty passes away Susie's aunt finally explains everything to William who then marries Susie. The way this movie catches you isn't only through the love story drams, but how you can follow Susie's emotions like you can almost feel what she is feeling, that is what makes True Heart Susie Significant silent film.
CoolReviewBro In line with The Supremes and Phil Collins, this film shows that indeed, one can't hurry love. In True Heart Susie you will witness an awkward love triangle filled with jealousy, confusion, foolishness, deceit, and a yearning for love that burns, burns, and burns Miss Susie's pure, one track heart. While the aforementioned description may seem like something along the lines of Fatal Attraction, True Heart Susie is not that kind of "romantic thriller." While other critics may chastise this reviewer's characterization of True Heart Susie as a "romantic thriller," it is indeed that.Susie's love for William puts an entirely unique and personal touch to the idea of a romantic film so much so that Susie's emotionally intense close-ups may even elicit the viewer to recall their own personal moments of unrequited love, romantic frustration, and blossoming passion (thus making this movie a "romantic thriller" for its sometimes "too close to home" personal feel. Indeed, no other scene in the film is as powerful as when Susie witnesses that her beloved William has engaged her rival Bettina (a capricious, party loving, insincere, and unfaithful milliner from Chicago with the dress and appearance akin to a 1920s flapper indulgent in the decadence of the nightlife). Upon the realization that her love has chosen the wrong woman, poor Susie sulks in gut-wrenching despair so powerful that Susie hunches as her stomach recoils in emotional exhaustion. Any person who has witnessed an unrequited love in the embrace of another knows this feeling and Susie aptly displays the true emotions of a hopeless romantic frustrated with the cold reality that can be "love." As awful as all this may sound, know that the story does end in a somewhat positive regard as William is enlightened to Susie's endearing support and Bettina's unfaithfulness. While you won't regard this movie as the "BEST ROMANTIC MOVIE OF ALL TIME" you will indeed respect the film for it's simplicity, personal feel, charm, and coy wit. It is indeed one of D.W. Griffith's finest films.
MartinHafer It's rare that the ending of a film can undo so much of the rest of the movie, but "True Heart Susie" by D.W. Griffith is one of those films. It's really a shame, as the movie had been quite good up until that point and had a lot to recommend it.The film begins with Lillian Gish wanting to help her sweetheart (Robert Harron) get the money for college. When a rich guy meets Harron and promises to one day help him (but doesn't), Gish decides she'll be his benefactor--secretly giving him money he assumes is from this rich man. Using the money Gish obtained by selling her farm animals, Harron is able to work on campus and earn enough to get his education. When he returns, he's now an ordained minister and appears ready to settle down in his home town. However, he still doesn't know that Gish helped him. She assumes they'll one day marry, but he never has popped the question.When a flirty lady bent on marriage arrives in town, Gish's subtle and lady-like ways are no match. Even though it's obvious to the viewers that this new lady is a tramp (as you see her doing lots of evil things behind Harron's back), the guy never realizes his new girlfriend is just plain bad. Now you'd think that Gish would lay it on the line and just tell him that she paid for his education as well as her love for him, but she doesn't. Perhaps she only wants him if he wants her--perhaps this is just a plot device! Either way, Gish is simply beautiful and sweet in the film and it's hard to imagine Harron marrying the tramp...but he does.The marriage soon turns out to be a huge mistake, as the new wife really could care less about being married or any aspect of domesticity. Harron, though, is easily manipulated and time after time, his cheating, no-good, scumtastic wife breaks her marriage vows--partying with old friends, kissing other men and just being a skank.Now up until this part, I'd liked the film. It had nice production values and very nice acting. I thought Griffith had done himself proud. Then, however, bad writing really sunk the film. First, when Gish sees that the new wife is a cheat, she does NOT tell Harron. This is odd, but perhaps understandable. However, when the cheating wife is caught out in the rain (as she'd sneaked out to go partying), Gish actually agrees to help the wife hide her actions. Why?! This made no sense. Second, and this was dumb, Gish didn't tell Harron a thing. Third, and this was just awful, the cheating wife gets sick and dies as a result of her being out in the rain!! This is the sort of death that can only happen in movies and just seemed to come from no where. Fourth, after the awful wife dies, Gish STILL doesn't say anything to Harron!!! However, you know that somehow it will all work out--and the entire last 10 minutes of the film is a mess--and it's a shame, as the rest of it was lovely.