Isn't Life Wonderful 1924 (DIR. D. W. GRIFFITH)

A family of Polish refugees tries to survive in post-World War I Germany. For a while it seems that they are making it, but soon the economic and political deterioration in the country begins to take their toll.

[@shadowheart.]

Thanks for uploading :)

[@BrockBizzell]

Thanks Hayden for uploading all of these!

[@MelBee128]

Poor Inga has to deal with the ungrateful woman who just sits there with her big angry eyes complaining about how she's sick of eating turnips and bellowing about how everything sucks. Meanwhile she's putting herself at risk to get meat for this crotchety woman who doesn't appreciate it. And the old woman was stabbing Inge with her cane when she said she wanted to get married. None of the people in that house were working except Paul, Thomas, and Inga so how dare the family deny their blessing? And why did Paul wait in line with Inge for two seconds and then leave? He knew people were liable to get violent in a line like that. He just abandoned her to the masses without a second thought! Unfortunately Carol Becker didn't have the acting chops to pull off that dramatic scene when the butcher changed the price and she realized she could no longer afford it. She tried to do the quivering chin and then the brave smile but she just didn't pull it off. Would have loved to see a Gish or Marsh or even a Pickford play this role because they would have been far better with the range of emotion.

[@Themanwhocameback2]

Oh, they're Polish refugees. German were still to be hated

[@MelBee128]

I adore Griffith but this one went by very slowly. That first half was tough to get through. There's no plot! Scenes went on way too long. Characters seemed two dimensional. Paul was stocky when he was supposed to be near death and starving. The phrase, "isn't life wonderful" seemed like they were being sarcastic. The biggest problem was the editing or lack of it. Scenes of dancing going on over five minutes. Inga stood in line for a good hour at the butcher shop. Then we have scenes of walking, lots of walking. And the reaction shots were far too long. We see a bad guy looking menacing for upwards of 20 seconds. This isn't still photography! Nothing happened in the film other than they lived through a terrible depression in Germany. What writing there was, didn't make sense. Paul thinks it's safer to take their potatoes home late at night. Why? Because bad guys don't go out at night? They already know there are bad people beating and stealing from people. Paul was a former soldier so wouldn't he be a bit more aware and protective of his wife? And why were the bad guys acting like they had no food when they just robbed and killed three sets of real profiteers? Did Griffith think we would forget what we had just seen?