The White Rose (1923 film)


The White Rose is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. The film was written, produced, and directed by Griffith, and stars Mae Marsh, Ivor Novello, Carol Dempster, and Neil Hamilton. Though this film is extant, it is one of Griffith's rarely seen films.

Plot

A wealthy young Southern aristocrat, Joseph, graduates from a seminary and, before he takes charge of his assigned parish, decides to go out and see what "the real world" is all about. He winds up in New Orleans and finds himself attracted to a poor, unsophisticated orphan girl, Bessie, that he meets at a dance hall. One thing leads to another, and before long Bessie finds that she is pregnant with Joseph's child.

Cast

The film was shot in several locations throughout Florida and Louisiana. Lucille La Verne and Porter Strong played household servant roles in blackface.

Reception

The film was not well received. It was viewed as another typical story of the young innocent girl robbed of her purity told at a very slow pace.

Preservation status

Copies of The White Rose are listed at the George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection, UCLA Film & Television Archive, Academy Film Archive, and several other film archives.