A Romance of Happy Valley

The corruption of a country lad by the urban metropolis is told with sensitivity by Griffith in this story about John (Harron) who leaves his sweetheart (Gish) to seek his fortune in the city. Returning home seven years later, he finds Gish an old maid and his father nearly driven to crime by desperate poverty. John makes amends and is reunited with the long-suffering Ms. Gish. Griffith's lyrical evocation of a small town atmosphere with its simple pleasures and virtues makes this one of the director's minor masterpieces.