The Struggle
Director: D.W. Griffith
Year Released: 1931
Rating: 1.0
Hard-working Jimmie (Hal Skelly) convinces sweet-natured Florrie (Zita Johann) to marry him and they start a nice family together, but the Old Demon Drink takes control of him and before you know it, he's making an ass out of himself at parties and eventually unemployed and homeless, shouting at phantoms in the dark. As a fan of the drink himself, Griffith - this being his last film - had to have realized it's not only over-the-top - often verging on the silly - but the conclusion's powerfully unrealistic, as Skelly goes from a dark-pit of despair to recovered, employed and well-off in a matter of a few scenes (ask anyone in AA: it's not that simple). It's suggested that one of the main reasons for Jimmie's alcohol abuse is the fact that he's an orphan, but I was raised by both of my biological parents, so what's my excuse? (What's that, Glenlivet? Did you just call for me?)
