Arthur-V-Johnson-and-Marion-Leonard-in-The-Voice-of-the-Violin-1909-director-DW-Griffith-00 

   Arthur Johnson and Marion Leonard

 

Directed by                       D.W. Griffith
Cinematography by         Billy Bitzer, Arthur Marvin
Starring                             Arthur Johnson, Marion Leonard
Distributed by                   Biograph Company
Release date                      March 18, 1909
Country                             United States
Running time                    13 m.

 

"The Voice of the Violin" is a short drama directed by D.W. Griffith.  The film is included in our program to illustrate the work of two of our stars: actor Arthur V. Johnson and cinematographer Billy Bitzer.

Arthur Johnson is a musician, who makes a living with classes of violin.  He and his student Marion Leonard like each other a lot, but she rejects him for being too poor for her.  He then decides  to join a communist group and fight for equality of all.  Right away he draws a lot to plant the next bomb in a rich man's house.  With the plot under way he realizes that this is the home of his love interest, and he desperately tries to prevent the bomb from exploding.

 

 

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Arthur V Johnson in The Voice of the Violin 1909 director DW Griffith 3

   Arthur Johnson