The Village Blacksmith (1922 film)

The Village Blacksmith is a 1922 American silent melodrama^[5][6] film directed by John Ford and produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation. One of the eight reels survives at the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and therefore the film is considered to be lost.^[7][8] It was loosely adapted from the poem of the same name by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.^[3]

The Village Blacksmith
Film poster
Directed by	John Ford
Written by	Paul Sloane[1]
Based on	"The Village Blacksmith" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Produced by	William Fox
Starring	Will Walling Virginia True Boardman
Cinematography	George Schneiderman[2]
Production company	Fox Film Corporation
Distributed by	Fox Film Corporation
Release date	November 2, 1922 (1922-11-02) (New York)[3]
Running time	8 reels[4] (approx. 80 mins)
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Plot

Lobby card for the film.

As young men, the squire (Marshall) and the village blacksmith (Walling) are in love with the same woman (Boardman), whom the blacksmith marries. This angers the squire. Years later, the squire's son Anson (Yearsley) dares the blacksmith's son Johnnie (Hackathorne) to climb a tree, from which he falls and is crippled.

As adults, Anson and the blacksmith's daughter Alice (Valli) fall in love, which angers the blacksmith, who chastises his daughter. The blacksmith's other son Bill (Butler) returns from college and is injured in a train accident. Anson steals $840 from a church fund which is currently in Alice's possession. Alice is struck by lightning. The blacksmith take Anson and the squire to church where they both repent.^[5][9][10]

Cast

William Walling in the title role

• William Walling as John Hammond, Blacksmith
• Virginia True Boardman as Mrs. John Hammond
• Virginia Valli as Alice Hammond, the Daughter
• Ida Mae McKenzie as Alice as a Child
• David Butler as Bill Hammond, the Son
• Gordon Griffith as Bill as a Child
• George Hackathorne as Johnnie Hammond, Another Son
• Pat Moore as Johnnie as a Child
• Tully Marshall as Ezra Brigham, the Squire
• Ralph Yearsley as Anson Brigham, the Son
• Henri De La Garrique as Anson as a Child
• Francis Ford as Asa Martin
• Bessie Love as Rosemary Martin, the Daughter
• Helen Field as Rosemary as a Child
• Lon Poff as Gideon Crane
• Mark Fenton as Dr. Brewster
• Cordelia Callahan as Aunt Hattie
• Caroline Rankin as Squire's Wife
• Eddie Gribbon as The Village Gossip
• Lucille Hutton as The Flapper from the City^[9][10]

Reception

The film was well received by audiences^[11] and by reviewers alike.^[4][12][13] The photography was highly praised.^[6][14]