The White Rose (1923)
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The White Rose (D.W. Griffith, May 1923) with Mae Marsh, Carol Dempster, Ivor Novello and Kate Bruce for D.W. Griffith Productions / United Artists 1
After a rather solemn contemplation that adds little, we arrive in St. Martinville, Louisiana, which is located on the Bayou Teche. This area is also known as ‘Evangeline country’ (see explanation below). Here is the estate of the Carrington’s, the most wealthy plantation owners in the south and from European nobility. The black population, cane sugar workers, live in huts where formerly the estate’s slaves lived. The country house itself is beautifully situated and has a pillar gallery. The residents are: Marie Carrington, only child and heir, who walks around in a beautiful classic interior, and Marie’s father, who behaves like a hermit. John White, a grocery clerk from a family of ‘poor white trash’ comes to deliver an order. He has long been a silent admirer of Marie who stands on the balcony and smells a flower (
We go to a suburb of New Orleans, to een orphanage, where the main character Little Bessie Williams is just leaving. She has a reference letter stating that she behaves well. This is the possession she is most proud of. The Blue River Inn is an establishment with a terrace on the water, where pleasure boats moor. The inn is run by a feisty landlady with a submissive husband. Here Bessie reports with her letter of recommendation to the landlady who protests that a previous orphan was not a success. But Bessie says she is a first-class orphan who also had a father and a mother. And she shows her heirloom: a photo album, with photos of her parents, containing a music box. The music is noticed by the husband and by the black servant (acoustic coupling
In St. Martin(s)ville lives Joseph Beaugardé, of aristocratic European family. His mother encouraged him to become a minister and he has just returned from seminary. In a luxurious classical room he sits thinking about how he will stand in the pulpit (mental POV
Via a relational cross-cut (at
Joseph appears in his disguise at the Carringtons’ party and meets Marie, who quickly realizes it is Joseph. Joseph and Marie have been deeply bonded since early childhood, and their marriage would unite Louisiana’s two leading families. ‘Let me look at you, it’s been so long’ (the time Joseph spent in seminary). And they raise their masks for a moment. Apollo (Joseph’s servant) and Auntie Easter (Marie’s caregiver) are having a good time together. Aunty Easter says she likes the top part of Apollo, but his crooked legs are just like a poison ivy (= repulsive). Joseph and Marie participate in the quadrille and Apollo and Auntie Easter also dance (relational cross-cut
A year later, before he starts his work as a pastor, Joseph goes on a walk to get to know the world he thinks he can help,. He goes out with his backpack and first comes across a drunk lying on the street. The publisher of the local newspaper says: ‘Poor Jimmie, drunk again.’ But Joseph says he thinks this is a shameful and demoralizing example for the neighborhood. The country editor says: ‘Be careful with your pride, boy - it often precedes the fall.’ At the end of the film, his character has developed to such an extent that he picks up a tramp and carries him away.
Bessie has gone through a transformation and now looks like an ‘It-girl’. Instead of Bessie, she is now called Teazie. She puts on lipstick, stands behind the counter in a shiny dress and lays it on thick in her voluptuous movements. Joseph arrives in New Orleans – Carnival City, a city of nightlife and seduction. Joseph appears walking at the De Blue River Inn, where he registers under a different name. After all, the name Beaugardé is known throughout Louisiana. Joseph, who was raised by a woman, spent his youth in seclusion and study and is as innocent of the roaring world as a child when it comes to the exuberant city life. He stands at Teazie’s counter and Teazie, rocking her hips, shows him a table for dinner, after which she enthusiastically starts to touch up her make-up. Like a flapper, she walks to Joseph’s table and stands very close to him. But then she is shocked by two crossed knives on the table: that portends bad luck. Teazie sees a black woman and death, but Joseph is not interested. She walks away like a vamp and now Joseph looks at her out of the corner of his eye. It also looks like Teazie has a bit of a crush. Joseph comes to her counter, where she is acting overly ‘like a flapper’, and says: ‘Have you ever read the Jezebel story?’ ‘No.’ ‘Read it.’ Teazie asks another customer: ‘Who the hell is Jezebel? The man says: ‘That’s a movie, a good one!’ (Jezebel is the prototype of a bad woman in the Bible, characterized by cruelty, greed and vanity).
John and Marie spend the afternoon on a boat on the Bayou. She is reluctant to admit it, but Marie has always had a soft spot for John. She tells him admonishingly: ‘You always talk about the great things you’re going to do – Why don’t you DO something?’ John realizes that a grocery clerk doesn’t stand a chance with a Carrington girl. That’s why he leaves his savings behind and writes a note saying that when the city hears from him again they will be proud of him. He blows out the oil lamp and immediately the studio light mostly switches off (
Joseph sees Teazie harvesting vegetables in the garden and remembers saying goodbye to Marie, whom he almost gave a kiss (mental POV
The next evening, Joseph meets a gentleman – the Ominous Influence – who points him to Teazie, whom he meets just down the road. ‘Joseph believes Teazie is as evil as she is rumored to be and senses danger, but…’ is drawn to her like a magnet. And a time of love and moonlight passes. They sit together in the park and Joseph gives Teazie a large bouquet of flowers (
‘Can you restore the color of a withered rose?
What’s done is done.
All your tears won’t fix the mistake
And all your grief does not bring back yesterday.’
Teazie takes the rose off her dress, Joseph kisses it and she puts it away carefully. They get up and leave. Although neither of them knows it, this is their farewell. Teazie climbs in through the sliding window. And when Joseph later returns to the place of their parting, he does like David, the holy sinner, and throws ashes over his head in repentance and wraps his heart in sack-cloth (biblical symbol of humility, mourning and repentance). We see Joseph grieving in exaltation. To try to restore his shattered ideals, Joseph leaves in silence, walking with his backpack. He encounters ‘the Ominous Influence’ that says: ‘It’s the right time to leave that little…’ The next evening, Teazie receives a letter from Joseph, in which Joseph states that they should never meet again. After all, Joseph believes that he is just one of her many friends. Teazie is deeply saddened.
Joseph returns to his luxury home and after a period of penance and prayer accepts the post of preacher in his own hometown. He addresses the congregation: ‘I take my sermon from the Beatitudes (Eight sayings of Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount). ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.’ After the service the congregation leaves the church and Joseph walks with Marie. She says to him: ‘ What’s bothering you, you have always been able to tell me your concerns.’ But Joseph cannot do that now. Meanwhile, while sitting on a bench, Teazie is invited by two boys for a picnic and dancing. But she doesn’t feel like that. When she arrives at her shabby room, she lies on the floor sobbing. She is pregnant and the hours that should be the most beautiful are now spoiled. She has a white rose in her hand, but drops it on the floor and ends up sobbing in bed.
In the church, the love in Joseph’s heart and a terrible fear leads to a rare eloquence. Marie sits in church and hears Joseph preach. The bishop from the big city is also among his audience. Joseph preaches: ‘If you speak without Love you will sound like brass and tinkling cymbals.’ (Paul’s ’s ‘First Epistle to the Corinthians’ 13:1: No matter how melodious and high you speak, if you do not know selfless love you will sound loud, but without a meaningful melody). Joseph preaches passionately and emotionally while Teazie, whom he has impregnated, lies on the bed in her room with her photo album and music box. The book also contains the dried rose that she has kept in it and which she holds to her mouth. (Relational cross-cut
Some time later, Teazie sits in her shabby room with her child on her lap. She draws a cross on his forehead with spit and takes his toes in her mouth (
Meanwhile is Teazie with her baby in her arms out on the street. When leaving, the landlady’s husband tells her to seek help: ‘There is only One to go to’ (God). And he suggests that she name the baby Alexander, after Alexander the Great, who also had no father, but did conquer the world. While walking through the town, Teazie sees that a waitress is being asked in a lunchroom. She reports to the leading lady with the letter of recommendation from the orphanage. ‘But this letter is two years old! And where does your husband work and where is he?’ Teazie, with her baby in her hands, has to admit that she has no husband. The ladies behind the counter advise her to leave the child in an asylum for foundlings. ‘If you don’t take the child there, we will report it and have the child taken from you’ (see the parallel with the Modern Story in Intolerance). Teazie leaves by bus to ‘Teche-country’ (see below), which Joseph has talked about so often.
The church council visits Joseph. During the greeting, Joseph knocks over a vase of white roses that is on the table (
Teazie stands at the edge of the swirling water at a lock and considers jumping to commit suicide with her child in her arms (
Teazie is afraid that her baby will be taken from her if she continues to walk around openly with it, so she receives a worn-out bag from two men in which they have transported dogs and cradles the baby in it. It has started to rain cats and dogs. Teazie arrives at the gate of the Carrington’s’ villa and thinks she might find work or shelter in this large house. Joseph has now arrived at Marie Carrington and confesses to her that he has committed a great sin. But she forgives him. Teazie rings the doorbell, but the servant who opens the door directs her to a hotel nearby and closes the door. While Teazie is standing exhausted in the pouring rain, she sees Joseph and Marie sitting inside (eyeball POV
The bishop takes Joseph, who he thinks needs rest, on a short journey and they arrive at the Blue River Inn for lunch. The landlady’s husband meets one of the guests there and says: ‘Do you remember Teazie? She flirted a bit, but I know she was a nice girl until… some bastard came along and she ended up leaving with a baby.’ Joseph overhears that conversation and realizes he’s the bastard. Joseph speaks to the landlady’s husband and hears Teazie’s real story from him. Meanwhile, Marie tries on her wedding dress in the presence of her friends, defying fate. One of the blacks goes to Marie, who is still in her wedding dress, and tells her about Teazie. Marie takes off her wedding dress and goes to Auntie Easter’s house and finds there the sick Teazie with the baby in her arms. At the same time, Joseph arrives at the Carrington’s house, stumbling with guilt. Teazie asks Marie if she does not want to take care of the baby and Marie promises just that. Teazie lets Auntie take the photo album with music box from her suitcase and shows Marie her letter of recommendation: ‘I wasn’t always a bad girl.’ Meanwhile, the black servant comes to get Joseph. Marie hugs Teazie (not knowing that Joseph is the baby’s father). And then Joseph comes in. Marie says: ‘Here’s a poor girl dying. I sent for you to give her peace of mind.’ But then Joseph recognizes Teazie and Marie realizes that something is wrong. Joseph collapses at Teazie’s sickbed and asks for forgiveness. Teazie says: ‘I never told anyone.’ Joseph kisses her hand and sees the baby sleeping in Teazie’s arms. He hugs Teazie and starts crying. Teazie caresses him. Marie says: ‘I understand Joseph. There’s only one thing you can do. Now! Or it’s too late.’ Auntie Easter has called in a wedding officiant and Marie is cleaning Teazie’s face. She shows her what she looks like in the mirror. Joseph takes Teazie’s hand in his and the officiant says: ‘Joseph Beaugardé do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?’ ‘Yes dear, that is my real name.’ And so the marriage is concluded. Teazie looks at the baby and says: ‘Alexander Beaugardé.’
Joseph stands again in the pulpit and says: ‘I have preached about sin, but I am the greatest sinner among you and I am not worthy of this high position. And he symbolically takes off his stole (
John, the ex-grocer’s clerk, has found a publisher in the big city who wants to publish his book and he sent Marie his book, together with a letter. Marie, who is reading, is touched by John White’s first book and kisses the bookbinding. And she answered John’s letter. It’s spring and girls are running around with bunches of flowers. John White apparently has a love affair with Marie. In the garden, two gardeners speak near a rose bush: ‘Plants need attention just like people. The boss gave this rose a lot of care and now it is ALIVE again.’ Joseph and Teazie sit down on a bench in the garden: ‘Oh, mother, we are just getting started.’ Joseph kisses Teazie and they hug together. The earthly trinity: the Father, the Son and the Eternal mystery is the closest to the divine. We see three White Roses. The end.
Mental POV:
- Joseph Beaugardé just returned from the seminary. In a luxurious classical room he is imagining how he will stand in the pulpit (
00:11:02 ). - Joseph sees Teazie in the garden harvesting vegetables and remembers saying goodbye to Marie, whom he almost kissed (
00:30:03 ). - Teazie, who is impregnated by Joseph, thinks about (
00:51:49 ) her night of love with Joseph. - Apollo cleans Joseph’s costume and finds Teazie’s handkerchief with the ‘Love’ heart in the breast pocket. Joseph brings that heart to his mouth, kisses it and remembers how Teazie put the handkerchief in his breast pocket (
00:57:42 ).
Eyeball POV:
Teazie sees Joseph and Marie sitting inside while she is standing exhausted in the pouring rain (
Relational crosscut:
- Via a relational cross-cut at
00:13:52 we go from the Carrington’s’ high society party to a bourgeois dance party, in which Bessie participates (high society ball vs bourgeois party). - Joseph and Marie participate in the quadrille and the black Apollo and Auntie Easter also dance (relational cross-cut
00:17:56 high society vs black population, both dancing). - Joseph preaches passionately and emotionally while Teazie, whom he has impregnated, lies on the bed in her room with her photo album and music box. The book also contains the dried rose that she kept in it. Relational cross-cut
00:51:20 : Joseph preaching about love, while Teazie holds the symbol of her love to her lips and kisses it (00:51:40 ).
Symbols:
- Joseph sees a white rose blooming next to him, picks the White Rose and gives it to Teazie, as a symbol of her pure, immaculate love (
00:38:45 ). Joseph pins the rose on Teazie’s dress. But then his temper takes him (00:39:06 ) and he kisses Teazie. That worries Teazie. He pets her while she pushes him away, but then she gives in. The proudly upright, immaculate rose (00:39:39 ) withers in the night that follows and droops (00:39:43 ). And when morning comes again, Teazie sleeps in his arms and wakes up restless:
‘Can you restore the color of a withered rose? Teazie has lost her immaculateness.
- Joseph preaches passionately and emotionally while Teazie, whom he has impregnated, lies in her room with her photo album with music box on the bed. Also in the book is the dried rose that she has kept there. Teazie holds this symbol of her love holds it against her lips and kisses it it (
00:51:40 ). She puts the dried flower back in the book and closes the book (00:52:07 ). This symbolizes the end of the love affair with Joseph. - While greeting the church council, Joseph knocks over a vase of white roses that is on the table (
01:02:31 ). He puts the vase upright and runs his hands through the roses. He is offered to be appointed in St. Paul’s, a huge opportunity. When he takes the offer from the church council he can no longer think of a girl who is what he thinks Teazie is (a slut, symbol = the fallen vase of roses). - Jozeph renounces his appointment as preacher and symbolically takes off his stole (
01:32:03 ) and closes the Bible.
Flowers as a sign of love:
- John White has long been a silent admirer of Marie who stands on the balcony and smells a flower (
00:03:15 ). John sees her as a flower, a love object. - Joseph and Teazie are sitting together in the park and Joseph gives Teazie a large bouquet of flowers to show his love (
00:36:37 ). - Joseph sees a white rose blooming next to him, picks the White Rose and gives it to Teazie, as a symbol of pure, immaculate love (
00:38:45 ). Joseph pins the rose on Teazie’s dress. But then his temper takes him (00:39:06 ) and he kisses Teazie. That worries Teazie. He pets her while she pushes him away, but then she gives in. The proudly upright, immaculate rose (00:39:39 ) withers and droops (00:39:43 ). And when morning comes again, Teazie sleeps in his arms and wakes up restless: ‘Can you restore the color of a withered rose? - Joseph preaches passionately and emotionally while Teazie, whom he has impregnated, lies on the bed in her room with her photo album and music box. The book also contains the dried rose that she has kept there and which she holds (as a symbol of their love) to her mouth and kisses (
00:51:40 ). Teazie is reminded of her night of love with Joseph. She puts the dried flower back in the book and closes the book (00:52:07 ). This symbolizes the conclusion of the love affair with Joseph.
Acoustic coupling:
Bessie shows her heirloom: a photo album with photos of her parents containing a music box. When she plays the music it is noticed by the husband and by the black servant (acoustic link
Wind and Waves:
Teazie stands at the edge of the swirling water at a lock and considers jumping with her child in her arms en to commit suicide (
Suicide:
Teazie stands at the edge of the swirling water at a lock and considers jumping to commit suicide with her child in her arms (
Use of artificial light:
John blows out the oil lamp as he leaves and the studio light immediately switches off largely (
Character development:
Joseph Beaugardé, of aristocratic European family, comes across a drunk lying on the street. Joseph considers this is as a shameful and demoralizing example for the neighborhood. At the end of the film, after an extensive emotional development, he is humble, loving and repentful and picks up a tramp and carries him away.
The orphan Little Bessie Williams is characterized as infantile and narrow-minded. But due to her environment she develops into ‘Teazie’, an ‘It-girl’, swaying her hips and pleasing the gentlemen. Because of this Joseph gets the impression she must have had numerous lovers. After the love affair comes motherhood and is the ‘It-girl’ gone. She a caring mother and this prevents her from commiting suicide. In the end Bessie is back, vulnerable and full of faith and love.
The Bayou Teche (where part of the film was shot) is a 125-mile-long (200 km) waterway in south central that roughly follows the course of the Mississippi River. This area is also known as ‘Evangeline’ country. Evangeline was the heroine of the epic poem ‘Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie (1847) by the American poet Longfellow. Acadia, founded as a French colony, consists broadly of the Canadian maritime provinces. Evangeline, an Acadies girl is separated from her fiancé and the poem follows her lifelong search for him. Evangeline became a symbol of loyalty, patience and constant love.
In ‘Intolerance’ (D.W. Griffith 1916) ‘The Dear One’, now mother, prepares the day of daddy’s homecoming.’ A little baby’s hand holds thereby in close-up his mother’s little finger (