By the time J. Stuart Blackton directed this version of the story of how Lady Godiva came to ride naked through the streets of Coventry, Vitagraph had gotten the Word: not an inkling of the proscenium arch remains in this composition; and, if at times, the actors seem to be just standing around in a state of confusion -- Griffith knew how to direct crowds, and the folks over at Edison avoided the issue by doing without crowds -- at least they form pleasing compositions and point the way towards the end of the irised shots to vary composition. Vitagraph, indeed, was in the thick of the competition to advance the art of movie-making at this point and would be the last of the Patent Trust companies standing, still producing the occasional hit feature through the mid-twenties.
It's a pity that the acting in this movie is still definitely pre-Griffith. And the delectable Miss Julia Swayne Gordon does not, alas, ride naked, clothed only in her long tresses. She is definitely wearing a body stocking when she climbs aboard the horse.
It's a pity that the acting in this movie is still definitely pre-Griffith. And the delectable Miss Julia Swayne Gordon does not, alas, ride naked, clothed only in her long tresses. She is definitely wearing a body stocking when she climbs aboard the horse.
