Vintage original 8 x 10.25 in. sheet music from the classic and infamous teens WWI-themed silent film war drama, THE HEART OF HUMANITY, released in 1918 by Jewel Productions, Inc. and directed by Allen Holubar.
Consisting of 4 pages, it features a shot of leading lady Dorothy Phillips within a heart with the song's title, Heart of Humanity, above her image. It is complete in very fine condition.
*"The Heart of Humanity is a 1918 American silent war propaganda film produced by Universal Pictures and directed by Allen Holubar. The film stars Dorothy Phillips, William Stowell, and Erich von Stroheim. The film "follows the general theme and construction of the D. W. Griffith film Hearts of the World and, in places, parallels [its] plot". The film was made toward the end of World War I and is known for showcasing von Stroheim as a lecherous 'Hun'.
The New York Times criticized the "theatricalities and sentimental artificialities of his plot" but characterized "some of [Holubar]'s battle panoramas [as] among the most comprehensive and vivid ever reproduced on the screen." It pointed out that "children add to the charm and effectiveness of some of the scenes, and their costumes and acting reveal that intelligence and care in direction elsewhere evident in the production. One receives the impression, however, that the making of a few of the scenes in which the children appear was not very good for the children."
*(source: Wikipedia)
The Heart of Humanity pulled no punches at the Germans and this is the somewhat infamous film in which Erich von Stroheim appears as a Prussian Lieutenant who, during the film's much talked about rape scene with Dorothy Phillips, is distracted by a crying baby in the room and he angrily picks it up and throws it out of the second story window, then continues with his attack on Dorothy Phillips. This was very shocking at the time and is still as effective today.
*"The pre-release title of this film was The Dawn of Reckoning. Director Allen Holubar and his wife Dorothy Phillips, the star of the film, appeared at the New York premiere on 22 Dec 1918. The film opened in several cities, including Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Cleveland, Denver and Chicago before its 15 Feb 1919 national release. MPN noted that the film presented "3,000 soldiers, Marines, refugees, civilians, etc." Some sources give a length of nine or ten reels. Modern sources list Erich von Stroheim as technical advisor and include Tom London in the cast; others give the name of the character played by von Stroheim as Oscar Strang, though existing prints give the character's name as Eric Von Eberhard. The film also was reviewed as Hearts of Humanity. Secretary of War Newton D. Baker praised the film after a National Press Club showing on 20 Jan 1919."
*(source: AFI Catalog of Feature Films)
*"An American woman (Dorothy Phillips) is terrorized by the ravages of war and a lecherous Prussian lieutenant (Erich von Stroheim) when she becomes a Red Cross nurse overseas during the Great War. The cast includes William Stowelll, Robert Anderson, Walt Whitman, Margaret Mann, Erich von Stroheim, Lloyd Hughes, Frank Braidwood, George Hackathorne, Pat O'Malley, William Welsh, and Lieutenant Smith.
*(source: IMDb)
3RB