Little Church Around the Corner (1923)

Starring: Claire Windsor, Kenneth Harlan, more. Little Church Around the Corner is based on a 1902 melodrama about a minister who accepts a position in a wealthy church in hopes of persuading his parishioners, among them the mine owner, to improve the mi

little church aroun the corner

the quality in unaceptable. the picture is very bad, probably from a tape master in vhs. to see it is not a pleasure! don't buy it!!!! December 31, 2007

"That which you do..."

In the 1870s in NYC, a man went to arrange a funeral service for a friend, an actor. He was rebuffed by the person he spoke to (theatre people being held to be a sinfull sort of folk), but was told there is "a little church around the corner" which might do that sort of thing. The Church of the Transfiguration is still known today as "the little church around the corner". November 4, 2007

Nice story; pity about the quality

This one-hour silent film from 1923 was the first real success for the fledgling Warner Bros. Studios and as such, has many features which made movies popular in the early 1920s. There are cute kids who live in a poor mining town, one of whom aspires to become a preacher and establishes his own `little church around the corner', a wealthy mine operator who cares more about money than the safety of his workers, and a climax involving a mine disaster and even a miracle. There is also a romance between the minister and the mine owner's daughter, and no doubt popular silent stars like Kenneth Harlan and Claire Windsor, who starred in Lois Weber's "The Blot" a couple of years earlier, helped boost this film's success. As the grown-up minister who played the preacher as a child, Kenneth Harlan's character addresses issues that were relevant in the early 1900s, such as bridging the gap between wealthy businessmen and their poor workers, and is faced with a challenge when angry workers rebel over dangerous mine conditions. Only a miracle can save the day, and that's exactly what happens! Although not very long or complex, the story which was based on a 1902 play is still quite effective, even despite rather poor picture quality at times. The images are often a bit blurred and tend to flicker at times, as well as be too light in some scenes. The musical accompaniment might also take a little getting used to because it is a mixed bag of scores ranging from nice light classical to fairly modern jazz, but they do suit the mood and scenes most of the time. There are no extra bonus features on this DVD, and it might do fine for anyone with a special interest in this early Warner Bros film, its theme or its stars.
September 25, 2007

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