Piano accompaniment by Ben Model
By 1919, Maurice Tourneur had established himself as one of American cinema’s most sophisticated visual stylists, known for his innovative use of chiaroscuro lighting and painterly compositional techniques. The White Heather demonstrates his characteristic ability to transform talky theatrical material into compelling images, here elevating a Victorian stage melodrama into a visually dynamic exploration of class, morality, and the destructive power of social ambition.
Set in Scotland, the narrative follows Lord Angus Cameron (Holmes Herbert, at the beginning of his long Hollywood career playing distinguished patriarchs), who, facing financial ruin, seeks to annul his secret marriage to his housekeeper, Marion Hume (Mabel Ballin). The only material proof of their union is a marriage certificate aboard a sunken yacht, The White Heather. As Marion, with the help of her father, fights to save her reputation and secure a future for her son, Lord Angus sends agents to track down the witnesses to his marriage, leading to a dramatic underwater confrontation.
Working with cinematographers René Guissart and Harold S. Sintzenich, Tourneur created groundbreaking underwater sequences that pushed the boundaries of what was technically possible in 1919. For a contemporary reviewer in Variety, the film was “an absolute masterpiece” that stood out “on the strength of the thrills that the camera made possible and which could not be secured on the stage.”
Long thought lost, The White Heather was recently rediscovered and has been restored by the San Francisco Film Preserve and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. SFFP president Robert Byrne will introduce the screening. The feature will be accompanied by SFSFF’s restoration of the two-reel comedy, Peg o’ the Mounted, starring TSAP favorite Baby Peggy.
