What I enjoyed most about "Within Our Gates" was quite simply that it was a little faster paced than the other silent films that we have watched, and featured far more title cards. "Broken Blossoms" for example, had very few title cards and when they did show up, they said very little. It was very hard for me to ascertain what the film was trying to say through only the incredibly static shots of the actors making strange faces and gestures. The same goes for "The Birth of a Nation". The lack of title cards (and starting the film at the end) made the clips that we looked at very hard to understand. In Micheaux's film however, there was text every 30-60 seconds that featured either what the characters were saying, or some other information on what was taking place. These title cards were very concise, and not full of cryptic poetry like what we saw in "Broken Blossoms".
The slightly faster pace and multiple plots in "Within Our Gates" also offered a much needed respite from the very long drawn out scenes from the other films. There was a lot less watching characters do frivolous activities, which I think was probably a deliberate move on Micheaux's part. The film, while still slow by today's ridiculous standards, featured shorter straight to the point shots. The multiple plots were also very interesting. The first half of the movie focused on the heroine, Sylvia, and her desire to help fund a poor school for negro children. This main storyline was interspersed with those of Larry "the leech", Mrs. Stratton, Mrs. Warwick, and Dr. Vivian. The second half of the movie was comprised almost exclusively of the unfortunate story of Sylvia's younger life. It was during this section of the film that the pace really quickened. We see Sylvia's adoptive father, Jasper, framed and hung for the murder of the evil Philip Gridlestone. We also see Sylvia attacked and nearly raped by her biological father who just so happens to be Mr. Gridlestone's brother. These scenes, while rather tame now, were undoubtedly outrageous in 1919.
I would say that in the context of other films from this era "Within Our Gates" is a shining star. However, it was still a bit of a chore to watch.
As we move toward more modern films, Jack, you'll notice that the pace picks up considerably, although few films prior to 1990 are as fast as those we're accustomed to today.
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