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Synopsis
A young man leaves his family for a theatrical career and gradually loses the stability of his earlier life. Memories of home inspire a song that outlives his difficulties. Its melody then connects separate stories of people facing their own crises, offering a recurring appeal to affection, belonging and return.
Cast
DirectorsD. W. Griffith
Historical context
D. W. Griffith uses a fictionalised account of songwriter John Howard Payne as the opening of an episodic film. The song Home! Sweet Home! serves as the link between the biographical framework and the later moral dramas.
Sources and availability
The synopsis and editorial text were written for this collection. The references below were cross-checked to identify the film and its copy; each editorial section identifies its reference.
Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.
The reference concerns the original work. Restorations, colorization, translations and other territories may have different conditions. This site uses the player enabled by the channel.
Availability checked on September 10, 2026.
Photograph credit
Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.
- Earle Foxe — Unknown author · Public domain
- Henry B. Walthall — Tower Magazines, Inc., photographer unknown · Public domain
- Lillian Gish — Bain News Service; Uploaded by Calliopejen ; Edited by jjron . · Public domain
