The Musketeers Of Pig Alley - 1912 - 7/10

Every rewatch of this Griffith gem is a potent reminder of how rapid his craft was developing at this stage.
The young couple struggle in a cheap apartment in the new York slum.
In a few minutes, the story packs in the dance hall, the rival gangs, the alley showdown.
While the audience is supposed to identify with and root for the newlyweds, the camera is irresistibly drawn to the flamboyant Snapper Kid. (Elmer Booth, who would be killed in 1915.)
D. W. Griffith stodgy? No, this is an exciting outing.