The Lone Game (1915) watch online HD

This is an interesting short drama dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, which was a problem of considerable importance in its time. It was made with the participation of members of the health science community, so as to ensure that its information and its implied advice were sound. Although the specific disease is fortunately no longer such a threat in large parts of the world, many of the points that the drama makes are still relevant as applied to some of the diseases that are more common today.

The story follows three main characters, a brother, a sister, and a friend, all of whom contract the deadly disease. Their stories are all slightly different, in terms of how and when they become ill, how the disease is diagnosed, and the kind of treatment they seek. The cast perform in a generally straightforward manner, knowing that the life-and-death drama inherent in the story is enough to carry the movie as you gradually learn what happens to each of them.

Some of the most significant points of the story can be applied with equal importance to many medical concerns of the present. The importance of an early and accurate diagnosis, the fear of not being able to afford proper treatment, the value of supportive friends and family, and other such things are all still of obvious relevance in tackling contemporary health concerns.

The movie itself is solid if unspectacular, but its constructive message and the fact that it still has some real pertinence combine to make it a rather interesting drama.

. . . which I think is BETTER than a silent film called THE ARTIST, which recently won a "Best Picture" Oscar, even though the LONE GAME (the SECOND movie of 1915 with that exact title; that is, the one from Edison Manufacturing Company directed by Edward C. Taylor) only runs 16 minutes, 14.61 seconds. This was a fund raiser film in the fight against TB (tuberculosis) before the discovery of penicillin (to which I'm allergic, anyway). Though my granny survived TB, many people did not--especially in the olden days. The title refers to the fact that fighting such a dread disease is a lonely effort, and that other people can help, but the patient is the only one who can wage the main battle. Parts of this film give me the chills, not unlike when I saw a travelling performance of the Broadway show MISS SAIGON, and the cast members walked the aisles at the start of one act, singing for donations to help victims of the Vietnam War. Though sad things happen in THE LONE GAME, and the ending especially is somewhat contrived, this is a hard-hitting look at a problem of its day. One bit of trivia involves the product placement for Wells Fargo & Co., from its pre-credit card days. Another is that this is the second from the last flick starring Bessie Learn (as Grace Proctor), an actress who made 99 movies and died Feb. 5, 1987, at the age of 98!