I had the opportunity to watch this movie with the granddaughter of Silas Miracle at the Library of Congress Cinema Division. All of the stars were local people, much of the movie was shot at Silas' cabin in the Great Smoky Mtns.
STARK LOVE (Paramount, 1927), directed by Karl Brown, is an interesting as well as genuine tale about life in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina that centers upon two hillbilly families. Almost similar to the heart of D.
Stark Love is a beautifully photographed, early example of neo-realism filmed on location in the mountains of Appalachia with resident non-actors -- real-life mountaineers. The film's leading lady, Helen Mundy, was acknowledged to be the only exception.
The most informational and scholarly accounts of the making of Stark Love are an extensive multi-article review in the Winter 1991 issue of the Appalachian Journal, and a more recent article by by George Ellison published in the Smokey Mountain News on February 28, 2001. The latter article is available at the archives of the Smokey Mountain News website (www.
