11. Orphans of a Storm

Orphans of a Storm

I actually thought this movie was kind of interesting which is rare for me when it comes to silent films.  I really do like Lilian Gish and the plot moved along nicely.  That being said, this is probably one of D.W. Griffith's worst historical films and I had never even heard about it before the lovely 1001 book introduced it to me.


This movie is about the French Revolution and the effect it has on two sisters.  One becomes blind and the other is kidnapped (I want to travel with these two party animals!).  There is also a romance between Henriette (the kidnapped one) and this old guy who looks like he is wearing make up.  Overall, I thought it was actually pretty engaging but apparently I am one of the few who do.  I read a lot of criticisms about how the plot does not move along quickly or how it is historically inaccurate.  But since when is Griffith ever historically accurate?  Is that really a standard?


I think Griffith was racist and ignorant but I owe him a lot.  Movies are one of my passions and I know they couldn't be where they are today without him.  I also know that the silent films have not kept my attention as well as his has (with the exception of The Cabinet of Dr. Calgari).  I just have to figure out a way for my older sister, Rachel, to believe me...


RATING: ***--


Interesting Facts:


NO MORE GRIFFITH!!!!!!!!!!


Someone was killed on set when a prop gun went off. Why was it loaded?!?!?!?

You can watch the movie on Youtube or on Netflix Watch Instantly.


Originally Lillian Gish was going to play her trademark character, the helpless Louise.  However, her sister, who was much more strong willed than she was, played Louise and Lillian played Henriette.


This weekend I am going to watch my all time favorite Moulin Rouge and a semi favorite Jesus Christ Superstar with my best friend Brie.  I need words dammit!  After I am refreshed with those films, I will probably return to the silent movies with a vengeance!

Here is a kind of tribute I found. I figured there should be some kind of farewell video for Griffith for everything he did (the good, the bad, and the ugly).  Not many people are willing to make a video for him, but this kind of just goes over his movies.  Goodbye strange man!

8. Way Down East

Way Down East

I found this film very enjoyable.  It is one of the few instances where D.W. Griffith is not in your face about race issues and it was refreshing.  The plot is pretty sexy for the time and the entire film holds your interest, despite its two and a half hour length.

This movie is about a woman who gets pregnant by a man who she thinks she is married to.  I don't want to ruin anything for you (not that anyone reads this blog anyway) but the baby isn't really even a part of it.  This movie is a classic tale about how males are viewed in society vs. how women are viewed.  Griffith does not hesitate to share his opinion on typical male nature. I found this very interesting particularly because 1920, the year this came out, was the year women were allowed to vote.  Definitely worth a watch.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Robert Harron shot himself after this film came out.  Lillian Gish denied that it was an attempt of suicide but the whole incident was very mysterious.

The ice floe scenes were apparently huge pains in the ass and Lillian Gish suffered from the effects until her dying day.  Again, an instance where it is really hard to like Griffith.

The famous ice floe scene:

7. Broken Blossoms

Broken Blossoms

Everytime I watch a D.W. Griffith, I walk away feeling vaguely impressed and really disturbed.  The same holds true for this film which centers around a girl who has an abusive father.  She falls in love with The Yellow Man (seriously Griffith?) and it ultimately ends tragically.  It had the most interesting plot of a Griffith movie so far in my opinion but again Griffith continues to make things difficult.  I want to like him so badly (I actually had an argument with my sister about him) for what he did for cinema but he continues to display his own ignorance as well as his magnificence in his works.  He is one tough nut to crack but you have to give him props, particularly with this film, for keeping the audience engrossed.

RATING: **--- (I would give more if I didn't feel so disturbed)

Interesting Facts:

Richard Bartheless was not actually Oriental.  He wore a rubber band on top of his head to give his features a slanted appearance.  If this surprises you, you have obviously not seen other D.W. Griffith movies.

Lillian Gish was sick of doing movies with Griffith and had to be heavily persuaded to do this one.  Probably because all of her characters in his films are wusses.

5. Intolerance

Intolerance

This film I feel must be reviewed for two different categories.  One is entertainment and one is film quality.  Qualitywise, this movie is amazing.  The picture shown above shows how huge and intricate the sets were.  It also has an extra cast exceeding 3,000.  The score is also excellent and the acting is a lot better than you would suspect in a silent film.  However, I must say that I was not engrossed the whole time.  I mean, it is over three hours long and silent.  This definitely should be watched in sections.

This movie has four different stories going on at different times in history.  The most interesting I would say is the one that involves a woman whose baby is getting taken away from her.

I think I learned a lot about D.W. Griffith from watching these films.  I had a preconceived notion that he was a viciously racist man but I really don't think he did it intentionally.  He was actually a monumental film maker apart from the ugly garbage that was in Birth of a Nation.  The moral of the story: don't judge a director by the racism in his earlier films because they get better (is that the expression?).

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

This film is listed as 49 on AFI's top 100 list.

This film was extremely expensive for the time (2 million) and never came close to grossing that much.

The guy who played Jesus is this film was involved in a sex scandal with a fourteen year old girl. That doesn't exactly go with his character in the movie.

3. Birth of a Nation

Birth of a Nation

Charmingly racist and delightfully long and boring, this movie is a must see!  I am kidding of course; this movie is the worst.  I thought that I was capable of getting past the blatant racism and seeing the elements of revolutionary cinematography but no such luck.  Maybe it is because I grew up in a pretty ignorant and racist town so I have a shorter fuse for it.  This story is about the South and the Civil War.  It also happens to be three hours and seven minutes long.  But hey at least the next movie on the list is six hours long.  I could use a break (in case you had not realized I am a very sarcastic person).
RATING: -----


Interesting Facts (a new thing I am doing to make my posts longer):


Some African American characters were actually white people dressed up like black people.  To add insult to injury sometimes a white male played a black female.


People were clamoring to pretend that they were a part of this film because of its significance.  Kind of the opposite of what I would do.


The director was hurt when people thought his movie was racist.  Fancy that!