ORPHANS OF THE STORM (1921) B/W "silent" 124m dir: D.W. Griffith

w/Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, Creighton Hale, Joseph Schildkraut, Lucille LaVerne, Monte Blue, Frank Losee

A remarkable spectacle film directed by the Master, based on a a play called Two Orphans, but transformed by Griffith to the period of the French Revolution. Lillian and Dorothy Gish are superb as two orphans (one of whom is blind) who get separated in Paris, try to find each other, and eventually become embroiled in the uprising itself. You name it, Griffith's got it --- murder, orgies, kidnappings, and hair-raising escapes. A memorable landmark of the "silent" era.

From Georges Sadoul's Dictionary of Films: "This large-budget historical spectacle, based on a popular melodrama, took six months to produce and one set alone cost $60,000. Griffith was clearly influenced by [Ernst] Lubitsch's Madame Dubarry ... and its style is smothered by the luxurious, and luxuriant, costumes. The film was cut and re-edited in France because it didn't condemn the monarchist movements but its climax still remained quite improbable.

"[Although reviews were favorable it was not a commercial success. This was not only because the public was turning to more sophisticated themes and away from Griffith's 'old values and virtues' but also because First National took advantage of the usual huge Griffith publicity to launch a German film on the French Revolution --- Danton/All For a Woman with Emil Jannings --- in advance of Griffith's. Griffith eventually bought this to keep it off the market and changed the title of his film from the original The Two Orphans to avoid confusion with an earlier film he discovered after the initial publicity had been released.]"