Length: 90 minutes
Director: D.W. Griffith
Cast: Lillian Gish, Richard Barthelmess, Donald Crisp, Arthur Howard, Edward Peil Sr., George Beranger, Norman Selby
Eric's Impressions: Here we go again - D.W. Griffith and Lillian Gish. This winning team delivers every time out. I wanted to compare them to Scorsese-De Niro in this review, but then I read the same thing in the 1,001 movie book. Anyway, no subject is taboo for Mr. Griffith as he tackles interracial love between a a Chinese shop owner (played brilliantly by a white actor named Richard Barthelmess) and a neglected wife (Gish). The actors will rekindle their love in different roles in the next Griffith vehicle, "Way Down East," but we'll discuss that when we get there. No actress in film history can balance vulnerability and an innate inner strength quite like Gish. Here I gush about Gish again. Hopefully I don't make Natalie jealous.
Natalie's Impressions: This film blew me away. It is my favorite silent film along with City Lights. Lillian Gish is perfect, tragic, angelic and heartbreaking. In my opinion, this is Griffith's best and most mature film and one of Gish's best roles. The story itself is rather mundane but the cinematography, the acting, and the director's artistry make it anything but ordinary.
COUNTDOWN: JUST 994 MOVIES TO GO
No comments:
Post a Comment