(Review originally written at 16 March 2007)

Basiscly in essence this movie is a very original and pleasant take on the French revolution, when the monarchy got replaced by the republic. The story is told through the viewpoint of two sister, of which one is also blind, who get separated, during the events that lead up to the eventual French revolution and its aftermath. It's a great and original way to tell the story, without ever becoming too 'historical', with that I'm meaning that it doesn't turn into a dull history-class lesson.

It's an amazing looking and crafted costume drama that above all is also really well told. Leave it up to D.W. Griffith to tell a grand epic story. Of course the movie is mostly melodramatic, like basically every other genre movie from the same time period. And melodramatic or not, the movie and its emotions work really well. It makes this a really effective movie to watch, though it's definitely not only just drama but the movie in its overall style is quite light (especially compared to other D.W. Griffith movies) and even leaves room for plenty of humor, despite it's heavy and dramatic undertone.

D.W. Griffith movies have always contained humor, mostly of the small and subtle sort, that often worked refreshing from its more heavy and dramatic elements. This movie is no exception and even has a comical relief in it, in the form of Creighton Hale, as the servant Chevalier de Vaudrey. The movie actually features quite a lot slapstick humor, especially in its second halve. It proofs that D.W. Griffith had a great sense for timing.

The movie is filled with many characters and also features many developing plot lines. The movie is however definitely not as tiresome and overlong as with other D.W. Griffith movies sometimes is the case. This movie knows to keep your interested because of its fantastic story and the well it's told and made to look in the eventual end movie. The movie is also not as hard to follow as with many other silent movies often is the case. I think this is also due to the more 'light' way of storytelling. It's obvious that the movie makers wanted to entertain its viewers.

The many characters are being played by some fine actors, although of course their performances are definitely over-the-top all by todays standards. The real life sisters Lillian and Dorothy Gish play also the two sisters in this movie, in their last movie role together. Lillian is of course the best known of the two, definitely thanks to D.W. Griffith's other movies but Dorothy in this movie shows that she is just as talented. The two also have a really great chemistry together on the screen which definitely helps the movie and its story. Joseph Schildkraut plays a great. pretty looking, noble and heroic character. But especially great in this movie are the 'villains'. The movie has a wide variety of villainous characters, from many different classes. The aristocratic villains are great, mainly also because of their looks and style of acting but also the characters from the lower classes such as Jacques-Forget-Not and the vile Mother Frochard are great. All of the characters are really powerful and the movie manages to give each of them a defining personality.

The movie gives a good and detailed look into the Parisian aristocratic lifestyle of the 18th century. It also perfectly explains how and why the French revolution occurred, without ever loosing its main focus on the dramatic story lines of the two sisters, who in essence don't really have anything to do with the revolution. They're just at the wrong place and the wrong time with the wrong people. The French revolution merely serves as a backdrop for the movie.

The movie has a great look, with impressive looking sets and especially costumes. You can definitely describe this movie as a costume-drama in my opinion. There also are some great mass sequences and battles, all of course part of the D.W. Griffith trademark style of film-making.

The race against the clock sort of ending is totally fantastic. It's tense and extremely well build up and executed. The eventual end of the movie is also really great, in which everything reach a satisfying conclusion. It suits the genre and especially this movie, really well. The movie left me with a great happy feeling and the overall movie made a big impression on me.

Not even D.W. Griffith's best (that really says something about his other movies!) but certainly his most pleasant to watch- and entertaining one.

10/10

(Review originally written at 1 March 2007)

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

When the young country girl Anna Moore, played by early big movie star Lillian Gish, for the first time goes to the big 'moder'n town, things go from bad to worse for her. She gets tricked into a fake marriage, gets pregnant, her fake husband leaves her, the baby dies, in other words, this is a melodramatic movie alright.

Lillian Gish definitely shines in this movie. I'm not her biggest fan, guess I'm more of a Mae Marsh person but I have to admit that she was totally great in this movie. The movie is filled with many more great and strong written and played characters, with also especially some great roles from Richard Barthelmess and Creighton Hale.

It was surprising to see how actually humor filled this movie was, despite its melodramatic undertone and story. D.W. Griffith also had comical moments in it but this movie is almost a comedy at times. Especially the middle is mostly filled purely with humor. Quite in contrast with the melodramatic beginning and spectacular ending. It certainly goes at the expense of the drama at times.

It's a well written movie, in which always something is happening. Especially the drama gets well developed and always keep things close to home, with real sensible emotions and feelings. It keeps both the characters and emotions always real, even when they're being over-the-top. It's also one of the many reasons why the ending works out so well.

Definitely true that the last 20 minutes, or so, are the reason why this is an absolute classic and memorable movie. The breaking ice sequence, with a drifting Lillian Gish heading towards a waterfall is probably better known than the actual movie itself.

The movie is great looking visually, with its sets and costumes but also with its camera-work and environments. The movie has some good looking establishment-shots, set in the beautiful nature.

Not among D.W. Griffith's best works but in 1920 perspective this is an absolutely brilliant- and also really enjoyable movie, nevertheless.

8/10

(Review originally written at 19 February 2007)

In the days of revolutionized film-making its not that easy to be totally impressed by movies anymore. This movie however blew me away and I was surprised by its scale and storytelling.

I of course already knew that D.W. Griffith was a great storyteller, that with his storytelling techniques was decades ahead of its time but his storytelling for this movie was truly unique. It follows multiple plot lines, set in entirely different time periods. It in a way makes this movie 4 in 1. The movie constantly switches back and forth between the different plot lines.

It's definitely true that the movie focuses more on the one plot line than the others. The Judea and the Paris story are for instance not featured as much in the movie as the Babylon and the 'modern' America story. It doesn't make every element in the movie work out as powerful or even understandable. It's of course to fully understand and follow the movie, since it features so many characters, plots and all of that without the use of sound. Nevertheless, I really shouldn't be too harsh on the story since its simply brilliantly written and constructed into the movie. Especially the spectacular and hectic last 40 minutes or so, in which every story reaches its conclusion and climax, work out fantastic.

But it was not only the story and storytelling that surprised me but also most definitely the entire scale of the movie. This movie is epic! It's huge! The sets are amazing (especially the Babylon ones) and most of the movie is filmed without the use of miniatures or other filming techniques. This movie is pure and about 90% of it is real. Yeah sure, you can make a movie now days with armies of hundred-thousands of CG soldiers battling each other but it just can't beat the real thing. Especially the charge on Babylon is huge and impressive and also surprisingly spectacular, even this present day, with the use of siege weapons and elephants. Also the battle at the end of the movie is massive with literally hundreds of extra's involved. Really impressive looking stuff, like I said before, you just can't beat the real thing!

Not only the sets look impressive but also the costumes and camera-work, with the use of some early close-ups.

It's interesting to see the parallels between the different stories. I think it was D.W. Griffith's intention to show how little has actually changed over the centuries and in that way provoke the viewer. Key element in the movie is the struggle of love and the intolerance of some people, also of course mainly regarding love. The 4 stories are brilliantly tied together through those themes.

There are a couple of interesting characters in the movie that are all put down well into the movie and its story. Obviously most of the actors are overacting, like you could expect from a movie from the 1910's. The movie features yet again a lot of D.W. Griffith's 'regulars', with of course Mae Marsh and Lillian Gish as the most notable ones, even though they don't really play the biggest roles of the movie.

An epic movie of grand proportions with some great storytelling.

10/10

(Review originally written at 5 February 2007)

It's amazing to see how incredibly good all of D.W. Griffith's movies are, especially considering he made his best work in the 1910's and 1920's, when movie-making was a relatively new medium and there weren't any other movie-makers around on the same league as Griffith to compare the work to. D.W. Griffith was truly a pioneer in modern movie-making. His techniques and ways of storytelling were unique for the medium and set the later standards for modern movie making. But on top of that, in todays perspective, his movies remain just as good, interesting and entertaining to watch. It makes his movies not only historically relevant and revolutionary but also a pure simple pleasure to watch.

No, I don't regard "Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl" as one of his best works but that isn't saying much about the quality of it. The quality is still superb and the movie features a fascinating story with great characters in it.

It's interesting to see how well layered the story is. It handles lots of relevant themes and points out some daring new one's, for 1919 standards, such as an interracial relationship.

The overall underlying message of the movie was how hardened society has become and how easily we resolve to violence, rather than to look further than the first glance, or take the trouble to place yourself is someone else's shoes. In essence this is a movie about the good old subject of good versus evil, love versus hate.

The story is for most part told from the viewpoint of a Chinese who want to spread love and peace, from the learning of the Buddha over the world. He soon gives up this mission when he arrives in England and learns there is no hope in trying to help- and change this society. He soon after than opens a store and starts a new life until when he falls in love with a young girl, whose father is a brute.

The movie obviously is a melodramatic one but like with all D.W. Griffith's movies is the case, it all works out extremely effective and powerful. Especially toward the ending of the movie the drama becomes powerful and works surprising effective. The movie just works out perfectly and often let the images speak for them selves.

The movie is beautifully looking with some very convincing looking- and big sets and moody cinematography by the early professional. The movie also uses some close-ups and even extreme close-ups, which wasn't too common for its time period and it works surprising well for the movie its storytelling- and to set up the right mood and tension of a sequences.

The acting is of course over-the-top, for the obvious reasons. Back in the silent movie era, actors always had to exaggerate in their posses and movements to tell the story and to create the right emotions and atmosphere of the sequence. Especially Donald Crisp does this. It seems pretty weird that most of the Chinese and at least the ones that are the main characters, are being portrayed by non-Asian actors under a lot of make-up. It really isn't very credible looking but it's a technique not uncommon for it's time period. Even decades later, often western actors would portray Asian characters. Best example of this is of course Mickey Rooney in his 1961 performance in "Breakfast at Tiffany's".

A both powerful and just great to watch silent-movie, from D.W. Griffith.

8/10

(Review originally written at 21 January 2007)

Being far from the most politically correct or historical important movie about the civil war, it still remains the best made and told movies, especially considering that this movie was made in 1915.

The movie its story is very well told and beautiful brought to the screen. The style of film-making was truly revolutionary for its time, the reason why the movie, from a movie-technical point of view, is considered to be one of the most important and influential movies of the early 20th century.

The movie can be divided into two separate parts. The first halve of the movie is about the start and end of the civil war and ends with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (that's not a spoiler is it? ha-ha!). The second halve of the movie focuses on the aftermath of the civil war, a subject that never ever really gets handled much in any other movie. The first halve is more serious dramatic and historical like, while the second is more over-the-top dramatic and the story becomes more fictional and also because of that more entertaining.

Actually surprising to see how well the first halve of the movie was made. The movie had a couple of good looking mass scenes and spectacular looking battle sequences. Of course the movie as a whole is also beautiful looking with good sets and costumes.

But the best thing about the movie remains its storytelling. The characters and drama get very well developed and the build of the overall storyline makes sure that the movie takes some epic-proportions at times. The directing from D.W. Griffith is extremely good.

The second halve of the movie is controversial to say the least. It among other things, shows how and why the first ever Ku Klux Klan was brought to existence. Of course lots is exaggerated and everything in the story is extremely figurative black and white. You also have to keep in mind though, that the first Ku Klux Klan was different than the second and later forms of it. But still that's not an excuse for this movie to glorify the KKK and give them in this movie almost mythical like proportions. As a matter of fact the movie, among other reasons, caused the rise of the second KKK, in 1915. I don't really understand why the filmmakers picked this approach and storyline. Not sure what they wanted to achieve with it. Still I'm able to look at this movie as a piece of well made early film-making. Guess that in a way the movie is a bit the same as "Triumph des Willens", it's something beautiful, made for something horrible but you should still be able to appreciate how technically well and beautifully the movie is made, if you can remain objective and non-biased about the controversial subjects handled in it. The movie is too beautiful and well made to hate it.

Perhaps the movie would had even been better and definitely had a better reputation of the movie ended after its first halve.

And you can say and think about the ending what you want but it's both tense and spectacular. It also follows two separate story lines and cuts back and forth between them, which works all the more better and effective for the movie its tension. I think that this storytelling approach was also unique for its time but I have to admit that I'm not sure about that.

The movie features perhaps a bit too many characters and plot lines, which does make the movie at times confusing to watch but then again, aren't most silent movie at least a bit confusing and unclear to follow at times? It's also the reason why the movie is extremely long (for its time) but that of course is also depending on which version of the movie you're watching (For information, I've watched the longest version).

Of course the acting is terribly over-the-top by todays standards. Every emotion gets extremely exaggerated, mostly by the female cast, played by early big movie-stars Lillian Gish and Mae Marsh. Actors that I still liked in this movie were Ralph Lewis and George Siegmann. The movie features many at the time unknown young actors or other movie makers, who later grew out to be stars. Most notably to me were Walter Long, who would later appear in a couple of Laurel & Hardy movies and Raoul Walsh as John Wilkes Booth, who would later direct some classic- and Errol Flynn movies, mostly in the '40's.

A must-see for every objective movie-lover.

10/10