Orphans of Storm (Silent) (B&W)

Orphans of Storm (Silent) (B&W)
This is D.W. Griffith's last great success, an epic melodrama from 1922 about two orphaned girls (real-life sisters Lillian and Dorothy Gish) raised in the same house and tragically separated during the French Revolution's infamous reign of terror. While this is no Birth of a Nation or Intolerance, it still reveals Griffith's inimitable talent for spectacle and intimacy. Not surprisingly, it works best when focusing on the plight of the two sisters: Lillian is a peasant who cares for the blind Dorothy, a product of the deposed aristocracy. Orphans of the Storm is a film about intriguing pairings. Mingling with the upper class to help find Dorothy, Lillian falls in love with the handsome and compassionate Joseph Schildkraut (best known as Otto Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank) and beguiles the influential Danton. Dorothy, meanwhile, is held captive by a family of gypsies, and is fought over by two brothers. Despite the lavish sets and Lillian's stirring performance, the love stories and political tumult don't quite mesh. But there are two magnificent moments emblematic of Griffith's dual talents: When Lillian recognizes Dorothy's plaintive voice outside her window and comes to her rescue, and the thrilling climax when Danton rescues Lillian from the guillotine. --Bill Desowitz
Customer Review: Wonderful Epic of the French Revolution!
This film is truly wonderful and enjoyable and it makes you appreciate the earlier works of DW Griffith even more. DW grew with each film and the technical aspects become even more complex. Dorothy and Lillian Gish are sisters who travel to Paris on the verge of the French Revolution to find a cure for Dorothy's blindness. The women are woefully unprepared for the rough and tough Paris and both get lost into the city in different ways. Lillian gets caught up with aristocrats and Dorothy ends up with some very shady low life characters. As both struggle to get back together and survive the revolution. Did I mention that the two sisters aren't really sisters? Orson Welles has a great introduction to the film that shouldn't be missed. He is good at explaining DW Griffith's attachment to 19th century theatre and makes the case for forgiving that aspect of Griffith. This was Griffith's last major success, probably because the acting style he desired was becoming less popular and common in films. There is also a collection of rare photographs of Griffith and a 1908 film which Griffith acted in. The extras are well worth watching.
Customer Review: Sweeping and Romantic
"Her name is Louise. Save Her." This is without a doubt one of film pioneer D.W. Griffith's most rich and beautiful silent films. It is truly grand, an epic which never lags, its stars and story holding the viewer's attention with both its beauty and drama. Griffith took the 19th century play, "The Two Orphans," and made one of the finest films of the silent era. The story of excess and poverty which brought about the French Revolution is told through the moving story of a blind orphan girl and the "sister" who sacrifices all to care for her. It was sheer brilliance which made real sisters Lilian and Dorothy Gish the perfect choice for Louise and Henriette. Lushly photographed, Griffith shows the ornate beauty of the aristocrats and how it contasted the tremendous poverty in the streets. Griffith's genius here, however, was that he showed it only as a backdrop to the deeply human story of Henriette (Lilian Gish) and her blind sister, Louise (Dorothy Gish), making for a fast moving and incredibly entertaining film, rather than some cerebral historical epic which looks great but can't hold your attention. When the plague takes the lives of both their parents, Henriette vows to care for her blind sister Louise, abandoned on their doorstep as a baby. The two have grown up as sisters and it is that love which carries them through the storm which is about to rage in Paris. It is to Paris they travel in hopes of restoring Louise's sight. Henriette's beauty does not go unnoticed, however, and an aristocrat so unfeeling as to run over a poor young Parisian girl with his coach and show concern only for his horses has Henriette abducted, and the two siblings are separated. There is one aristocrat with a heart, however, and young Chevalier (Joseph Schildkraut) falls deeply in love with her and offers her a bethrothel ring. Henriette loves the young man but has promised not to marry without her sister's approval. While Chevalier tries to find Louise, Henriette befriends the voice of the French common people, Danton (Monte Blue). She will hide him and find herself imprisoned, while Louise is at the mercy of street people. Louise is not without her protector either, however, even though it comes in the form of a cowardly street urchin named Pierre (Frank Puglia). The shadow over Henriette's happiness deepens when the sisters are brought together yet torn apart once again by circumstance. Gish is freed during the revoulution but anarchy reigns, and she is sentenced to the guillotine with Chevalier, who has returned to Paris, facing death to find her. Only an impassioned plea from Danton, the voice of reason in the midst of chaos can save the two lovers, as Louise looks on. But a desperate ride to get to the guillotine may not come in time. Both Lillian and Dorothy are wonderful here. Each have that dainty beauty which enabled them to play younger than they were. Those who doubt Lillian's physical appeal, however, will no longer do so after viewing this romantic historical epic. One scene in particular, as an umbrella clad Henriette braces the rain, evidence that a beautiful woman lurked just beneath her child-like beauty. She takes your breath away. This is a dazzling spectacle, its mix of sentiment and heroics nearly unequaled in American cinema. A fantastic silent film which is as artistic as it is entertaining. A true American masterpiece.