Broken Blossoms September 26, 2006

Broken Blossoms

Directed by D. W. Griffith
US 1919, 35mm, b/w, silent, 80 min.
With Lillian Gish, Richard Barthelmess
Live Piano Accompaniment

In contrast to such vast and epic Griffith productions as Intolerance and The Birth of a Nation, this intimate melodrama was shot in a mere eighteen days in the studio on a modest budget. Still, at least one critic considered it his "most perfect, and perhaps his most engaging" film. Set in the Limehouse district of London, the story concerns the undying devotion of a Chinese merchant (Barthelmess) for a young working-class waif (Gish) who is abused by her brutish father, a local boxer. Although the typical Griffith stereotyping of race and class is not absent from this production, the exquisite performances and memorable portraiture lend the story a touching beauty and emotional resonance.

Official Website: http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa/films/2006fall/chinatown.html#broken