Intolerance

Intolerance (1916)

Runtime: The version I saw was 178 minutes long

Directed by: D.W. Griffith

Starring: Vera Lewis, Ralph Lewis, Mae Marsh, Robert Harron, Constance Talmadge

From: Triangle Distributing Corporation

Yesterday I finally saw this classic film; I figured it was about time to do so, considering it's 100 years old and all. Well, thankfully it is something worth seeing. I talk about it below in my Letterboxd review:

NOTE: As there are several different versions of this movie out there, I need to clarify which one I saw: it was the cut known as the Killiam Shows Version, which when put out by Image Entertainment online for streaming or on DVD is 178 minutes long.

While it was not a hit at the time, this motion picture that is now 100 years old later went on to be influential in a variety of ways. It was ahead of its time, for sure, and it inspired a wide swath of filmmakers and to be honest, can still inspire filmmakers today. Thinking back on what life in 1916 must have been like, a three hour epic where several stories w/ similar themes are presented at the same time and it could be argued that this was the first blockbuster w/ a at the time huge budget... it's quite the achievement that paid off in critical and filmmaker respect, if not financially.

The four stories that are told are from the periods of Babylonian, Judean (involving Jesus Christ), French (1572 as it shows the real life St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre) and what was then Modern time of 1914. I won't mention the specifics of all four stories but they all share such similar themes as the titular idea of intolerance, bigotry, hypocrisy, social injustice and persecution. The four stories are told at the same time and there are frequent cuts between the tales... sort of like Cloud Atlas, except that unlike Cloud Atlas this wasn't bad pretentious nonsense. Anyhow, frequently you see Lillian Gish rocking a cradle, as it was important symbolism for the movie.

Once you see the stories come together and you realize the messages this movie presented, you fully understand what the movie is saying and you comprehend why many people say this is great, because it is. All the stories are impressive and interesting to watch (especially the spectacle of the Babylon stuff; it has action that likely would surprise you considering all the crazy things that happened in a movie a century old; the scope is rather large and a few thousand extras were used) but when it's put together the way it is, that is why it is so highly regarded. And wow what a finale. The movie did not need dialogue to be endlessly captivating, have moving dramatic moments or show a dazzling finale.

While I am not sure of Griffith as a human being due to Birth of a Nation, considering the filmmaking aspects of both movies, I should probably see more of his work. To think that he invented or innovated many different aspects of filmmaking that are still parts of its language today.