Griffith and Way Down East (1920)

Mr. pointy pointy Griffith and his pupils Richard Barthelmess, Lillian Gish and Lowell Sherman

Hello, long time, no posts! I have been pretty useless lately I apologize, I've just been on the mid semester break and I was meaning to catch up on some postings but the time just got away with me. First day back tomorrow so chances are I'll be blogging more as a means of distraction haha. should really be the other way round shouldn't it, I am not a good student.  
Well I just felt like doing a post on my favourite film made by D.W. Griffith. Way Down East, even in it's moments of corn it never fails to please. But first I'd best introduce D.W. Griffith to my blog.

Actress Lillian Gish bestowed David Wark Griffith as “The Father of Film” not to say he was the only man around who evolved movie making, but he was the most progressive and influential. Shooting movie's however was not on D.W.’S prerogative, he initially wanted to become a successful playwright but when that failed he became a stock player for various theatre groups. He eventually entered into films on the advice of his then wife who was an actress in the business and he began by selling some scenarios to Edwin S. Porter and The Biograph Film Company. In 1908 after 6months of working as a stock player for Biograph he began as a director for the company, churning out 400 shorts in the space 5 years and experimenting in the process. He broke new ground with his skills in storytelling, like his accomplishment in new narrative techniques that included cross cutting, the close up and fade in and fading out. Records are hazy as to if he actually invented a lot of the techniques he is recognized for, but it is certain that he did help refine them. Although he improved movie making, he never sought to continue in improving his own method. Since his films were so successful, I guess he figured he should stick to the same regime.

Griffith, Pickford, Chaplin, Fairbanks = United Artists

Griffith's bold way of portraying good versus evil has overshadowed a few of his films with controversy. His adaptation of The Clansman re titled The Birth of a Nation was not a very forward thinking story to produce with it's racist depiction of blacks and whites in America. Nonetheless that was the dominant view on African American's at the time and I really don't think D.W. Griffith was any more racist than the patrons who paid to see Birth of a Nation a zillion times. Anyway The Birth of a Nation is notable for being the film that placed Griffith as a visionary and by influencing every film maker thereafter. Contrary to popular belief Historian's like Arthur Lennig, have mentioned that Griffith didn't make Intolerance (1916) to redeem himself or as a way to apologize for Birth of a Nation, he was predominantly hailed for making the film and wasn't the slightest bit sorry for it. Way Down East was his final hit and his career hid skids mid 20s when he made America in 1924. In the 30s after reportedly wanting to make a crime drama, which would have been the wiser choice, he instead settled into adapting an old fashioned play called Drink re titled  The Struggle (1931), all about the evils of alcohol, this ended his film career for good. He died in 1948 aged 73 in Hollywood. Many things written about him make it sound as though he died a lonely alcoholic who was virtually forgotten, which is pretty sad if that's true. This is quote by Orson Welles on Griffith: "I have never really hated Hollywood except for its treatment of D. W. Griffith. No town, no industry, no profession, no art form owes so much to a single man."

Way Down East was made in 1920, the same year Olive Thomas starred in The Flapper, a film that did its part to popularize the flapper image; of young woman having a relaxed stance on unwed "barney mugging", driving, drinking (openly!) and just enjoying their new found freedom. While this was going on in the 20s Griffith was still specializing in Victorian tales that could have been made ten years earlier that involved his idyllic heroine being in danger of losing their virtue. Not that he didn't take into consideration that by 1920 he had immense competition especially with Cecil B. DeMille and his string of modern films like Why Change your Wife?, Don't Change Your Husband and Male and Female. Since audiences were engaged in this new way of life D.W Griffith and crew had their work cut out for them if they were going to make this Tess of the d'urbervillesque story applicable to the modern crowds. This was Griffith's most expensive film to date, the rights to Lottie Blair Parker's story alone cost $175,000 and basically everyone was telling him not to do it. The rights cost more than Birth of a Nation's entire budget and much like his adaptation of The Clansman, he began filming the original story half way through the film. It would have been a surprise to the sceptics that Way Down East turned out to be the highest grossing film of the year and would later become the fourth highest grossing silent film ever. Which proves D.W Griffith didn't just make your run of the mill melodramatic tragic romance, its an epic, sentimental piece of film.

Way Down East is easily my favourite D.W. Griffith movie, I'm not religious or anything but I do find his melodrama's, along with Broken Blossoms and True Heart Susie ridiculously entertaining and easier to watch than his more reverent epics, in my opinion.
The film deals with Victorian morality in New England where Queen Victoria's code of conduct was most commonly lived by in America (along with the Deep South). So when Anna Moore (Lillian Gish) becomes an unwed mother, society is not kind.  Anna is an innocent, country bumpkin who goes to Boston to stay with her wealthy relatives. While staying with them the scene is like something out of Cinderella only her charming prince is Lennox Sanderson (Lowell Sherman) and all he is interested in is Ladies, Ladies and LADIES.

When Lennox sets his sights on Anna he is determined to have his way with her. He goes so far as deceiving Anna into a secretive, phony marriage. When he learns of the pregnancy he deserts her. Suddenly landed in this nightmarish situation she is forced to move out on her on own. Anna eventually ends up on The Bartlett farm where David Bartlett (Richard Barthelmess) falls for her, but she being ashamed of her past, convinces herself she is unworthy of being in love now.... don't want to spoil anything...

At 145 minutes its worth the time, there's always something going on and its so beautifully crafted and acted. Not to mention the climax, Lillian Gish floating down the river on an ice cake is what the film is most well known for, but you wouldn't go and fast forward 135 minutes of it just to watch that, the whole movie shows that D.W. Griffith went all out. It doesn't come off as old fashioned as it may seem, Griffith sounds off on intolerant Victorians and wealthy hedonists. The villain, Lennox doesn't get castrated or anything like that, in fact nothing much happens to him at all. Maybe that was another one of D.W.'s messages, that the rich are able to get away with everything.