D.W. Griffith's Intolerance: Its Genesis and Its Vision

Rating:
Summary: Scholarly review of a complex film
Review: While D.W. Griffith is famous (or infamous) for his breakthrough feature THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915), his critics are just as divided over his follow-up, INTOLERANCE (1916). This epic tells four distinct stories at one time. The stories are linked thematically, as they show how one powerful person's intolerance of others can have tragic results. This film was the most expensive film produced up to that point in time, yet its structure remains "experimental" to this day.

Mr. Drew's analysis of this film is easy to read, and he does not indulge in some of the intangible film theories that many books of this type trot out. He begins by sketching Griffith's life and his career at this point in time. Next, he breaks the film down into the different "stories". From that, he explores the sources that Griffith used as a reference for his story, costumes and sets. This section is very interesting because the author points out the historical points that were important to Griffith as well as the facts he ignored. Griffith was also influenced by contemporary and historical authors, poets, and films. Finally, Griffith and the film were influenced by the Progressive political reform movement of the time.

The last two chapters of the book deal with the impact of INTOLERANCE at the time of release, and what major film critics have said about it. Griffith claimed that the film was a financial disaster. While the film did not make a lot of money, Drew shows that the film did quite well until the outbreak of World War I caused a major shift in the public's attitues toward the film.

I would recommend this film to anybody who is interested in D.W. Griffith and silent films of the 1910s. Just make sure that you see the film before reading the book.

Rating:
Summary: Scholarly review of a complex film
Review: While D.W. Griffith is famous (or infamous) for his breakthrough feature THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915), his critics are just as divided over his follow-up, INTOLERANCE (1916). This epic tells four distinct stories at one time. The stories are linked thematically, as they show how one powerful person's intolerance of others can have tragic results. This film was the most expensive film produced up to that point in time, yet its structure remains "experimental" to this day.

Mr. Drew's analysis of this film is easy to read, and he does not indulge in some of the intangible film theories that many books of this type trot out. He begins by sketching Griffith's life and his career at this point in time. Next, he breaks the film down into the different "stories". From that, he explores the sources that Griffith used as a reference for his story, costumes and sets. This section is very interesting because the author points out the historical points that were important to Griffith as well as the facts he ignored. Griffith was also influenced by contemporary and historical authors, poets, and films. Finally, Griffith and the film were influenced by the Progressive political reform movement of the time.

The last two chapters of the book deal with the impact of INTOLERANCE at the time of release, and what major film critics have said about it. Griffith claimed that the film was a financial disaster. While the film did not make a lot of money, Drew shows that the film did quite well until the outbreak of World War I caused a major shift in the public's attitues toward the film.

I would recommend this film to anybody who is interested in D.W. Griffith and silent films of the 1910s. Just make sure that you see the film before reading the book.