Intolerance

Rating:
Summary: A Superb Film That Never Fails To Amaze
Review: I have long been a great admirer of this wonderful film, and am always interested in the latest VHS or DVD editions that are made available. The print quality on this Delta release is surprisingly good, making it an excellent value for the curious collector desiring an introduction to D. W. Griffith's 1916 cinema masterpiece. There are several different edited versions of Intolerance that have been produced over the last few years for video, each slightly unique in terms of editing and emissions/additions of key scenes. This Delta DVD version is no exception, with some interesting fadeouts to a couple of scenes that, in some prints, cut abruptly to the next shot. The music that accompanies the film sounds as if it was pieced together from pre-recorded sources, but it works well enough and it's apparent some real effort was used to match the music to the mood of the images. As to the film itself, Intolerance is a brilliant and powerful milestone in the history of cinema. D. W. Griffith wove four separate stories together, each from a different period of history, to illustrate the theme of man's inhumanity to man. The results were certainly startling to 1916 audiences, and no less impressive today. Superb performances abound in all four stories, most notably Mae Marsh and Robert Harron in the Modern Story, Constance Talmadge and Elmer Clifton in the Babylonian Story, Howard Gaye in the Nazarene Story, and Margery Wilson, Eugene Pallette and Josephine Crowell in the French Story. The beautiful repeated shot of Lillian Gish as the Woman Who Rocks The Cradle, a device linking the individual stories, has become an enduring icon of the Silent Cinema. And of course, the magnificent sets of Ancient Babylon are among the most wonderful ever created for a moving picture. My recommendation to first-time viewers of Intolerance would be to try this version out, and then pursue the newly restored Kino version for a more definitive print. The cover art for Delta's release is also interesting, using vintage advertising art for the film that focuses on a crucial scene for Mae Marsh in the Modern Story. All in all, a very decent job in bringing a landmark film to the home screen.