Lillian Gish aside, I don't know what is so special about this movie. Apparently D.W. Griffith is so prestigious that our class must see one of his movies. From what I've learned about Griffith, he did not do anything completely original or innovative in his films, but he simply took all the innovative ideas and techniques from his time period and combined them. On that note I can't recall anything that struck me as particularly innovative. That is probably because I am a modern viewer and I have already seen anything that may have been cutting edge at the time of the film's making. Maybe the professor could have pointed out some of these things, but I remain clueless.
One technique that is very obvious is the use of tinting to show whether it is daytime or nighttime. Dark blue tint is used for night and a yellowish hue for day and indoor shots.
Lillian Gish, however, did stand out. Even though Griffith kept referring to her as plain and inferred that the other woman was more attractive, I felt the opposite was true. Susie was beautiful and Bettina was ordinary. William was an idiot. Susie deserves better. The credited writer is Marian Freemont. The story is lackluster, but she does a wonderful job with Gish's pious character. Gish does even better executing that character. Her acting is subtle and we can see her emotions clear as day with close up shots. This combination is the only redeeming quality of the film. The viewer cares for Susie and her plight. I suppose Griffith deserves credit as well. Actually I don't know who deserves the most credit. Directors and stars seem to get the publicity and the writer is seen as an afterthought. Maybe it's all about teamwork. Who knows? Meow!
One technique that is very obvious is the use of tinting to show whether it is daytime or nighttime. Dark blue tint is used for night and a yellowish hue for day and indoor shots.
Lillian Gish, however, did stand out. Even though Griffith kept referring to her as plain and inferred that the other woman was more attractive, I felt the opposite was true. Susie was beautiful and Bettina was ordinary. William was an idiot. Susie deserves better. The credited writer is Marian Freemont. The story is lackluster, but she does a wonderful job with Gish's pious character. Gish does even better executing that character. Her acting is subtle and we can see her emotions clear as day with close up shots. This combination is the only redeeming quality of the film. The viewer cares for Susie and her plight. I suppose Griffith deserves credit as well. Actually I don't know who deserves the most credit. Directors and stars seem to get the publicity and the writer is seen as an afterthought. Maybe it's all about teamwork. Who knows? Meow!