Orphans of the Storm (1921)

This is D.W. Griffith's last great success, an epic melodrama from 1922 about two orphaned girls (real-life sisters Lillian and Dorothy Gish) raised in the same house and tragically separated during the French Revolution's infamous reign of terror. While this is no Birth of a Nation or Intolerance, it still reveals Griffith's inimitable talent for spectacle and intimacy. Not surprisingly, it works best when focusing on the plight of the two sisters: Lillian is a peasant who cares for the blind Dorothy, a product of the deposed aristocracy. Orphans of the Storm is a film about intriguing pairings. Mingling with the upper class to help find Dorothy, Lillian falls in love with the handsome and compassionate Joseph Schildkraut (best known as Otto Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank) and beguiles the influential Danton. Dorothy, meanwhile, is held captive by a family of gypsies, and is fought over by two brothers. Despite the lavish sets and Lillian's stirring performance, the love stories and political tumult don't quite mesh. But there are two magnificent moments emblematic of Griffith's dual talents: When Lillian recognizes Dorothy's plaintive voice outside her window and comes to her rescue, and the thrilling climax when Danton rescues Lillian from the guillotine. --Bill Desowitz Amazon.com essential video

Sweeping and Romantic

"Her name is Louise. Save Her."


This is without a doubt one of film pioneer D.W. Griffith's most rich and beautiful silent films. It is truly grand, an epic which never lags, its stars and story holding the viewer's attention with both its beauty and drama.

Griffith took the 19th century play, "The Two Orphans," and made one of the finest films of the silent era. The story of excess and poverty which brought about the French Revolution is told through the moving story of a blind orphan girl and the "sister" who sacrifices all to care for her. It was sheer brilliance which made real sisters Lilian and Dorothy Gish the perfect choice for Louise and Henriette.

Lushly photographed, Griffith shows the ornate beauty of the aristocrats and how it contasted the tremendous poverty in the streets. Griffith's genius here, however, was that he showed it only as a backdrop to the deeply human story of Henriette (Lilian Gish) and her blind sister, Louise (Dorothy Gish), making for a fast moving and incredibly entertaining film, rather than some cerebral historical epic which looks great but can't hold your attention.

When the plague takes the lives of both their parents, Henriette vows to care for her blind sister Louise, abandoned on their doorstep as a baby. The two have grown up as sisters and it is that love which carries them through the storm which is about to rage in Paris. It is to Paris they travel in hopes of restoring Louise's sight. Henriette's beauty does not go unnoticed, however, and an aristocrat so unfeeling as to run over a poor young Parisian girl with his coach and show concern only for his horses has Henriette abducted, and the two siblings are separated.

There is one aristocrat with a heart, however, and young Chevalier (Joseph Schildkraut) falls deeply in love with her and offers her a bethrothel ring. Henriette loves the young man but has promised not to marry without her sister's approval. While Chevalier tries to find Louise, Henriette befriends the voice of the French common people, Danton (Monte Blue). She will hide him and find herself imprisoned, while Louise is at the mercy of street people. Louise is not without her protector either, however, even though it comes in the form of a cowardly street urchin named Pierre (Frank Puglia).

The shadow over Henriette's happiness deepens when the sisters are brought together yet torn apart once again by circumstance. Gish is freed during the revoulution but anarchy reigns, and she is sentenced to the guillotine with Chevalier, who has returned to Paris, facing death to find her. Only an impassioned plea from Danton, the voice of reason in the midst of chaos can save the two lovers, as Louise looks on. But a desperate ride to get to the guillotine may not come in time.

Both Lillian and Dorothy are wonderful here. Each have that dainty beauty which enabled them to play younger than they were. Those who doubt Lillian's physical appeal, however, will no longer do so after viewing this romantic historical epic. One scene in particular, as an umbrella clad Henriette braces the rain, evidence that a beautiful woman lurked just beneath her child-like beauty. She takes your breath away.

This is a dazzling spectacle, its mix of sentiment and heroics nearly unequaled in American cinema. A fantastic silent film which is as artistic as it is entertaining. A true American masterpiece. April 30, 2007

A compelling historic drama

By 1921, "the Father of Film" D.W. Griffith was well on his way to setting the standard for Hollywood epics with all the main ingredients: emotional drama and tragedy, romance, political intrigues, moral injustices and the essential thrilling climax to keep you on the edge of your seat. In fact, Griffith had set the benchmark several years earlier with grand epics such as "Birth of a Nation" and "Intolerance", and like these, "Orphans of the Storm" is also a fast-paced drama packed with action and emotion, as well as conveying an important message, which Griffith had always done since his early short films from 1908 onwards. Like these fascinating short films, such as for Biograph in those early years which always carried some kind of social or moral message, the point Griffith wanted to make in "Orphans of the Storm" is of the destructive elements which lead to bad governments, anarchy and revolution, such as in France where this story takes place, but also the Russian Revolution of 1917, which apparently inspired Griffith to use this theme. He also made the point that we, living in peaceful countries, should be glad and grateful for our good governments. Soapbox speeches aside, Griffith was also a master storyteller and could balance all elements of an entertaining but also meaningful film, and "Orphans of the Storm" is a good example. From the very start, the audience is drawn into pity and empathy for the two orphan girls, one of whom becomes blind and is lovingly cared for by the other. Lillian and Dorothy Gish are perfectly cast in these roles, and once their path leads straight into the debauchery of French aristocrats, peasants and revolutionists, and they become separated and lost, the suspense continually escalates up to the grand climax. With so many events and scenes, the viewer has to stay reasonably alert to follow the story and become familiar with the many varied characters in this film, but the effort is rewarding. There is not a single dull moment in the entire two hours of "Orphans of the Storm", and while following the fast action, one cannot fail to notice that a lot of effort was put into sets and costumes to recreate Paris at the time of the French Revolution. Although this DVD is by the budget-priced label, Alpha Video, the picture quality is very good in this case, and only the accompanying music is at a lower standard than most other labels such as Kino Video and Image Entertainment. The score is orchestral classical music, and while it was not composed for this film, it is actually still quite suitable and fits the atmosphere of the period. For a budget-priced version of this Griffith epic, this DVD is not too bad at all.
March 29, 2007

Great for a silent movie

I haven't seen a great many silent movies, but this one seems much better than average. The production values are high and Lillian Gish looks hot. I like her better than Mary Picford. This movie interested me because I'm a francophile. The sets of old Paris were pretty good. I couldn't tell for sure if they were real or fake.
July 15, 2005

You'll shiver better without that shawl

ORPHANS OF THE STORM is a great movie, and this time I'm not going to deduct a point for print quality and its non-sequiter of a sound track.
Real sisters Lillian and Dorothy Gish star as half-sisters Henriette and Louise Girard. Louise (Dorothy) was found on the cold and snowy steps of the church Henriette's father had, before a change of heart, placed her. Their parents die, the girls grow into porcelain beauties and Louise loses her sight. Henriette vows to take care of Louise forever, and they travel to Paris in hopes of restoring Louise's sight.
En route a cruel aristocrat is inflamed with Henriette's "virginal beauty" and connives to kidnap her. Henriette is indeed kidnapped shortly after her arrival in Paris, and the helpless Louise is forced to fend for herself.
Half of the fun of ORPHANS OF THE STORM is watching the indignities DW Griffith subjects his two starlets to. Henriette is kidnapped by one of the slimier specimens of the over-fed and over-sexed aristocracy. Her desperate search for Louise is frustrated at every turn- when she finally spots Louise and attempts to reach her the police arrive and she is sent to a prison for fallen women. Oh, yeah, did I mention her delivery to "the foot of Death's gate?"
Louise has it no better. She is kidnapped by the monstrous Mother Frochard (Lucille La Verne). Mother Frochard, with her hair mole and moustache and missing teeth, may be the ugliest woman ever filmed. Mother F is a street beggar, and she plans to use the blind Louise as her main attraction. After she breaks Louise's spirit, that is. So, down into the rat-infested cellar with Louise and up comes the ladder. They're real rats down there. Griffith also throws a few cold days of beggary and an attempted rape in Louise's direction.
It's all great fun and the girls are indomitably strong and resourceful. The print quality is quite good in spots, simply awful in others. Most of the stock is sepia-toned, but some battle scenes seem to have been tinted red and there's a scene towards the end of the movie that seems to have been colorized. Because this isn't a restored print it's impossible to tell.
Having watched a handful of silent movies recently I'm beginning to wonder why they aren't rescored. Alpha Video puts a classical recording on the track of their releases and calls it good. It's not. These old films are works of art and national treasures, and they deserve better than this. Sound IS an important component to movies. Either restore the original music or have a contemporary composer write a brand new score. (Note: I watched the discount Alpha release of the film, and I didn't realize that Kino has a pricier print that includes the original music. I'm going out on a ledge here, but I'll bet the print quality is better, too. I'll be trading up to the Kino version in the near future.) May 9, 2004

Great historic period piece

This is one of those early films that kept me checking the date of production. This is impressive stuff coming so early in the history of American cinema. From the lush costumes and sets to the use of thousands of extras, this reminds us how ground-breaking some of Griffith's work truly was.

Sure, it's campy melodrama, the sets are stagey, and cinematography had not yet matured beyond wide-shot vs. close-up, but for its time, "Orphans of the Storm" is full of moving characterizations and real drama. Like Griffith's other great works, "Orphans" is over-long but it must have been an expectation in the day for a "serious" film.

The Gish sisters are great fun to watch, as are the young male stars, Schildkraut and Puglia. I LOVE Lucille La Verne's performance as the "scoundrel" Mother Frochard. You have to love the mustache!

Yes, watch this film for the impressive work by Griffith in this EARLY period piece, but it also serves as a time-capsule to a by-gone era in American cultural history. While not as obvious or heavy-handed as "Birth of a Nation," the political leanings that underscore "Orphans of the Storm" are not subtly hidden but are on full display. February 6, 2004

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