The great Lillian Gish is the main reason to see this dated Griffith film. She is wonderful, displaying a wide range of emotions. The other players don't come off as well. Harron, Besserer, and Graves are fine, but the rest of the cast overplays. The story has serious problems when viewed with today's perspective. Most glaring is the black man, portrayed in an extreme racist way. 'The Birth of a Nation' was not Griffith's only film that portrays blacks in this negative way. Also, the couple that murder the immigrant girl in the beginning of the film and abuse Nellie are such despicable characters that they come off as caricatures. The scene with Gish fleeing to the attic and then the couple piling suitcases on top of a table to reach her is pure melodrama. The good family strikes oil and becomes wealthy and the bad family sees the light, but too late--the are led away to be punished. The photography and the scenes with Gish and Harron are beautiful and make this worthwhile.
Review of The Greatest Question
