Despite the major box-office success of "Way Down East", Griffith, reportedly, continued to have financial difficulties. His lack of sound money management is probably the major reason for his eventual failure in the movie industry he helped create, and it likely is much of the cause of his artistic decline, as well, which I think was beginning around this time. "The Birth of a Nation" and "Intolerance" revolutionized motion pictures severalfold--an enormous peak for a career, doubtless, but henceforth he made some lousy, derivative and prosaic films--only flashes of brilliance, like those in this film, make the remainder of his filmography worth investigating.
The $182,000 he paid for the rights to Brady, Parker and Grismer's horse-and-buggy play seemed absurd, and the melodrama itself is overly sensational and ridiculous; yet, it's impressive how Griffith's inspired direction and Lillian Gish's performance somehow manage to make that not always seem the case. Many problems remain in the film. The message of monogamy (regardless of one's standpoint on the issue), the staginess and especially the comic relief add to the already inherent disadvantages of the genre. The comic relief is unnecessary, ill placed and unfunny; it undermines much of the picture, which is overlong as a result.
As for Gish, this has to be some of her best acting. Aside from the competent and (this time) careful film-making, she is the saving grace of the picture. She is pitiful and beautiful--composing Griffith's ideal woman. She rises above the story-lines that require her to faint four times.
There's a particularly picturesque scene where Richard Berthelmess's character first admits his attraction to Gish. And, I always like when Griffith rallies against busybody gossipers. The most acclaimed sequence, however, is, of course, the film's climax, including the great ice-break scene, which has Richard Barthelmess saving Gish from death (thankfully not rape this time). It is an exceptionally well-edited and photographed dénouement--one of the more memorable and exciting moments in film history. Too bad it and the other virtues of "Way Down East" lie beside their conversely negative parts.
The $182,000 he paid for the rights to Brady, Parker and Grismer's horse-and-buggy play seemed absurd, and the melodrama itself is overly sensational and ridiculous; yet, it's impressive how Griffith's inspired direction and Lillian Gish's performance somehow manage to make that not always seem the case. Many problems remain in the film. The message of monogamy (regardless of one's standpoint on the issue), the staginess and especially the comic relief add to the already inherent disadvantages of the genre. The comic relief is unnecessary, ill placed and unfunny; it undermines much of the picture, which is overlong as a result.
As for Gish, this has to be some of her best acting. Aside from the competent and (this time) careful film-making, she is the saving grace of the picture. She is pitiful and beautiful--composing Griffith's ideal woman. She rises above the story-lines that require her to faint four times.
There's a particularly picturesque scene where Richard Berthelmess's character first admits his attraction to Gish. And, I always like when Griffith rallies against busybody gossipers. The most acclaimed sequence, however, is, of course, the film's climax, including the great ice-break scene, which has Richard Barthelmess saving Gish from death (thankfully not rape this time). It is an exceptionally well-edited and photographed dénouement--one of the more memorable and exciting moments in film history. Too bad it and the other virtues of "Way Down East" lie beside their conversely negative parts.