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Intolerance (film)
Encyclopedia
Intolerance is a 1916 American silent film
directed by D. W. Griffith
and is considered one of the great masterpieces of the Silent Era
. The three-and-a-half hour epic intercuts four parallel storylines each separated by several centuries: (1) A contemporary melodrama of crime and redemption; (2) a Judean story: Christ’s mission and death; (3) a French story: the events surrounding the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
of 1572; and (4) a Babylonian story: the fall of the Babylonian Empire
to Persia in 539 BC.
Intolerance was made partly in response to criticism of Griffith's previous film, The Birth of a Nation
(1915), which was attacked by the NAACP and other groups as perpetuating racial stereotypes and glorifying the Ku Klux Klan
.
Breaks between the differing time-periods are marked by the symbolic image of a mother rocking a cradle, representing the passing of generations. One of the unusual characteristics of the film is that many of the characters don't have names. Griffith wished them to be emblem
atic of human types. Thus, the central female character in the modern story is called The Dear One. Her young husband is called The Boy, and the leader of the local Mafia
is called The Musketeer of the Slums. Critics and film theorists indicate these names show Griffith's sentimentalism, which was already hinted at in The Birth of a Nation, with names such as The Little Colonel.
In order of appearance:
Uncredited extras:
Intolerance was a colossal undertaking featuring monumental sets, lavish period costumes, and more than 3,000 extras. Griffith began shooting the film with the Modern Story (originally titled "The Mother and the Law"), whose planning predated The Birth of a Nation
, then greatly expanded it to include the other three parallel stories under the theme of intolerance.
Actual costs to produce Intolerance are unknown, but best estimates are close to $2 million (about $million today), an astronomical sum in 1916. The film was by far the most expensive made at that point. When the film became a flop
at the box-office, the burden was so great that in 1918 Triangle Film Corporation
was put up for sale.
A detailed account of the film’s production is told in William M. Drew's 1986 book D.W.Griffith's Intolerance: Its Genesis and Its Vision.
Intolerance has been called "the only film fugue
". Professor Theodore Huff, one of the leading film critics of the first half of the 20th century, stated that it was the only motion picture worthy of taking its place alongside Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, the masterpieces of Michelangelo
, etc. as a separate work of art.
The film was shown out of competition at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival
.
In 1989, Intolerance was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry
by the Library of Congress
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant," going in during the first year of voting.
In 2007, AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) ranked Intolerance at number 49 of 100 films. The film currently holds a 96% approval rating on the aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes
.
Film critic David Thomson
has written of the film's "self-destructive frenzy":
, Tod Browning
, Woody Van Dyke — went on to become important and noted Hollywood directors in the subsequent years.
The pictured set was featured in the video game LA Noire as a historical monument.
and there are currently four major versions of the film in circulation.
The Internet Movie Database lists the standard running time as 163 minutes, which is the running length of the DVD released by "Public Domain Flicks". The Delta DVD released in Region 1 as Intolerance: A Sun Play of the Ages and in Region 2 as Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages clocks in at 167 minutes. The version available for free viewing on the Internet Movie Archive is listed as 176 minutes, and is presumably the Killiam restoration.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
directed by D. W. Griffith
D. W. Griffith
David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance .Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera...
and is considered one of the great masterpieces of the Silent Era
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
. The three-and-a-half hour epic intercuts four parallel storylines each separated by several centuries: (1) A contemporary melodrama of crime and redemption; (2) a Judean story: Christ’s mission and death; (3) a French story: the events surrounding the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations, followed by a wave of Roman Catholic mob violence, both directed against the Huguenots , during the French Wars of Religion...
of 1572; and (4) a Babylonian story: the fall of the Babylonian Empire
Battle of Opis
The Battle of Opis, fought in September 539 BC, was a major engagement between the armies of Persia under Cyrus the Great and the Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nabonidus during the Persian invasion of Mesopotamia. At the time, Babylonia was the last major power in western Asia that was not yet under...
to Persia in 539 BC.
Intolerance was made partly in response to criticism of Griffith's previous film, The Birth of a Nation
The Birth of a Nation
The Birth of a Nation is a 1915 American silent film directed by D. W. Griffith and based on the novel and play The Clansman, both by Thomas Dixon, Jr. Griffith also co-wrote the screenplay , and co-produced the film . It was released on February 8, 1915...
(1915), which was attacked by the NAACP and other groups as perpetuating racial stereotypes and glorifying the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
.
Storylines
This complex film consists of four distinct, but parallel, stories—intercut with increasing frequency as the film builds to a climax—that demonstrate mankind's persistent intolerance throughout the ages. The film sets up moral and psychological connections among the different stories. The timeline covers approximately 2,500 years:- The ancient "Babylonian" story (539 BC) depicts the conflict between Prince BelshazzarBelshazzarBelshazzar, or Balthazar , was a 6th century BC prince of Babylon, the son of Nabonidus and the last king of Babylon according to the Book of Daniel . Like his father, it is believed by many scholars that he was an Assyrian. In Daniel Belshazzar, or Balthazar , was a 6th century BC prince of...
of BabylonBabylonBabylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
and Cyrus the GreatCyrus the GreatCyrus II of Persia , commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much...
of Persia. The fall of Babylon is a result of intolerance arising from a conflict between devotees of two rival Babylonian gods—Bel-Marduk and IshtarIshtarIshtar is the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex. She is the counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to the cognate north-west Semitic goddess Astarte.-Characteristics:...
. - The Biblical "Judean" story (ca. 27 AD) recounts how—after the Wedding at Cana and the Woman Taken in Adultery—intolerance led to the CrucifixionCrucifixionCrucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
of Jesus. This sequence is the shortest of the four. - The Renaissance "French" story (1572) tells of the failure of the religious tolerance that led to the St. Bartholomew's Day MassacreSt. Bartholomew's Day massacreThe St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations, followed by a wave of Roman Catholic mob violence, both directed against the Huguenots , during the French Wars of Religion...
of HuguenotHuguenotThe Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s by Roman Catholic royals. - The American "Modern" story (ca. 1914) demonstrates how crime, moral puritanismHardlineIn politics, hardline refers to the doctrine, policy, and posturing of a government or political body as being absolutist and sometimes authoritarian. The hardline position is usually extremist and uncompromising....
, and conflicts between ruthless capitalists and striking workers help ruin the lives of marginal Americans.
Breaks between the differing time-periods are marked by the symbolic image of a mother rocking a cradle, representing the passing of generations. One of the unusual characteristics of the film is that many of the characters don't have names. Griffith wished them to be emblem
Emblem
An emblem is a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept — e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory — or that represents a person, such as a king or saint.-Distinction: emblem and symbol:...
atic of human types. Thus, the central female character in the modern story is called The Dear One. Her young husband is called The Boy, and the leader of the local Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
is called The Musketeer of the Slums. Critics and film theorists indicate these names show Griffith's sentimentalism, which was already hinted at in The Birth of a Nation, with names such as The Little Colonel.
Cast
In order of appearance:
- Lillian GishLillian GishLillian Diana Gish was an American stage, screen and television actress whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987....
... Eternal Motherhood - Vera LewisVera LewisVera Lewis was an American film and stage actress, beginning in the silent film era. She appeared in 183 films between 1915 and 1947....
... Mary T. Jenkins - Mae MarshMae MarshMae Marsh was an American film actress with a career spanning over 50 years.-Early life:...
... The Dear One - Fred TurnerF. A. TurnerF. A. Turner was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 68 films between 1914 and 1922. He was born in New York.-Selected filmography:* Home, Sweet Home * The Quicksands...
... The Dear One's father, a worker at the Jenkins Mill - Robert HarronRobert HarronRobert "Bobby" Harron was an American motion picture actor of the early silent film era. Although he acted in scores of films, he is possibly best remembered for his roles in the D.W. Griffith directed films Intolerance and The Birth of a Nation...
... The Boy - Erich von StroheimErich von StroheimErich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born film star of the silent era, subsequently noted as an auteur for his directorial work.-Background:...
... A Pharisee - Günther von Ritzau ... A Pharisee
- Frank Bennett ... King Charles IX of FranceCharles IX of FranceCharles IX was King of France, ruling from 1560 until his death. His reign was dominated by the Wars of Religion. He is best known as king at the time of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre.-Childhood:...
- Maxfield Stanley ... Monsieur La France, Duc d'AnjouHenry III of FranceHenry III was King of France from 1574 to 1589. As Henry of Valois, he was the first elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the dual titles of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575.-Childhood:Henry was born at the Royal Château de Fontainebleau,...
, Charles' younger brother - Josephine CrowellJosephine CrowellJosephine Crowell was a Canadian film actress of the silent film era. She appeared in 94 films between 1912 and 1929....
... Catherine de Medici, the Queen-mother - Joseph HenaberyJoseph HenaberyJoseph Henabery Omaha, Nebraska, was a US film actor, screenplay writer, and director.-Career:Henabery's acting career began in The Joke on Yellentown . Henabery appeared in the D. W. Griffith silent film Birth of a Nation as Abraham Lincoln...
... Admiral Coligny - Constance TalmadgeConstance TalmadgeConstance Talmadge was a silent movie star born in Brooklyn, New York, USA, and was the sister of fellow actresses Norma Talmadge and Natalie Talmadge.-Early life:...
... Marguerite of Valois - W.E. Lawrence ... Henry of Navarre
- Margery WilsonMargery WilsonMargery Wilson , was an American actress and silent movie director. She appeared in 51 films between 1914 and 1939.She was born in Gracey, Kentucky, USA and died in Arcadia, California.-Filmography:...
... Brown Eyes - Eugene PalletteEugene PalletteEugene William Pallette was an American actor. He appeared in over 240 silent era and sound era motion pictures between 1913 and 1946....
... Prosper Latour - A.D. Sears ... A MercenaryMercenaryA mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
- Sam de GrasseSam De GrasseSamuel Alfred De Grasse was a Canadian actor. Born in Bathurst, New Brunswick, he trained to be a dentist....
... Mr. Jenkins, mill boss - Constance TalmadgeConstance TalmadgeConstance Talmadge was a silent movie star born in Brooklyn, New York, USA, and was the sister of fellow actresses Norma Talmadge and Natalie Talmadge.-Early life:...
... The Mountain Girl (second role in film) - Elmer CliftonElmer CliftonElmer Clifton, was an American writer, director, and actor from the early silent days. A collaborator of D. W. Griffith, he appeared in The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance before giving up acting in 1919 to concentrate on work behind the camera...
... The Rhapsode, a warrior-singer - Tully MarshallTully MarshallWilliam Phillips was an American character actor known as Tully Marshall, with nearly a quarter century of theatrical experience behind before he made his first film appearance in 1914.-Career:...
... High Priest of Bel-MardukBel (mythology)Bel , signifying "lord" or "master", is a title rather than a genuine name, applied to various gods in Babylonian religion. The feminine form is Belit 'Lady, Mistress'. Bel is represented in Greek as Belos and in Latin as Belus... - The Ruth St. DenisRuth St. DenisRuth St. Denis was an early modern dance pioneer.-Biography:Ruth St. Denis founded Adelphi University's dance program in 1938 which was one of the first dance departments in an American university...
Dancers ... Dancing girls - Alfred PagetAlfred PagetAlfred Paget was an English silent film actor. He appeared in 239 films between 1908 and 1918.-Selected filmography:-External links:...
... Prince BelshazzarBelshazzarBelshazzar, or Balthazar , was a 6th century BC prince of Babylon, the son of Nabonidus and the last king of Babylon according to the Book of Daniel . Like his father, it is believed by many scholars that he was an Assyrian. In Daniel Belshazzar, or Balthazar , was a 6th century BC prince of... - Carl StockdaleCarl StockdaleCarl Stockdale also known as Carlton Stockdale was one of the longest-working Hollywood veteran actors, with a career dating from the early 1910s. He also made the difficult transition from silent films, to talkies....
... King NabonidusNabonidusNabonidus was the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, reigning from 556-539 BCE.-Historiography on Nabonidus:...
, father of Belshazzar - Elmo LincolnElmo LincolnElmo Lincoln was an American film actor.Born Otto Elmo Linkenhelt, the barrel-chested actor is best known in his silent movie role as the first Tarzan in 1918's Tarzan of the Apes as an adult --...
... The Mighty Man of Valor, guard to Belshazzar - Seena OwenSeena OwenSeena Owen was a Danish-American silent film actress.-Early Life:She was born Signe M. Auen at Spokane, Washington, the youngest of three children raised by Jens Christensen and Karen Auen. Her father and mother came from Denmark in the late 1880s and settled in Minnesota where they married in 1888...
... The Princess Beloved, favorite of Belshazzar - Arthur MeyerArthur MeyerArthur Meyer may refer to:* Arthur Meyer , French journalist.* Arthur Meyer , German botanist....
... The Mountain Girl's brother - Lawrence Lawlor ... Judge (Babylonian Story)
- Miriam CooperMiriam CooperMiriam Cooper was a silent film actress who is best known for her work in early film including Birth of a Nation and Intolerance for D.W. Griffith and The Honor System and Evangeline for her husband Raoul Walsh...
... The Friendless One, former neighbor of the Boy and Dear One - Walter LongWalter Long (actor)Walter Huntley Long was an American character actor in films from the 1910s. He was born in Nashua, New Hampshire.-Career:He appeared in many D. W...
... Musketeer of the Slums - Martin Landry ... Auctioneer
- Bessie LoveBessie LoveBessie Love was an American motion picture actress who achieved prominence mainly in the silent films and early talkies. With a small frame and delicate features, she played innocent young girls, flappers, and wholesome leading ladies. Her role in The Broadway Melody earned her a nomination for...
... The Bride - George WalshGeorge WalshGeorge Walsh was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 81 films between 1914 and 1936.He was born in New York, New York and died in Pomona, California from pneumonia. He was the younger brother of film director Raoul Walsh...
... The Bridegroom - Howard GayeHoward Gaye-Selected filmography:* Birth of a Nation * Intolerance * The Spirit of '76 * The Scarlet Pimpernel * A Slave of Vanity * My Lady's Latchkey * A Prince of Lovers...
... The Nazarene - Lillian LangdonLillian LangdonLillian Langdon was a New Jersey-born American film actress of the silent era. She appeared in 86 films between 1912 and 1928.She died in Santa Monica, California, aged 82.-Selected filmography:...
... Mary, the Mother - Ruth Handford ... Brown Eyes' mother
- Spottiswoode AitkenSpottiswoode AitkenFrank Spottiswoode Aitken was a Scottish- American actor of the silent era.Aitken was one of the first actors to settle in Los Angeles when the film industry was still at its strongest in New York...
... Brown Eyes' father - George SiegmannGeorge SiegmannGeorge Siegmann was an American actor in the silent film era. His more notable roles include Silas Lynch in Griffith's Birth of A Nation , the guard in the 1927 film The Cat and the Canary, Porthos in The Three Musketeers , Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist , and Dr...
... Cyrus the GreatCyrus the GreatCyrus II of Persia , commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much... - Max DavidsonMax DavidsonMax Davidson was a German film actor known for his comedic Jewish persona during the silent film era. With a career spanning over thirty years, Davidson appeared in over 180 films.-Career:...
, tenement neighbor of Dear One - ????????? ... Egibi
- Douglas FairbanksDouglas FairbanksDouglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
... Drunken Soldier with monkey (uncredited extra) - ????????? ... NeversLouis Gonzaga, Duke of NeversLouis Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers was an Italian-French dignitary and diplomat in France. He was the third child of Frederick II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, and Margaret Palaeologina.-Life account:...
- ????????? ... Tavannes
- ????????? ... RetzAlbert de GondiAlbert de Gondi seigneur du Perron, comte, then marquis de Belle-Isle , duc de Retz , was a marshal of France and a member of the Gondi family. His father was Guidobaldo, seigneur de Perron, who became a banker at Lyon, and his mother was Marie-Catherine de Pierrevive - his siblings included...
- ????????? ... BiragueRené de BiragueRené de Birague was an Italian patrician who became a French cardinal and chancellor.-Biography:...
- Lloyd Ingraham ... Judge (Modern Story)
- Barney Bernard ... The Boy's Attorney
- Tom WilsonTom Wilson (actor)Tom Wilson was an American film actor. He appeared in 254 films between 1915 and 1963. He was born in Helena, Montana, and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:* Little Marie...
... The Kindly Officer (Kindly Heart) - Ralph LewisRalph Lewis (actor)Ralph Percy Lewis was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 160 films between 1912 and 1938.He was born in Englewood, Illinois and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:...
... The Governor
Uncredited extras:
- Monte BlueMonte BlueMonte Blue was a movie actor who began his career as a romantic leading man in the silent film era, and later progressed to character roles....
- Frank BorzageFrank BorzageFrank Borzage was an American film director and actor.-Biography:Frank Borzage's father, Luigi Borzaga, was born in Ronzone, in 1859. As a stonemason, he sometimes worked in Switzerland; he met his future wife, Maria Ruegg , where she worked in a silk factory...
- Tod BrowningTod BrowningTod Browning was an American motion picture actor, director and screenwriter.Browning's career spanned the silent and talkie eras...
- Frank BrownleeFrank BrownleeFrank Brownlee was an American film actor. He appeared in 114 films between 1911 and 1943.He was born in Dallas, Texas and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:* Sold for Marriage...
- Kate BruceKate BruceKate Bruce was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 289 films between 1908 and 1931.She was born in Columbus, Indiana and died in New York, New York.-Selected filmography:* The Golden Louis...
- Frank CampeauFrank CampeauFrank Campeau was an American actor. He appeared in 93 films between 1911 and 1940.He was born in Detroit, Michigan and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.-Selected filmography:* Fighting Caravans...
- Jewel CarmenJewel Carmen-Early life and career:Born Florence Lavina Quick in Danville, Kentucky, Carmen made her film debut in the 1912 film The Will of Destiny. She went on to appear in Daphne and the Pirate , opposite Lillian Gish and D. W...
- Dark CloudDark Cloud (actor)Dark Cloud was a Native American silent film actor, born Elijah Tahamont on September 20, 1855 at Odanak, Quebec, Canada. He was a chief of the Abenaki, a First Nations people belonging to the Algonquian peoples of northeastern North America....
- Gino CorradoGino CorradoGino Corrado was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 355 films between 1916 and 1954, almost always in small roles as a character actor.-Career:...
- Constance CollierConstance CollierConstance Collier was an English film actress and acting coach.-Life and career:Born Laura Constance Hardie, in Windsor, Berkshire, Collier made her stage debut at the age of 3, when she played Fairy Peasblossom in A Midsummer's Night Dream...
- Virginia Lee CorbinVirginia Lee CorbinVirginia Lee Corbin was an American silent film actress. Corbin began her career as a child actress in 1916, and went on to become a youthful flapper in the 1920s...
- William CourtrightWilliam CourtrightWilliam Courtright was an American film actor. He appeared in 68 films between 1912 and 1930. He was born in New Milford, Illinois and died in Ione, California...
- Nigel De BrulierNigel De BrulierNigel De Brulier was an English film actor, who launched his career in the theatre stage in his native country and transferred to movies after moving to USA. His first film role was a poet in The Pursuit of the Phantom in 1914...
- Carol DempsterCarol DempsterCarol Dempster was an American film actress of the silent film era.-Biography:Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Dempster got her start in films as a protégé of legendary film director D.W. Griffith alongside other Griffith actresses of the mid-1910s Lillian and Dorothy Gish and Mae Marsh...
- Edward Dillon
- George FawcettGeorge FawcettGeorge Fawcett was an American stage and film actor of the silent era. On stage he appeared in such plays as Ghosts with the controversial Mary Shaw, The Squaw Man with William Faversham, The Great John Ganton with an up-and-coming actress Laurette Taylor in the cast and Getting A Polish with...
- Olga GreyOlga GreyOlga Grey was an American silent film actress.Anna "Anushka" Zacsek, a Budapest native, immigrated to the United States, and by her late teens was pursuing an acting career in Hollywood....
- Mildred HarrisMildred HarrisMildred Harris was an American film actress. Harris began her career in the film industry as a popular child actress at age eleven. At the age of fifteen, she was cast as a harem girl in D. W. Griffith's Intolerance . She appeared as a leading lady through the 1920s but her career slowed with...
- DeWolf Hopper Sr.
- Jennie LeeJennie Lee (actor)Jennie Lee was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in fifty-eight films between 1912 and 1924, working especially under the famous directors John Ford and D.W. Griffith....
- Harold LockwoodHarold LockwoodHarold A. Lockwood was an American silent film actor and one of the most popular matinee idols of the early film period during the 1910s.-Career:...
- Wilfred LucasWilfred LucasWilfred Lucas was a Canadian stage and film actor, film director, and screenwriter.-Career:A native of Ontario, Canada, Lucas headed to New York City to work in the theater, making his Broadway acting debut in 1904 at the Savoy Theater in the production of The Superstition of Sue...
- Francis McDonaldFrancis McDonaldFrancis McDonald was an American actor whose career spanned 52 years. Although never really a headlining actor, he made 41 film and television appearances between 1913 and 1965, appearing in films such as The Temptress in 1926 with Greta Garbo...
- Owen MooreOwen MooreOwen Moore was an Irish-born actor in American films, appearing in more than 279 movies spanning from 1908 to 1937.-Life and career:...
- Carmel MyersCarmel MyersCarmel Myers was an American actress who worked chiefly in silent movies.Myers was born in San Francisco, the daughter of an Australian rabbi and Austrian Jewish mother. Her father became well-connected with California's emerging film industry, and introduced her to film pioneer D. W. Griffith,...
- Loyola O'ConnorLoyola O'ConnorLoyola O'Connor , was an American film actress of the silent era. She appeared in 48 films between 1913 and 1922.She was born in St...
- Vester PeggVester PeggVester Pegg was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 140 films between 1912 and 1941.He was born in Appleton City, Missouri and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:...
- Billy QuirkBilly QuirkBilly Quirk was an American silent film actor. He appeared in 182 films between 1909 and 1924.He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:...
- Wallace ReidWallace ReidWallace Reid was an actor in silent film referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover".-Early life:Born William Wallace Reid in St...
- Alma RubensAlma RubensAlma Rubens was an American silent film actress and stage performer.-Early life:Born to John B. and Theresa Hayes Rueben in San Francisco, California, she performed since youth and became a star at the age of 19. She was educated at the Sacred Heart Convent in San Francisco...
- Ted ShawnTed ShawnTed Shawn , originally Edwin Myers Shawn, was one of the first notable male pioneers of American modern dance. Along with creating Denishawn with former wife Ruth St. Denis he is also responsible for the creation of the well known all-male company Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers...
- Pauline StarkePauline StarkePauline Starke was an American silent-film actress born in Joplin, Missouri.She made her acting debut appearing as a dance extra in D.W. Griffith's film Intolerance...
- Eve SouthernEve SouthernEve Southern was an American film actress. She appeared in 38 films between 1916 and 1936.-Filmography:-External links:...
- Madame Sul-Te-WanMadame Sul-Te-WanMadame Sul-Te-Wan was an American actress. The daughter of freed slaves, she began her career in entertainment touring the east coast with various theatrical companies and moved to California to become a member of the fledgling film community...
- Natalie TalmadgeNatalie TalmadgeNatalie Talmadge was an occasional silent film actress who was more well-known as the sister of her movie star siblings Norma and Constance Talmadge until her marriage to silent film actor and comedian Buster Keaton....
- Ethel Grey TerryEthel Grey TerryEthel Grey Terry was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 52 films between 1914 and 1928...
- King VidorKing VidorKing Wallis Vidor was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose career spanned nearly seven decades...
- Winifred WestoverWinifred WestoverWinifred Westover was a Hollywood actress of the 1910s and 1920s.Winifred Westover was born in San Francisco, California. On screen, Westover was the typical blushing ingenue and was almost always cast opposite robust leading men.Her career in film started with a small part in D. W. Griffith's...
- Tammany YoungTammany YoungTammany Young was an American stage and film actor, who appeared with W.C. Fields in seven films.-Early life:...
- Frank Bruner
Production
The Birth of a Nation
The Birth of a Nation is a 1915 American silent film directed by D. W. Griffith and based on the novel and play The Clansman, both by Thomas Dixon, Jr. Griffith also co-wrote the screenplay , and co-produced the film . It was released on February 8, 1915...
, then greatly expanded it to include the other three parallel stories under the theme of intolerance.
Actual costs to produce Intolerance are unknown, but best estimates are close to $2 million (about $million today), an astronomical sum in 1916. The film was by far the most expensive made at that point. When the film became a flop
Box office bomb
The phrase box office bomb refers to a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue regained by the movie studio. This should not be confused with Hollywood accounting when official figures show large losses, yet the movie is a financial success.A film's financial...
at the box-office, the burden was so great that in 1918 Triangle Film Corporation
Triangle Film Corporation
Triangle Film Corporation was a major American motion-picture studio, founded in the summer of 1915 in Culver City, California, and envisioned as a prestige studio based on the producing abilities of filmmakers D. W. Griffith, Thomas Ince and Mack Sennett...
was put up for sale.
A detailed account of the film’s production is told in William M. Drew's 1986 book D.W.Griffith's Intolerance: Its Genesis and Its Vision.
Reception
Upon its initial release, Intolerance was a commercial failure.Intolerance has been called "the only film fugue
Fugue
In music, a fugue is a compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject that is introduced at the beginning in imitation and recurs frequently in the course of the composition....
". Professor Theodore Huff, one of the leading film critics of the first half of the 20th century, stated that it was the only motion picture worthy of taking its place alongside Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, the masterpieces of Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
, etc. as a separate work of art.
The film was shown out of competition at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival
1982 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Giorgio Strehler *Jean-Jacques Annaud *Suso Cecchi d'Amico *Geraldine Chaplin *Gabriel García Márquez *Florian Hopf *Sidney Lumet *Mrinal Sen...
.
In 1989, Intolerance was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant," going in during the first year of voting.
In 2007, AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) ranked Intolerance at number 49 of 100 films. The film currently holds a 96% approval rating on the aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
Film critic David Thomson
David Thomson (film critic)
David Thomson is a film critic and historian based in the United States and the author of more than 20 books, including The New Biographical Dictionary of Film.-Career:...
has written of the film's "self-destructive frenzy":
The cross-cutting, self-interrupting format is wearisome.... The sheer pretension is a roadblock, and one longs for the "Modern Story" to hold the screen.... [That story] is still very exciting in terms of its cross-cutting in the attempt to save the boy from the gallows. This episode is what Griffith did best: brilliant, modern suspense, geared up to rapidity — whenever Griffith let himself slow down he was yielding to bathos.... Anyone concerned with film history has to see Intolerance, and pass on.
Influence
Intolerance and its unorthodox editing were enormously influential, particularly among European and Soviet filmmakers. Many of the numerous assistant directors Griffith employed in making the film — Erich von StroheimErich von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born film star of the silent era, subsequently noted as an auteur for his directorial work.-Background:...
, Tod Browning
Tod Browning
Tod Browning was an American motion picture actor, director and screenwriter.Browning's career spanned the silent and talkie eras...
, Woody Van Dyke — went on to become important and noted Hollywood directors in the subsequent years.
The pictured set was featured in the video game LA Noire as a historical monument.
Extant versions
Intolerance is now in the public domainPublic domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
and there are currently four major versions of the film in circulation.
Major versions
- The Killiam Shows Version: This version, taken from a third-generation 16 millimeter print, contains an organ score by Gaylord CarterGaylord CarterGaylord Carter was an American organist and the composer of many film scores that were added to silent movies released on video tape or disks.-Early Life and Musical Beginnings:...
. Running approx. 176 minutes, this is the version that has been the most widely seen in recent years. It has been released on LaserDiscLaserdiscLaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
and DVD by Image EntertainmentImage EntertainmentImage Entertainment, Inc. is an independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming and film & television productions in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 250 exclusive CD titles in domestic release, and approximately 450...
. This is the most complete version currently available on home video, if not the longest. Image EntertainmentImage EntertainmentImage Entertainment, Inc. is an independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming and film & television productions in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 250 exclusive CD titles in domestic release, and approximately 450...
currently also has out a 197 minute version.
- The Official Thames SilentsThames SilentsThames Silents is a series of releases of films from the silent era produced by the British ITV contractor Thames Television...
Restoration: In 1989, this film was given a formal restoration by film preservationists Kevin BrownlowKevin BrownlowKevin Brownlow is a filmmaker, film historian, television documentary-maker, author, and Academy Award recipient. Brownlow is best known for his work documenting the history of the silent era. Brownlow became interested in silent film at the age of eleven. This interest grew into a career spent...
and David GillDavid Gill (film historian)David Ian Gill was born in Papua New Guinea, the son of Cecil Gill, a missionary doctor. His uncle was the sculptor Eric Gill. The family returned to England in 1933 where Gill attended the Belmont Abbey School, Hereford...
. This version, also running 197 minutes, was prepared by Thames TelevisionThames TelevisionThames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
from original 35 millimeter material, and its tones and tints restored per Griffith's original intent. (The Internet Movie Database states this version is 177 minutes). It also has a digitally recorded orchestral score by Carl DavisCarl DavisCarl Davis CBE is an American born conductor and composer who has made his home in the UK since 1961. In 1970 he married the English actress Jean Boht....
. This version was released in the U.S. briefly around 1989-1990 by HBO Video, then went out of print. This version is under copyright by the Rohauer CollectionRaymond RohauerRaymond Rohauer was an American film collector and distributor.Rohauer moved to California in 1942 and was educated at Los Angeles City College. Rohauer made a five-reel 16mm experimental film Whirlpool which was not successful. He subsequently became active in film exhibition at the Coronet...
, who worked in association with Thames on the restoration.
- The Kino Version: Pieced together in 2002 by Kino International, this version, taken from better 35 millimeter material, is transferred at a slower frame rate than the Killiam Shows print, resulting in a longer running time of 197 minutes. It contains a synth orchestral score by Joseph Turrin. An alternate "happy ending" to the "Fall of Babylon" sequence, showing the Mountain Girl surviving and re-united with the Rhapsode, is included on the DVD as a supplement. While not as complete as the Killiam Shows Version, this print contains footage not found on any other home video release.
- The Restored Digital Cinema Version: Restoration conducted by ZZ Productions in collaboration with the Danish Film InstituteDanish Film InstituteThe Danish Film Institute is the national Danish agency responsible for supporting and encouraging film and cinema culture, and for conserving these in the national interest....
and Arte France of the version shown on 7 April 1917 at the Theatre Royal, Drury LaneTheatre Royal, Drury LaneThe Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
in London. This version runs approximately 177 minutes and premiered 29 August 2007 at the Venice Film FestivalVenice Film FestivalThe Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
and on 4 October on arteArteArte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
.
Other versions
There are other budget/public domain video and Digital Video Disc versions of this film released by different companies, each with varying degrees of picture quality depending on the source that was used. A majority of these released are of poor picture quality, but even the restored 35 millimeter versions exhibit considerable film damage.The Internet Movie Database lists the standard running time as 163 minutes, which is the running length of the DVD released by "Public Domain Flicks". The Delta DVD released in Region 1 as Intolerance: A Sun Play of the Ages and in Region 2 as Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages clocks in at 167 minutes. The version available for free viewing on the Internet Movie Archive is listed as 176 minutes, and is presumably the Killiam restoration.
Lost footage
Cameraman Karl Brown remembered a scene with the various members of the Babylonian harem that featured full frontal nudity. He was barred from the set that day, apparently because he was so young. While there are several shots of slaves and harem girls throughout the film (which were shot by another director, without Griffith's involvement) the scene that Brown describes is not in any surviving versions.External links
- Detailed plot summary and discussion of the film at Filmsite.orgFilmsite.orgFilmSite.org is a website operated by Tim Dirks since 1996, and owned by AMC since 2008. It contains over 300 reviews of what Dirks judges to be the "greatest films" of all time. In some cases, the review is scene-by-scene. It also contains many other pages offering an introduction to cinema...
- Period poster of the film at the Criterion Theatre, Bridgeton New Jersey
