Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages (1916)

The story of a poor young woman, separated by prejudice from her husband and baby, is interwoven with tales of intolerance from throughout history.

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writers:

D.W. Griffith (scenario), Anita Loos (titles),

Stars:

Lillian Gish, Spottiswoode Aitken, Mary Alden

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lillian Gish	...	The Woman Who Rocks the Cradle / Eternal Mother
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Spottiswoode Aitken	...	Brown Eyes's Father (as Spottiswoode Aitkin)
Mary Alden	...	Uplifter
Frank Bennett	...	Charles IX
Monte Blue	...	The Strike Leader
William H. Brown	...	Father of the Bride of Cana / Warden (as William Brown)
Lucille Browne	...	Uplifter
Elmer Clifton	...	The Rhapsode
Miriam Cooper	...	The Friendless One
Josephine Crowell	...	Catherine de Médicis
Dore Davidson	...	The Friendly Neighbor
Sam De Grasse	...	Arthur Jenkins
Edward Dillon	...	Crook
Taylor N. Duncan	...	Captain of the Gateg / Bodyguard of the Princess Beloved (as Ted Duncan)
Pearl Elmore	...	Uplifter

Storyline

Intolerance and its terrible effects are examined in four historical eras. In ancient Babylon, a mountain girl is caught up in the religious rivalry that leads to the city's downfall. In Judea, the hypocritical Pharisees condemn Jesus Christ. In 1572 Paris, unaware of the impending St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, two young Huguenots prepare for marriage. Finally, in modern America, social reformers destroy the lives of a young woman and her beloved.

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Plot Keywords:

intolerance | marriage | huguenot | medicis | judea | 

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Taglines:

Mr Griffith's First Production since "The Birth Of A Nation"

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

5 September 1916 (USA)

Also Known As:

Intolerance

Filming Locations:

Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$385,907 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Triangle Film Corporation, Wark Producing

Technical Specs

Runtime:

163 min 178 min (2000 video release) 197 min (DVD) 123 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The marriage scenes in the life-of-Christ part of the film were staged and shot according to Jewish tradition, under the supervision of Rabbi Myers. He was the father of Carmel Myers, who played a slave girl in the Babylonian scenes.

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Goofs

Alexandre Édouard de France (later King Henry III) is referred to as "Monsieur La France," when he should be called "Monsieur de France."

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Quotes

The Boy: Nothing doing on the good night stuff, I always go inside to see my girls.

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Crazy Credits

Constance Talmadge is credited as 'Georgia Pearce' for her performance as Marguerite de Valois in the French Story. She is credited under her own name in the role of The Mountain Girl in the Babylonian Story.

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Connections

Referenced in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

User Reviews

The most ambitious film ever made

Incredible that in 1916 Griffith embarked on a film with four different stories intercut to indeed present "love's struggle through the ages". This really is the ultimate epic film, no film before or since can really match it for ambition or scope. Lillian Gish believed it was ruined when Griffith cut it down from his original version, destroying the narrative flow but the extensive intercutting gathering speed and intensity towards the end was hugely influential particularly on the Soviets and directors like Hitchcock who liked to turn the screw with mounting suspense. Its not a film though to show a newcomer to the silents, it requires some experience of silent drama. People in 1916 were either amazed by the spectacle or baffled by it, one reviewer said they feared Belshazzar would be knocked down by an automobile at any second.