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Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl (1919) 7.6
A frail waif, abused by her brutish boxer father in London's seedy Limehouse District, is befriended by a sensitive Chinese immigrant with tragic consequences. Director:D.W. Griffith |
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Lillian Gish | ... |
Lucy - The Girl
(as Miss Lillian Gish)
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| Richard Barthelmess | ... |
The Yellow Man
(as Mr. Richard Barthelmess)
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| Donald Crisp | ... | ||
 |
Arthur Howard | ... |
Burrows' Manager
|
|
|
Edward Peil Sr. | ... |
Evil Eye
(as Edward Peil)
|
|
|
George Beranger | ... |
The Spying One
|
|
|
Norman Selby | ... |
A Prizefighter
|
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Cheng Huan is a missionary whose goal is to bring the teachings of peace by Buddha to the civilized Anglo-Saxons. Upon landing in England, he is quickly disillusioned by the intolerance and apathy of the country. He becomes a storekeeper of a small shop. Out his window, he sees the young Lucy Burrows. She is regularly beaten by her prizefighter father, underfed and wears ragged clothes. Even in this deplorable condition, Cheng can see that she is a priceless beauty and he falls in love with her from afar. On the day that she passes out in front of his store, he takes her in and cares for her. With nothing but love in his heart, he dresses her in silks and provides food for her. Still weak, she stays in his shop that night and all that Cheng does is watch over her. The peace and happiness that he sees last only until Battling Burrows finds out that his daughter is with a foreigner. Written by Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com>
Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
20 October 1919 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Broken Blossoms See more »Box Office
Budget:
$88,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
SilentColor:
Black and White (tinted screen)Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
This movie was originally made for Adolph Zukor at Paramount Pictures. D.W. Griffith bought it from him in order to release it through his new company, United Artists. See more »Goofs
While Lucy is looking into the window of Cheng Huan's shop, director D.W. Griffith, in his shirtsleeves and wearing a vest, can briefly but very clearly be seen reflected in the window, briskly walking into the shot and sitting down in a chair beside the camera. This occurs in the shot immediately following the intertitle "The girl with the tear-aged face." See more »Quotes
Lucy Burrows: [when her father father discovers her in the Chinaman's room] 'Taint nothin' wrong! 'Taint nothin' wrong! I fell down in the doorway and wasn't nothin' wrong!See more »
Many people believe the best Griffith film is "Intolerance"; some stand by "Way Down East" and still others believe in "Birth of a Nation" despite all its problems. However, I think "Broken Blossoms" is the Griffith film which stands the test of time and still rings true today, over 83 years from its debut.
"Broken Blossoms" is the story of two wounded, abused, seemingly hopeless individuals who find comfort and strength in one another. The Chinaman (played by Richard Barthelmess) and little Lucy Burrows (played by Lillian Gish) are as different as night is to day, however they complement each other and give each other what the other needs; Lucy gives the Chinaman respect as a human being, he in turn gives Lucy affection and love.
What happens to the two souls is, in my opinion, one of the most heartbreaking turn of events ever filmed. The brutal treatment of Lucy by her father and the ultimate sadness of the Chinaman at the end of the film always reduce me to tears.
Those who believe that silent movies are inferior to today's craft really needs to see "Broken Blossoms" and open their hearts and minds to a world that is beyond beauty and beyond pain.