The Wind (1928)

Director:

Victor Sjöström

Writers:

Frances Marion (scenario)
Dorothy Scarborough (from the novel by)

Release Date:

23 November 1928 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Letty moves to West Texas from the East and it seems that the wind always blows and the sand gets everywhere...

Plot Keywords:

Wind | Storm | Desert | Melancholy | Female Protagonist

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Lillian Gish	...	Letty
Lars Hanson	...	Lige
Montagu Love	...	Roddy
Dorothy Cumming	...	Cora
Edward Earle	...	Beverly
William Orlamond	...	Sourdough
Carmencita Johnson	...	Cora's Child
Leon Janney	...	Cora's Child (as Laon Ramon)
Billy Kent Schaefer	...	Cora's Child
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cullen Johnson	...	Little Boy (uncredited)
Seessel Anne Johnson	...	Little Girl (uncredited)

Directed by
Victor Sjöström		(as Victor Seastrom)

Writing credits
Frances Marion		(scenario)
Dorothy Scarborough		(from the novel by)

Produced by
Kevin Brownlow	....	producer (1983 alternate version)
David Gill	....	producer (1983 alternate version)

Original Music by
Carl Davis		(music composed by) (1983 alternate version)
William Axt		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
John Arnold		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Conrad A. Nervig		(film editor)

Set Decoration by
Cedric Gibbons		(settings)
Edward Withers		(settings)

Costume Design by
André-ani		(wardrobe by)

Production Management
Liz Sutherland	....	production manager (1983 alternate version)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Harold S. Bucquet	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Richard Bradford	....	sound supervisor (1983 alternate version)
Mike Fairbairn	....	dubbing assistant (1983 alternate version)

Music Department
Carl Davis	....	music conducted by (1983 alternate version)
Erich Gruenberg	....	orchestra leader: The Themes Silents Orchestra (1983 alternate version)
Colin Matthews	....	music orchestrated by (1983 alternate version)
David Matthews	....	music orchestrated by (1983 alternate version)
Fritz Stahlberg	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Other crew
John Colton	....	titles by
Ruth Newmark	....	production assistant (1983 alternate version)
Una Merkel	....	stand-in: Lillian Gish (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presents) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated) (A Victor Seastrom Production)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1928) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1989) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)  in association with (1983 alternate version)
• Thames Silents Orchestra, The  music played by (1983 alternate version)
• Thames Television  presented by (1983 alternate version)
• Turner Entertainment  DVD package design
• Turner Entertainment  copyright holder: 1988 (as Turner Entertainment Co.)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

Sweden:95 min | 79 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Portugal:17 (director's cut) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 (cut)

Filming Locations:

Bakersfield, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The film's artificially happy ending was insisted upon by the studio after test audiences balked at the original ending, where the insane Letty wanders into the desert, certain to die. This more appropriate ending reportedly still exists in Europe.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "MGM: When the Lion Roars" (1992)

Another MGM Silent Classic

Peculiar, but brilliantly filmed silent classic starring Gish as a young woman who battles for her life as she lives in the windy Texas desert, and is torn between two men who want her. Special effects are quite breathtaking for its time and since it was filmed in the scorching Mojave Desert in California.