I think the 34 year old D.W. Griffith had a disrespect for actors in the sense that he would not allow them to bring their own interpretation of a character to a story. What you see on screen is Griffith manifesting himself in various players simply because he couldn't act himself. If he didn't make so many short films, then he could be judged by his directing skills alone. As it stands, his treatment of his cast surfaces on the screen and you end up watching puppets guided by Griffith rather than actors. Mary Pickford could have given a lot more in this piece if she was empowered with the right to make changes to the script and take ownership of the role.
Review of The Trick That Failed
