Orphans of the Storm

Overview

Having turned the creaky old stage melodrama Way Down East into a money-spinning film, director D.W. Griffith set about to perform the same magic with the barnstorming theatrical piece The Two Orphans. Adolphe Philippe Dennery's play told the story of two orphaned girls, one blind, who are separated early on and undergo innumerable deprivations before their tearful reunion. Though the play took place in France, it had nothing whatsoever to do with the French Revolution; this didn't stop Griffith from plunking the storyline smack dab in the middle of that late-18th-century maelstrom, allowing him full scope for the spectacular scenes which had brought him worldwide fame. Lillian Gish plays Henriette, the sighted sister, while Dorothy Gish is cast as the visually impaired Louise. Henriette brings Louise to Paris, in search of a surgeon who might be able to restore her sister's sight. Henriette is kidnapped by a lascivious nobleman, leaving Louise to wander helplessly about until she too is "stolen" by a family of beggars. Rescued by kindhearted aristocrat Chevalier de Vaudrey (Joseph Schildkraut), Henriette begins the arduous search for her lost sister. Just before the film's intermission, Henriette hears Louise begging on the streets. Before they can be reunited, Henriette is arrested by minions of the evil nobleman who'd earlier tried to seduce her. Released from the Bastille by the revolutionaries, Henriette resumes her search, only to be arrested again--this time because she has consorted with the aristocracy, and is therefore a candidate for the guillotine. The stage is thus set for a thrilling "race to the rescue" climax, and of course the reuniting of the two orphans. Orphans of the Storm was filmed at Griffith's east coast studio in Mamaroneck, New York, which explains why the exteriors are always so overcast. In an effort to be topical, Griffith took every opportunity possible to equate the French revolution with the recent Bolshevik rebellion in Russia, and to warn his audience of the dangers of mob rule (this from a man who glorified the Ku Klux Klan in Birth of a Nation!) The film opened to excellent reviews and great business; Griffith, who always placed art above commerce, poured virtually every penny of profit into his "smaller" project, Isn't Life Wonderful, which died at the box office.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/09/2015
UPC:	0644827155224
Original Release:	1922
Source:	Reel Vault
Language:	English

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Lillian Gish	Henriette Girard,Louise Girard
Joseph Schildkraut	Chevalier de Vaudrey
Monte Blue	Danton
Frank Losee	Count de Linieres
Catherine Emmett	Countess de Linieres,Countess de Linieres
Morgan Wallace	Marquis de Praille
Lucille La Verne	Mother Frochard
Sheldon Lewis	Jacques Frochard
Frank Puglia	Pierre Frochard
Creighton Hale	Picard
Leslie King	Jacques-Forget-Not
Sidney Herbert	Robespierre
Lee Kohlmar	King Louis XVI
Marcia Harris	Henriette's Landlady
Adolphe Lestina	A Doctor
Kate Bruce	Sister Genevieve
Flora Finch	A Starving Peasant
Louis Wolheim	The Executioner
Kenny Delmar	The Chevalier (as a boy)
Herbert Sutch	A Meat-Carver at the Fete
Rose Smith	Dancer
Adrian Worker	Doctor
Frank O'Connor	Actor
William Peters	Composer
Louis Gottschalk	Composer

Technical Credits

D.W. Griffith

D.W. Griffith

Director,Producer,Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Another high melodrama by the father of film, this time set against the backdrop of the French Revolution with plenty of historical flavor and enough plot to fill four hours of screen time. Throughout the film, director/writer D.W. Griffith repeatedly contrasts the lives of the rich and poor. The opulent palaces and parties of the aristocracy, especially the Marquis' orgies, stand in sharp contrast to the destitution of the poor on the dirty streets of Paris. But the object of Griffith's scorn is not the rich, but tyranny and mob rule. Indeed, he displays equal disgust for both the excessiveness and inhumanity of the rich and the thievery of some elements of the poor. After the revolution, he is as harshly critical of Robespierre and the bloodthirsty mobs as he had been of the Marquis and the cruel aristocrats. If there are villains on both sides (the Marquis, the Count, Robespierre, the disgusting Mother Frochard), there are also heroes, including the Chevalier de Vaudrey on the aristocratic side and Danton on the side of the underclass. It is also worth mentioning that for all his supposed prudishness, Griffith often filled his movies with scenes of debauchery; granted, he usually did so as a means to condemn the behavior depicted, but it didn't stop him from showing it, and this is certainly true of Orphans of the Storm. Before the revolution, Griffith takes every opportunity to display the parties and orgies of the aristocracy, and after the revolution, even more screen time is spent on the street celebrations and dancing that draws obvious parallels to the behavior of the rich. As for the acting, much of it is over-the-top and strongly melodramatic, as was the fashion of the time. Lillian Gish comes off best, even when she overdoes it. Her unique acting ability is very much evident and she towers over her co-stars.

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