Intolerance

I decided to get one more D.W. Griffith movie review out of the way before I switch to another silent director, as I feel a need to explore Abel Gance more, having loved the only two Gance movies I've seen so far. Now D.W. Griffith is considered one of the earliest giants in film. But I feel that he's a better moviemaker than he is a storyteller, so the three films I've seen so far: The Birth of a Nation, Broken Blossoms and Home Sweet Home were all underwhelming in one way or another. So what was to come of his second most famous movie, Intolerance? Was I gonna be wasting my time with another overrated piece of history, or was I finally going to end up loving one of Griffith's movies? I kinda get Walter Hill vibes from Griffith, as many of his movies were underwhelming to me despite the status, like 48 Hours and The Warriors. But I did love Southern Comfort's thrills, so let's see.

Intolerance is a thematic piece of art combining, and often shifting through four different stories in four different periods of time: the story of Jesus, the war between Babylon and Persia between the kings Belshazzar and Cyrus, the events leading up to the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre in France, and an original tale about a lonely woman who's life comes crumbling down as her criminal husband is falsely accused of murder. And all of these movies tell stories of how people suffer because of simple-minded reasons for intolerance, notably class-related or even cultural.

First, let us all meditate on the vast, demonic powers that be which ensured that D.W. Griffith, director of Birth of a Nation, wrote a movie criticizing intolerance.


And now to get a little more serious.

Intolerance is a film Griffith made as a response to the controversy surrounding Birth of a Nation. Honestly, this guy shouldn't have been surprised. But I guess this response to backlash is a hell of a lot more positive than Uwe Boll's threats to box critics. Besides, even the best of people can make a movie about tolerance, and it's not exactly a controversial message. But what about the best of MOVIEMAKERS as opposed to the best of people?

The theme works on a variety of emotional levels. It tackles real history with some fictionalization which steers a little close to home. One story is a modern day one about false accusations, which I myself relate to because I have a serious problem with the existence of the concept. The music on the Tubi stream is purely epic, adventurous and melancholic, and it's all flowing perfectly with every scene of abuse, depression, war and even more. There are plenty of scenes here which will keep your eyes glued, especially if you're a humanist or a history buff. In fact, the war scenes during the Babylon segments are incredible. The use of sets, editing and smoking creates scenarios of entire epic backdrops of castles smoking as people are running away. Buildings crumble with artistic flair, and it tells me that this had to be a first in the world of cinema. This movie was pulling off certain feats that Birth of a Nation, in all its cinematic advancements, didn't achieve. There was literally a moment during the establishing celebration shot at the beginning of act two where I froze. I just froze at the site of it. There are even very short but impressive early attempts at choreographed dance scenes involving this scope of cinematography or close range shots of multiple dancers.

Now one criticism I do have is that the Jesus segments aren't given enough screentime. I mean, we've already seen Jesus on the screen by that point. We even had Giulio Antamoro's Christus film that same year. But it wasn't a very good one. It had some fancy direction and a very basic approach. If this movie put just a little more time into it, say bring in some scenes involving Judas, then its fourth segment would stand out, especially considering that most Jesus adaptations aren't exactly known for being groundbreaking cinema. This is a real shame because, like the other segments in the film, the costumes, sets and actors are at the top of their game. The onscreen presence, combined with the direction and music, create a cinematic atmosphere that the Bible story can't get these days. At least the prosecution of Jesus is placed in a more dramatic part of the movie where the endings mold into the theme.

Okay, I'll get behind the historical relevance of this movie. Every technical feat that Birth of a Nation achieved was improved on and shamed by Intolerance. This feels kind of like the very first "movie," as it's not just a filmed 40+ minute story told through a camera. This is all about the art of presentation, be it the visuals, the themes and the emotions that we feel through the characters. And no politics attached, just humanity this time. If not for the underusage of the Jesus segments, this would be absolutely flawless, so I feel it's only right to give this movie, applying so many new techniques to maximum effect regardless of the flaw, the barest minimum of a five-star rating I can apply.

= 95

D.W. Griffith's Directorial Score (3 Good vs. 1 Bad)

Intolerance = 95
The Birth of a Nation = 77
Broken Blossoms = 63
Home, Sweet Home = 35

Score: 67.5 / 4

D.W. Griffith moves up on the Best Directors List from #243 to #199 between Kevin Kolsch and Sylvester Stallone.