Rating: 
Summary: A Masterpiece of Fine Art
Review: A box office disaster at the time of its release, Griffith's Intolerance is now generally considered the highwater-mark of his career and stands as one of the most influential films of both silent and sound eras. Unlike the more famous but extremely dated Birth of a Nation, Intolerance is an extremely watchable film even by today's sophistocated standards. Intercutting four different stories in four different eras to draw a powerful portrait of man's inhumanity to man down through the ages, Griffith achieves startling cinematic and intellectual effects through out the body of the film. Noteworthies in the cast include stunning performances by Mae Marsh, Constance Talamadge, and Bill Haines; Lillian Gish, who worked primarily as Griffith's assistant on the film, also appears in a cameo. A must-see for any one who enjoys cinema as fine art.
Rating: 
Summary: Intolerable.
Review: Ah,D.W. Griffith-according to his admirers,he is the great originator of our cinema,the fountainhead from whence all creativity springs."Intolerance",supposedly his greatest oeuvre,is considered a work of art so staggeringly excellent that some speak of it as the zenith of film art-indeed of civilization itself.Generally,when many (and I assume intelligent) people praise a film and its director,there tends to be something in it.But in the case of D.W. Griffith and especially "Intolerance",I cannot defer to the majority opinion.In my viewings of this director's films,I could only come to one conclusion-that while his historical importance is undeniable,most of his films seem to to be textbook definitions of bad art."Intolerance", in particular,has so many egregious instances of this,that in all fairness I should acknowledge the merits D.W. Griffith undoubtedly has. These are dual-his films tend to be well-constructed and in conjunction with an effective,albeit crude,editing style-he builds a rhythm which gives his narratives tension and force. His faults,however,are legion-he makes good actors(Lillian Gish,Richard Bartlemass)look foolish,not so good actors(Donald Crisp,80% of his players)look insanely foolish,his plots are of the same claptrap that's been making itself ridiculous since the Restoration,his mis-en-scene is tasteless and worst of all-his sentimentality has to be the most flagrant I've ever seen.Not that there is anything wrong with sentimentality per se-many artists were good in spite of it or knew how to handle it tastefully-Thomas Heywood,Chikamatsu Monzaemon,Carlo Goldoni,Charles Dickens and Frank Capra come to mind.But Griffith's bathos achieves the nadir. A perfect example of this is the "little dear one"."Little dear ones"(of which "Intolerance" has two!) are a recurring type of character in D.W. Griffith's films.They are usually teenage girls(directed to act like they are five) who flounce about hugging trees and chasing cute forest animals.These actions always induce any nearby male(virtuous or villainous)into frenzies of drool-slobbering lust.An attempt at ravishment always ensues.This is the sort of "dramatic" scene that D.W. Griffith intends to be both harrowing and heartbreaking-but is always embarrassing and sidesplitting. Even Griffith's famous technical skills are compromised in "Intolerance".It is well known that for time considerations,"Intolerance" was shortened-thus the film's structure was destroyed when then the French and Christ scenes were drastically curtailed to make room for the Babylonian and modern stories.The firt two stories barely even constitute a narrative.Even such a technical tour-de-force as the famous tracking shot in the Babylonian sequence is marred by what is actually being depicted-some absurd dancing elephants,girls holding still in a "Walk Like an Egyptian" pose for no explicable reason,etc.Speaking of the Babylonian story,despite the praise lavished on it,I think it is the most unmitigated piece of unintentional camp ever put on celluloid-I've never seen anything so amusingly awful in my life.The modern story,however,is comparatively restrained and has its effective moments-but even it degenerates into mechanical melodrama.And it is not just the case(as has been alleged)that Griffith was working with inferior material-Eisenstein had even worse to work with and yet,his genius shines through.D.W. Griffith may have been the founding father of movies-but for great cinema one must look to his contemporaries Charlie Chaplin and Erich Von Stroheim. END END
Rating: 
Summary: An historical landmark
Review: D. W. Griffith's films are badly dated now. Birth of a Nation is historically important, but violently racist. Intolerance isn't overtly racist, but just as simple-minded. On the other hand, no one, in the history of film, has ever been as ambitious. No one else has taken four different stories, from four different historical periods, and combined them in one grand epic - like four tributaries flowing into one great river. For students of film only.
Rating:
Summary: This is where it all began
Review: D.W. Griffith's "Intolerance" has been praised more, and seen less, than almost any other movie in English. Yes, it is a silent film. Yes, it is in black and white. But this is where it all began - the business of telling a story beyond the story, with quick cuts and hammering action. "Intolerance" was crafted during World War I - a war whose bravery and insanity has been equaled, but never topped. "Intolerance", nominally about ancient Babylon and medieval France and modern America, is really about this cataclysm. By juxtaposing characters and camera angles, Griffith comes close to showing war at its heart - its beauty and its horror.
Rating:
Summary: This is where it all began
Review: D.W. Griffith's "Intolerance" has been praised more, and seen less, than almost any other movie in English. Yes, it is a silent film. Yes, it is in black and white. But this is where it all began - the business of telling a story beyond the story, with quick cuts and hammering action. "Intolerance" was crafted during World War I - a war whose bravery and insanity has been equaled, but never topped. "Intolerance", nominally about ancient Babylon and medieval France and modern America, is really about this cataclysm. By juxtaposing characters and camera angles, Griffith comes close to showing war at its heart - its beauty and its horror.
Rating:
Summary: "RECOGNITION!"
Review: HOW long did it take Hollywood? Almost a century - give or take a decade and some, but there it is - next to and part of Oscar's new home - homage to D.W. GRIFFITHS - a section of the Babylonian set - complete with elephants - out-towering everything!NOW to this unsurpassed work - and quite necessary during times of 'Intolerence'. It' IS simply - one of the most spectacular examples of early movie making! A sweeping saga teaching that love [tolerance] does overcome all - even when there does not seem to be any hope. D.W. was well aware of the psyche back then - and 'words' were unnecessary! Imagine what that mind would bring us today in this techno-jumbled jungle of 'all-knowing' suits! A [somewhat] pristine print on this DVD with the extra missing bits and pieces - restored, including the excellent score by Gaylord Carter. Most successful? the flamboyant period sections - expecially the awesome Babylonian sequence! NOW, that's the way it was done by a pioneering master! MUST HAVE!
Rating:
Summary: Epic Landmark
Review: I must admit that I was intimidated by "Intolerance" before sitting down to watch it. I knew it was an early silent movie (1916) consisting of four different stories. I knew that the three hour running time would be spent intercutting between these four stories. Would I be able to keep up with all four stories? Would I be able to tell the different characters apart in the grainy black and white (with color-tinting)? After watching it, I have a whole new appreciation for D.W. Griffith. Yes, I was able to tell the characters apart, and yes, I was able to keep up with all the storylines. This film was a giant leap forward in filmmaking from Griffith's previous film, "The Birth of a Nation." The most impressive story of the film is the fall of Babylon. The sets were magnificent, and the battle scenes were spectacular. Constance Talmadge was wonderful as the Mountain Girl. The modern story was entertaining and moving. The French and Judean stories were very underdeveloped, but that really didn't bother me. Anyone with an interest in silent movies or film history must see this film.
Rating:
Summary: Epic Landmark
Review: I must admit that I was intimidated by "Intolerance" before sitting down to watch it. I knew it was an early silent movie (1916) consisting of four different stories. I knew that the three hour running time would be spent intercutting between these four stories. Would I be able to keep up with all four stories? Would I be able to tell the different characters apart in the grainy black and white (with color-tinting)? After watching it, I have a whole new appreciation for D.W. Griffith. Yes, I was able to tell the characters apart, and yes, I was able to keep up with all the storylines. This film was a giant leap forward in filmmaking from Griffith's previous film, "The Birth of a Nation." The most impressive story of the film is the fall of Babylon. The sets were magnificent, and the battle scenes were spectacular. Constance Talmadge was wonderful as the Mountain Girl. The modern story was entertaining and moving. The French and Judean stories were very underdeveloped, but that really didn't bother me. Anyone with an interest in silent movies or film history must see this film.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: I thought of many titles for this review and I decided that the only word that would do it the right and fair justice was simply awesome. Intolerance~VHS ~ Lillian Gish is D.W. Griffith masterwork and must be said to be one of the best movies ever made. To think that it was shot in 1916 when the movie industry was still very much in its infancy makes it even a greater feat. The stories are all well scripted and the music does a wonderful job by setting the tone and mood for the picture. Highly Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: "RECOGNITION!"
Review: Intolerance is a complicated picture. For the first hour I'll admit to being completely at a loss. Griffith throws four stories at the audience with dozens and dozens of characters and expects us to follow it. He doesn't slow down to explain. He's like a really bad teacher who expects you to do all the work alone. So I'm trying to understand whether Mae Marsh's admirer is a good or bad guy (It's always one of the other in a Griffith movie). Though he requests to be left into her room and sex of any kind is usually an act of the villian in Griffith's pictures, I came to the conclusion that he was on the good side. I'm questioning whether the old woman who laments her lost youth is a hero or villian. Villian! Or whether the "effeminate" character will have much of a role. He didn't. I don't know why he was even introduced. While trying to figure out all these characters I was incessantly rocked by Lillian Gish and her never stopping cradle. Which story was she part of? Surely Gish, usually the heroine, will have a bigger part in one of the stories. She didn't. And yet somehow, through all this confusion, the movie comes together in the second act and works. It's climax is brilliantly sustained. The old cliche of saving the innocent man from being murdered is used here and surprisingly manages to find some suspense. The Babylonian scenes are saved by the enchanting mountain girl whose death is tragic in its symbolism. The other stories, in France and Judea, are quickly passed over. The Judaen conclusion ends with Christ's crucifixion in a very far shot. We can't see anything Mr. Griffith. Confusion aside, once this film starts to work, it works brilliantly. Griffith was a master of sustained tension if nothing else. Watch out for the knives over the string that will release the noose on the hangman! I was surprised I got so involved in a silent, especially after watching Griffith's Birth of a Nation which really only succeeds now, as a historical document. DVD comes with an option to watch the four stories individually. May be of use to the easily confused, such as myself.
|
