Intolerance

There can be little doubt about the fact that D.W. Griffith 1916 film can be called an epic. An epic, in this case of absolutely VAST proportions! This silent film is divided in four different scenarios that are fused together, each of them set in different time periods but all of them bearing the topic of intolerance.

The four stories are comprised of ‘The Fall of Babylon’ (539 BC), the ‘Judean Story’ involving the crucifixion of Christ, the French ‘St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre’ instigated by Catherine de Medici in 1572, and the ‘modern’ American Story of class struggle, crime and urban slums in the early 20th century. In many respects, Griffith’ rather overlong opus can be seen as a socialist statement.

The contemporary story, set in 1916, concerns a bunch of embittered and middle-aged ladies referred to as the Uplifters. Their aim in life is to make society a better and a more moralistic place to live in – frustrated hypocrites as they are. They manage to persuade a wealthy and aging woman called Mary T. Jenkins (Vera Lewis) to finance their mission. In order to do this, Mary Jenkins asks her millionaire autocrat brother for money – he does this by knocking 10% off his workers wages. In fact, it would appear that most of the townsfolk are in his employment, including the father (Fred Turner) of a young woman (Mae Marsh), here patronisingly referred to as the Dear One. A strike ensues and thousands are laid off, including the girl’s father and a young man called The Boy (Robert Harron), later to become the Dear One’s lover and husband after her father died. Desperately in need of cash, Boy finds himself working with a gang of thieves known as The Musketeers. Things go horribly wrong and Boy is framed for a murder he did not commit, while the Dear One comes under the scrutiny of the Uplifters for apparent child neglect….

All this is juxtaposed throughout with parallels from the other three stories. In the Babylonian segment, the fall of Babylon is a result due to the fighting devotees of two rival Gods, in the Judean story it’s intolerance after the wedding at Cana and a woman taken in adultery that leads to the crucifixion of Christ. In the French segment it is the intolerance between Protestant Huguenots and Catholic royals that leads to the infamous massacre. Lillian Gish (almost unrecognisable) personifies the figure of ‘Eternal Motherhood’ – a woman rocking a cradle to represent the passing of generations. Griffith uses the word intolerance throughout but the word could just as well be hypocrisy.

As far as the segments are concerned, it’s particularly the Babylonian one that is truly magnificent with its gargantuan sets, splendid costumes and what seems to be at least a 3,000 extras! Mind you, the constant changing of scenes (that is to say going back and forth between the four segments) gets a little tiresome and confusing after a while… and with a whopping 168 min running time we’re talking quite a while!
That said, this is a film – the most expensive motion picture produced at the time - that deserves to be seen and possibly marvelled at!

Eureka! did a splendid job in releasing a wonderfully restored version of this early classic in Dual Format Edition, and with a host of particularly good Extras:

• New high-definition 1080p presentation of the acclaimed Brownlow and Gill "Thames Silents" restoration of the film
• Orchestral score by the esteemed composer Carl Davis
• Two feature-length films by Griffith that act as companion pieces to Intolerance and take their material from the main film: The Fall of Babylon and The Mother and the Law, accompanied by new scores by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
• Three Hours That Shook the World: Observations on 'Intolerance', a 2013 documentary featuring preservationist Kevin Brownlow discussing the film
• 56-PAGE BOOKLET filled with vintage and modern reports, reflections, and essays on the film