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This is D.W. Griffith's last great success, an epic melodrama from 1922 about two orphaned girls (real-life sisters Lillian and Dorothy Gish) raised in the same house and tragically separated during the French Revolution's infamous reign of terror. While this is no
Birth of a Nation or
Intolerance, it still reveals Griffith's inimitable talent for spectacle and intimacy. Not surprisingly, it works best when focusing on the plight of the two sisters: Lillian is a peasant who cares for the blind Dorothy, a product of the deposed aristocracy.
Orphans of the Storm is a film about intriguing pairings. Mingling with the upper class to help find Dorothy, Lillian falls in love with the handsome and compassionate Joseph Schildkraut (best known as Otto Frank in
The Diary of Anne Frank) and beguiles the influential Danton. Dorothy, meanwhile, is held captive by a family of gypsies, and is fought over by two brothers. Despite the lavish sets and Lillian's stirring performance, the love stories and political tumult don't quite mesh. But there are two magnificent moments emblematic of Griffith's dual talents: When Lillian recognizes Dorothy's plaintive voice outside her window and comes to her rescue, and the thrilling climax when Danton rescues Lillian from the guillotine.
--Bill Desowitz
Review
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. ~ Bob Mastrangelo, All Movie Guide
