Orphans of the Storm (silent film)
**Orphans of the Storm** is a silent film directed by D.W. Griffith, released in 1921, and is notable as the last commercially successful film by the director, as well as the final collaboration between him and silent film star Lillian Gish, along with her sister, Dorothy Gish. The film is adapted from the 19th-century French play *Les deux orphelines* by Adolphe d'Ennery and is set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, expanding on the original story by integrating elements from historical texts, including Thomas Carlyle's *The French Revolution: A History* and Charles Dickens's *A Tale of Two Cities*.
The narrative begins with two orphaned sisters, Louise and Henriette, who face various trials, including illness and abduction, amid the chaos of revolution. Their story unfolds with themes of sacrifice and redemption, culminating in a dramatic rescue from the guillotine. Griffith's filmmaking techniques, such as innovative camera movements and crowd scene management, are highlighted, as are the performances of the Gish sisters. The film reflects Griffith's conservative perspectives, warning viewers against perceived threats of Bolshevism and anarchism. Overall, *Orphans of the Storm* represents a significant moment in silent film history, showcasing the artistic partnership between Griffith and the Gish sisters.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Orphans of the Storm (silent film)
Identification: A silent film about two orphaned sisters during the French Revolution
Director: D. W. Griffith
Date: 1921
Orphans of the Storm was the last commercially successful film by director D. W. Griffith, the last film actorLillian Gish made with Griffith, and the last film the Gish sisters appeared in together.
Orphans of the Storm is based on a popular nineteenth- century French play, Les deux orphelines (1874; The Two Orphans), by Adolphe d’Ennery. After silent screen star Lillian Gish took director D. W. Griffith to an Italian production of the play in New York City, he decided to adapt it into a film and give it more scope by changing the setting to eighteenth-century France, with the French Revolution as a backdrop. Griffith also added factual material to the original storyline by taking material from Thomas Carlyle’s history TheFrench Revolution: A History (1837) and Charles Dickens’s novel A Tale of Two Cities (1859).
The film opens with an impoverished man about to leave his infant daughter on the steps of a church, where he sees another abandoned baby girl. The man has second thoughts and takes both babies home to raise together. The girls (Louise, played by Dorothy Gish, and Henriette, played by Lillian Gish) grow and soon lose their parents, and Louise’s eyesight, to the plague. Henriette takes Louise to Paris to seek a cure but is abducted by a lecherous French aristocrat (Morgan Wallace). A noble aristocrat (Joseph Schildkraut) soon saves Henriette and becomes her lover. Meanwhile, an evil beggar (Lucille La Verne) exploits Louise. As the French Revolution erupts around them, Henriette and her aristocrat-lover are sentenced to die at the guillotine but are rescued at the last moment by revolutionary leader Georges Danton (Monte Blue). The girls are reunited, and Louise’s eyesight is restored.
Griffith was known for his conservative political and social views, and opening titles in the film warn of the dangers of Bolsheviks and anarchists. The director wanted to be certain viewers did not mistakenly see parallels between his film and the recent Russian Revolution.
Impact
D. W. Griffith is often credited as having either invented or refined the language of cinema (including camera movement, cutting between scenes, close-ups), and Orphans of the Storm exemplifies many of his techniques. Critics have praised Griffith’s use of period details in the film and his expert handling of crowd scenes, as well as the performances of Dorothy and Lillian Gish. The sisters began their film careers with Griffith a decade earlier, and Orphans of the Storm was the last time Griffith would direct either sister and would also be the last film they would star in together.
Bibliography
Affron, Charles. Lillian Gish: Her Legend, Her Life. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002.
Schickel, Richard. D. W. Griffith: An American Life. New York: Limelight Editions, 1996.
Simmon, Scott. The Films of D. W. Griffith. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993.