Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl (1919)

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writers:

Thomas Burke (story)
D.W. Griffith (writer)

Release Date:

1922 (Poland)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A frail waif, abused by her brutish boxer father in London's seedy Limehouse District, is befriended by a sensitive Chinese immigrant with tragic consequences.

Plot Keywords:

Father | Limehouse | Chinese | Boxer | China

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Lillian Gish	...	Lucy Burrows (as Miss Lillian Gish)
Richard Barthelmess	...	Cheng Huan (as Mr. Richard Barthelmess)
Donald Crisp	...	Battling Burrows
Arthur Howard	...	Burrows' manager
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Evil Eye (as Edward Peil)
George Beranger	...	The Spying One
Norman Selby	...	A prizefighter

Also Known As:

Broken Blossoms (USA) (short title)
Scarlet Blossoms
The Chink and the Child
Eine Blüte gebrochen (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Gebrochene Blüten (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Giglio infranto (Italy) [it]
Im Schatten der Großstadt - Aus dem Chinesenviertel von San Francisco (Austria) [de]
Katkenneita kukkasia (Finland) [fi]
Kirik tomurcuklar (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Lírio Partido (Brazil) [pt]
La culpa ajena (Spain) [es]
Le lys brisé (France) [fr]
Lirios rotos (Spain) [es]
O Lírio Quebrado (Portugal) [pt]
Poncelles trencades (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Spasmeno krino (Greece) [el]
Zlamana lilia (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White (tinted screen)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Fine Arts Studios - 4516 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

D.W. Griffith Productions

Trivia:

The only makeup Richard Barthelmess used in order to appear Oriental was a very tight rubber band stretched around his forehead, pulling his facial features slightly upward. The rubber band was cleverly concealed beneath his cap.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: While Lucy is looking into the window of Cheng Huan's shop, director D.W. Griffith, in his shirtsleeves and wearing a vest, can briefly but very clearly be seen reflected in the window, briskly walking into the shot and sitting down in a chair beside the camera. This occurs in the shot immediately following the intertitle "The girl with the tear-aged face."

Quotes:

Narrator: Above all, Battling hates those not born in the same great country as himself.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Slanted Screen (2006)

The best of all Griffith films

Many people believe the best Griffith film is "Intolerance"; some stand by "Way Down East" and still others believe in "Birth of a Nation" despite all its problems. However, I think "Broken Blossoms" is the Griffith film which stands the test of time and still rings true today, over 83 years from its debut.

"Broken Blossoms" is the story of two wounded, abused, seemingly hopeless individuals who find comfort and strength in one another. The Chinaman (played by Richard Barthelmess) and little Lucy Burrows (played by Lillian Gish) are as different as night is to day, however they complement each other and give each other what the other needs; Lucy gives the Chinaman respect as a human being, he in turn gives Lucy affection and love.

What happens to the two souls is, in my opinion, one of the most heartbreaking turn of events ever filmed. The brutal treatment of Lucy by her father and the ultimate sadness of the Chinaman at the end of the film always reduce me to tears.

Those who believe that silent movies are inferior to today's craft really needs to see "Broken Blossoms" and open their hearts and minds to a world that is beyond beauty and beyond pain.