Way Down East (1920)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writers:

William A. Brady (play)
Joseph R. Grismer (play)
(more)

Release Date:

3 September 1920 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A naive country girl is tricked into a sham marriage by a wealthy womanizer, then must rebuild her life despite the taint of having borne a child out of wedlock.

Plot Keywords:

Country Girl | Fake Wedding | Party | Summer | Melodrama

Cast

Lillian Gish	...	Anna Moore
Richard Barthelmess	...	David Bartlett
Lowell Sherman	...	Lennox Sanderson
Burr McIntosh	...	Squire Bartlett
Kate Bruce	...	Mother Bartlett
Mary Hay	...	Kate (the Squire's niece)
Creighton Hale	...	The Professor
Emily Fitzroy	...	Maria Poole (landlady)
Porter Strong	...	Seth Holcomb
George Neville	...	The Constable
Edgar Nelson	...	Hi Holler
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mrs. Morgan Belmont	...	Diana Tremont (uncredited)
Josephine Bernard	...	Mrs. Tremont (uncredited)
Carol Dempster	...	Barn dancer (uncredited)
Patricia Fruen	...	Her sister (uncredited)
Mrs. David Landau	...	Anna Moore's mother (uncredited)
Vivia Ogden	...	Martha Perkins (uncredited)
Athole Shearer	...	Barn dancer (uncredited)
Edith Shearer	...	Barn dancer (uncredited)
Norma Shearer	...	Barn dancer (uncredited)
Florence Short	...	The eccentric aunt (uncredited)
Frank Walsh	...	Barn dancer (uncredited)

Directed by
D.W. Griffith

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
William A. Brady		play (as Wm. A. Brady)
D.W. Griffith		uncredited
Joseph R. Grismer		play "Way Down East" (as Jos. R. Grismer)
Anthony Paul Kelly		scenario
Lottie Blair Parker		play "Annie Laurie"

Produced by
D.W. Griffith	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Louis Silvers

Cinematography by
G.W. Bitzer		(uncredited)
Charles Downs		(uncredited)
Hendrik Sartov		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
James Smith		(uncredited)
Rose Smith		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Clifford Pember		(uncredited)
Charles O. Seessel		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Henri Bendel		(uncredited)
O'Kane Cornwell		(uncredited)
Lady Duff Gordon		(uncredited)
Otto Kahn		(uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Elmer Clifton	....	second unit director
Herbert Sutch	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Frank Walsh	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Stunts
Elmer Clifton	....	stunt double: long shots of Lillian Gish on ice floe
Allan Law	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Paul H. Allen	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lady Duff Gordon	....	coustumer designer: gowns in prologue

Other crew
Elmer Clifton	....	associate director
Victor Georg	....	decorative titles (uncredited)
Una Merkel	....	stand-in: Lillian Gish (uncredited)
Leigh Smith	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Frank Wortman	....	technical director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• D.W. Griffith Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1920) (USA) (theatrical)
• Universum Film (UFA) (1923) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Kino Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Reelclassicdvd.com (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Grapevine Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Punto Zero (2007) (Italy) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Sfinks (1922) (Poland) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• O'Kane Cromwell  gowns worn by Miss Gish in prologue
• Otto Kahn Inc.  furs in prologue

Also Known As:

Mädchenlos (Austria) (Germany) [de]
À travers l'orage (France) [fr]
Agonia sui ghiacci (Italy) [it]
As Duas Tormentas (Portugal) [pt]
Läpi myrskyn (Finland) [fi]
Las dos tormentas (Spain) [es]
Meczennica milosci (Poland) [pl]
Welt im Osten (West Germany) (TV title) [de]

Runtime:

145 min | Spain:165 min | USA:107 min (1931 re-release) | 126 min (Alpha Video)

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Portugal:M/6 (DVD rating) | Finland:S (1965)

Filming Locations:

Farmington, Connecticut, USA

Company:

D.W. Griffith Productions

Trivia:

Actress Clarine Seymour, a regular player in Griffith's film at that time, was originally cast in the role of Kate, Squire Bartlett's niece and David Bartlett's fiancée. Seymour had actually completed most of her 'Way Down East' scenes when she fell ill from a strangulated intestine. She died on April 25, 1920, following emergency surgery. Griffith replaced Seymour in the role with dancer Mary Hay, who resembled Seymour in long shots. And although David Bartlett does not marry Kate in 'Way Down East,' actor Richard Barthelmess, who played David, later married dancer/actress Mary Hay, who played Kate.

Movie Connections:

Version of Way Down East (1935)

Pretty Good Melodrama Made Memorable By A Tremendous Climax

What would otherwise be a pretty good, if old-fashioned, melodrama is made memorable by a climax that still holds up decades later as one of the most exciting scenes on film. The movie as a whole is imperfect - it's a bit too long, and is occasionally preachy - but it fits together well, and is a deserving classic of the silent film era.

The story is openly moralistic, and would not have worked without good characters and acting. Lillian Gish is deservedly remembered for her role, but Lowell Sherman is also important as the oily Sanderson - his understated performance makes his villainy more effective, and balances out the parts of the movie that are more heavy-handed (the title cards, in particular, leave no doubt as to how the director feels). The story ends up working pretty well in the context of its era.

What really stands out, of course, is its terrific climax on the river, still justifiably praised after all these years. Carefully conceived and beautifully photographed, it is a most effective way to wind up the story. The riveting drama and the stark beauty of the scenery make a great combination that you won't forget.

This would have been even better if it had been maybe 30 minutes shorter. Some scenes go on longer than necessary, and there is a lot of filler material about the townspeople - mildly amusing, and comic relief from a heavy story, but the comedy is not exactly of Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin quality, and a bit less would have been better. Still, the majority of the time the film does keep your attention.

"Way Down East" is a classic in spite of its flaws, one that every silent film fan will want to see. And it also would be worth watching for the climactic sequence alone, for anyone who appreciates quality cinema.