The Wind (1928)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Victor Sjöström

Writers:

Dorothy Scarborough (novel)
Frances Marion (scenario)

Release Date:

23 November 1928 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Western

Plot:

Letty moves to West Texas from the East and it seems that the wind always blows and the sand gets everywhere...

Plot Keywords:

Wind | Storm | Marriage | Cowboy | Isolation

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Lillian Gish	...	Letty
Lars Hanson	...	Lige
Montagu Love	...	Roddy
Dorothy Cumming	...	Cora
Edward Earle	...	Beverly
William Orlamond	...	Sourdough
Carmencita Johnson	...	Cora's Child
Leon Janney	...	Cora's Child (as Laon Ramon)
Billy Kent Schaefer	...	Cora's Child
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Seessel Anne Johnson	...	Little girl (uncredited)

Directed by
Victor Sjöström		(as Victor Seastrom)

Writing credits
Dorothy Scarborough		(novel "The Wind")
Frances Marion		(scenario)

Produced by
David Gill	....	producer (restored version)
Liz Sutherland	....	producer (restored version)

Original Music by
Carl Davis		(1983)
William Axt		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
John Arnold		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Conrad A. Nervig

Set Decoration by
Cedric Gibbons		(settings)
Edward Withers		(settings)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Harold S. Bucquet	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Richard Bradford	....	sound supervisor: restored version
Mike Fairbairn	....	dubbing assistant: restored version

Costume and Wardrobe Department
André-ani	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Erich Gruenberg	....	orchestra leader: The Themes Silents Orchestra, restored version
Carl Davis	....	conductor: new score (uncredited)
Colin Matthews	....	orchestrator: Carl Davis (uncredited)
David Matthews	....	orchestrator: Carl Davis (uncredited)

Other crew
John Colton	....	title designer
Una Merkel	....	stand-in: Lillian Gish (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1928) (USA) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

Stürme (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Der Wind (Germany) [de]
El vent (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
El viento (Spain) [es]
La rosa de los vientos (Argentina) [es]
Le vent (France) [fr]
O Vento (Portugal) [pt]
Stormen (Sweden) [sv]
Vento e Areia (Brazil) [pt]
Wicher (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

Sweden:95 min | 79 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Iceland:L | Portugal:17 (director's cut) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Bakersfield, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The film's artificially happy ending was insisted upon by the studio after test audiences balked at the original ending, where the insane Letty wanders into the desert, certain to die. This more appropriate ending reportedly still exists in Europe.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Chocolat (2000)

Would be a wonderful introduction....

...to the world of the silent era of movies. A most marvellous movie, beautifully acted and directed, even with the sappy ending. Victor Sjostrom directs this movie beautifully and it was a shame he never made another English language movie. Also a shame is that the incredibly handsome talented and charismatic Lars Hanson returned to Sweden when talking pictures emerged, his performance as Lige is incredible and he steals every scene he is in with Lillian Gish, no wonder she hand picked him for the role, in the wedding night sequence he just breaks your heart as he realises his marriage is a sham. Now, time to find a copy of "The Scarlet Letter", my holy grail of movies, if it's half as good as "The Wind" then it'll be more than worth the wait.