tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564277570960354470.post1927554835999322474..comments2024-03-04T03:28:33.591-05:00Comments on Tips from Chip: Movie – Broken Blossoms (1919)Chip Laryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00787403805554027107noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564277570960354470.post-46372164513023871772014-04-19T16:46:40.910-04:002014-04-19T16:46:40.910-04:00I didn't include it in my post, but apparently...I didn't include it in my post, but apparently Griffith saw Gish doing the bit with her fingers and mouth and put it in the film.Chip Laryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00787403805554027107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564277570960354470.post-67909378448063831682014-04-19T16:45:38.372-04:002014-04-19T16:45:38.372-04:00I agree on judging films by when they were made. ...I agree on judging films by when they were made. Judging them by modern standards of acceptability would be like judging a child by adult standards of conduct.Chip Laryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00787403805554027107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564277570960354470.post-55478814981311820322014-04-19T16:44:29.377-04:002014-04-19T16:44:29.377-04:00"Overly melodramatic" is pretty much a r..."Overly melodramatic" is pretty much a requirement for silent film dramas, as is acting to the back seat of the theater. This has both in spades. And I think on your rewatch you may find that this portrayal actually avoids most stereotypes, with the use of opium perhaps being the exception.Chip Laryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00787403805554027107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564277570960354470.post-6993077993864811242014-04-19T16:41:21.045-04:002014-04-19T16:41:21.045-04:00I acknowledge The Birth of a Nation's place in...I acknowledge The Birth of a Nation's place in movie history, and I'm impressed by the sheer scale of Intolerance, but I like this little film better than both of them.Chip Laryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00787403805554027107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564277570960354470.post-23818636349491053972014-04-19T10:54:00.468-04:002014-04-19T10:54:00.468-04:00I can only echo what Ted said. This is my favorit...I can only echo what Ted said. This is my favorite of Griffith's feature films. It is less sprawling than the epics and has no "comic" relief such as in something like Way Down East. I adore Gish. The moment when she holds the corners of her mouth up when asked to smile encapsulates all that was great about her.marie_dresslerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06334550550983418668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564277570960354470.post-36513587574551716522014-04-19T10:39:35.046-04:002014-04-19T10:39:35.046-04:00This is one of those films that really needs to be...This is one of those films that really needs to be viewed from the perspective of the time in which it was made. Hard to believe now, but in many ways, it was racially ahead of its time, even if it feels so backwards now.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564277570960354470.post-28196678621729329572014-04-19T08:51:25.120-04:002014-04-19T08:51:25.120-04:00I watched Broken Blossoms maybe 10 years ago, and ...I watched Broken Blossoms maybe 10 years ago, and I wasn't a big fan. I think that it felt overly melodramatic, and it was hard for me to get over that side of it. I also had a tough time with the Asian stereotype of the "yellow man". Even though I say all of this, I'm thinking that I need to revisit it. I know that a lot of smart people like this movie, so it's possible that I didn't give it a fair shot. Dan Heatonhttp://ptsnob.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564277570960354470.post-3245151260657307312014-04-19T04:41:08.064-04:002014-04-19T04:41:08.064-04:00This is the Griffith movie I like the best, though...This is the Griffith movie I like the best, though that does not say much since I dislike several of them. However this one hits a lot of the right notes and I much agree with your assessment of it. It is also peculiar that a man that made the bigotting Birth of a Nation would a few years later make a sensitive and compasionate film like Broken Blossoms. It is also Lillian Gish at her best.<br />And yes, this was the movie I figured you would pick for 1919.<br />TSorensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12208153011927807857noreply@blogger.com