Griffith used a variety of tinted film stock for dramatic effect on a scale seldom equalled in silent cinema. One of the most influential films in the history of cinema, on the theme of man’s intolerance throughout the ages, told in four separate but interwoven stories—’Fall of Babylon’, ‘Passion of Christ’, ‘Massacre of St. Bartholomew’ and ‘The mother and the law’—which culminate in a climax of cross cutting. Alternate versions also available on 16mm and VHS.
Credits: Director, writer, D. W. Griffith ; photography, G. W. Bitzer ; production designer, Frank “Huck” Wortman ; music, Joseph Carl Breil, D.W. Griffith ; editor, James Smith, Rose Smith.
Cast: Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Robert Harron, Miriam Cooper, Walter Long, Tully Marshall.
Content notification
Our collection comprises over 40,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued between the 1940s and early 2000s. As a result, some items may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.
Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.
How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
F000002
Language
No spoken word
Subject categories
Sound/audio
Musical soundtrack only
Colour
Black and White
Holdings
16mm film; Limited Access Print (Section 2)