Customer Reviews

Way Down East

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In order to truly enjoy a film like Way Down East it is necessary to try to perform the seemingly impossible task of transporting yourself back into the 1920's. It is very easy to be critical of the moralizing, the melodrama and the attitudes. It is easy to find a film like this primitive in its techniques and its acting. But this is to miss the point and prevents a viewer from having a great silent film experience. This film carries the viewer along with the intensity of the emotion that is portrayed, especially by Lillian Gish in what is perhaps her best performance. Certain scenes have become archetypes, such as the `leave my house' scene. Some people may criticise the so-called comic relief scenes in this film. But it must be remembered that they are not intended to be funny in the sense of Keaton or Chaplin, for this would make the film fantasy rather than drama. They are supposed to be light relief, nothing more. The best thing about this DVD is that it shows the film complete. The colour tinting, which should always be reproduced if at all possible, is subtle and greatly adds to the mood of each scene. The print shows some damage in places which at times is quite serious, but does not detract from the enjoyment of the film. We must accept that sometimes it is not possible to restore a film to perfection. It is better to have a few damaged frames than to have them missing. The original music for a 1928 reissue is reproduced and sounds fine. Finally this DVD includes extensive sleeve notes which are informative and well written. Griffith, as far as I am concerned, will always remain one of the greatest of directors and Way Down East is one of his finest films.

Way Down East, although technically imperfect by the over-exacting standards of modern-day audiences (who are used to expensive computer-generated special effects which rarely serve to truly augment a film and often serve as a cover for woefully deficient plots), is nothing short of a masterpiece. As usual, Lillian Gish's acting is superb, and the ice floe sequence near the end is truly riveting even with a couple of continuity problems. Richard Barthelmess shines through as David Bartlett, turning in another fine performance. Way Down East is another of Griffith's masterpieces, and this release features the full-length version mastered at the correct film speed, complete with original tints, and the original score, recorded on Vitaphone discs for the film's 1930 reissue, making for an outstanding evening's entertainment. Excellent!

This and Broken Blossoms are the defining moments in Lillian Gish's career. Watch and you'll be hooked. I pretty much bestow all the same accolades as everybody else about this film. Griffith was not quite a master of slapstick, but the moments here are not much different from other comedies at the time. The key of course is Gish's mesmerizing performance and a simple plot (this is 1920 of course). What a treat it is to own this movie and other silents on DVD. The picture quality is virtually perfect. The music score is a recording of an original score. It's scratchy but authentic. My only gripe with this edition is the title cards. The letters look like they came from the Sunday comics. One small quibble in an otherwise remarkable DVD.

The world had already begun to lose some of its innocence after the Great War when film pioneer D.W. Griffith took this long and romantic look at the mores which would eventually destroy his own career, outdating the type of stories he told. "Way Down East" is, like many of Griffith's films with Gish (Broken Blossoms, True Heart Susie, etc.), a story of love's virtue overcoming circumstance. Though Lottie Blair Parker's play was somewhat dated even as Griffith began filming this, our nation's innocence, and that of the entire world, was still fresh in the minds of many, making this early silent one of his greatest and most enduring masterpieces.

Baby-faced Lilian Gish portrays Anna, sent from her poor home to the big city by her mother in an effort to procure financial help from rich relatives. It is there that she will meet playboy Leroy Sanderson, however, and the sweetly naive Anna will be misled into a mock marriage so that he may take what is most precious to her. When she is found to be with child, Sanderson reveals the ruse and offers her money to go away and hide her tender secret. Anna refuses, humiliated and shamed, and returns home to her mother, who shortly dies. It is quite moving as Gish's Anna hides her baby in shame, baptizing it in secret herself, so that no one knows. It is also moving when Anna holds her sick baby in her arms, unaware that it no longer resides with her.

Wandering and trying to find a place for herself, she is taken in by the rigid Squire, who is ignorant of her past. It is on the farm that she will prove her worth and unknowingly win the love of young David (Richard Barthelmess). Gish is beautiful with her hair down, by the river, when David begins to speak of what is in his heart. But Anna cannot let him love her, no matter how she may ache to, because of her hidden and shameful past. Griffith contrasts their plight with the more charming and awkward courtship of a nerdy professor and Kate, creating greater empathy for Anna and David.

Though this somewhat overlong film doesn't reach the sophistication of silent films made during the late 1920's just before the advent of sound, it can still be both moving and exciting. Griffith took forever to film this one, waiting on the New England seasons to change, giving it a look of realism for the time in which it is set. Once gossip reaches the unforgiving Squire, the scene is set for one of the most exciting moments in motion pictures, filmed with Barthelmess and Gish themselves, Griffith and cinematographer Billy Blitzer capturing it all on film.

Cast out into a blizzard, Anna is pursued by David, desperate to find her and love her. Anna finds her way in the blizzard to the ice flows of the river, and collapses on a block of frozen water heading swiftly for the falls. Knowing Gish nearly froze to death filming this scene for Griffith, and that she and Barthelmess were truly in danger, keeps viewers on the edge of their seats as Anna drifts to the brink and David jumps from glacier to glacier, trying to get to her in time. The outcome and the aftermath turn this simple story into one of the great romances of the silver screen, or in this case, the nitrate screen.

Those who know of this film will probably opt for the beautifully restored Blackhawk version, which contains the original score redone. Those wanting to view it only as a curio might opt for the much less expensive Alpha version, which contains classical music as the score rather than the original. Gish's lovely performance and an exciting ending make this a must see for those who love silent films. While it is dated today, it is a reminder that innocence lost is never regained.....

First, let's get one thing clear: this is old-fashioned melodrama, pure and simple. The situations have been used before ("Uncle Tom's Cabin" and "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" seem two prominent sources) and real emotion is eschewed by most of the actors in favor of Delsartian posing. The film is conventional in plot and design. However, for some reason I find myself replaying scenes from this film in my head, and moments come back me at odd times. The ice flow scene is a deserved classic -- you feel genuine concern, especially knowing that none of it is high-tech computer wizardry: this is the real thing. Griffith manages some other affecting scenes (the baptism comes to mind) and much of the movie is shot on location, with some lovely scenes of pastoral America. The best aspect of the film, however, is the acting of Lillian Gish. Where other characters resort to mugging, her expressive face and large doe eyes register every emotion truthfully and beautifully. Griffith exploits her talent in as many close-ups as he can get of her. She has mastered the art of silent film acting, and this film is a textbook example by one of the greatest stars of the era. Griffith's real failing in this picture comes in the truly poor comedy scenes. They are irritating, amateurish, and decidedly unfunny. This edition is beautifully done, with the original colored tints used. This is a classic document of an art form and a type of story-telling that has been lost to us.

I would give the movie five stars - it is one of my favorite silent films - but the low rating is for the Alpha DVD. It is of a bad print, very dark and scratchy. But the worst is the dreary, monotonous organ score - absolutely horrible! As a longtime fan of silent films, I believe firmly that a quality musical score is essential to our enjoyment, particularly of a lengthy drama such as this one. Choose either the Kino or the Image DVD.

I had the pleasure of watching Way Down East for the first time a week ago and it has stayed with me since. I'm quite a fan of Griffith's earlier works, including in my opinion his finest film ever, Broken Blossoms. Lillian Gish (star of Way Down East and Broken Blossoms) is magnificent with her girl-like charm and portrays a character who is complex and simplistic alike. For anyone who enjoys the pre-Classical Hollywood Cinema silent feature, I highly recommend this film.

David Wark Griffith is honoured with the title of "the Father of Film" because he was one of the prominent pioneers of early filmmaking, not only developing the narrative or storytelling style of film as we know it today, but between 1908 and 1913 alone he directed nearly 500 short films. He was continually honing his craft, and was always on the cutting edge of new and creative ideas in making and directing films, and "Way Down East" is just one of the very entertaining films he directed in his maturing days in the 1920s. While many of his short films (such as for Biograph) were serious, solemn and often contained an historical or ethical lesson, Griffith also directed other styles of film such as this one, which has a perfect balance of serious drama and light-hearted comedy, as well as the standard build-up to a nail-biting climax which he had perfected in earlier years already. The moral theme of "Way Down East", as the introductory intertitles tell us, is that women are the ones who suffer because society is more accepting of wayward men than women, and as a case in point, we are told the story about an innocent country girl called Anna who is deceived and tricked into a mock marriage by a rich and spoilt playboy who only wanted a casual fling, and abandons her when the relationship results in a pregnancy. Rather than telling a strict moralistic story, however, Griffith introduces various colourful characters and moments of surprising humour throughout the story. Nevertheless, the viewer is drawn into the drama of Anna's plight as she struggles to rebuild her life after this betrayal and the death of her baby, and then as she finds new love but fears she could never be another man's wife due to her past. Griffith balances plenty of such melodrama, emotional tension and suspense, as well as humour and fine attention to the characters and other little details in "Way Down East", as he once again sets the standard for the Hollywood Classic for decades to come. And there could hardly be a more suitable actress to play Anna than Lillian Gish, whose appearance and personality in many Griffith films represented innocence, purity and a dainty charm which has not lost its appeal even in today's world. Popular actor Richard Barthelmess is also perfectly cast as the good and wholesome country boy who loves Anna and comes to her rescue in the thrilling climax. The picture quality is not quite as clear as some prints of other silent films, but the on-going drama and action easily detract from this. Interestingly, the musical score on this DVD to this 1920 film is an original 1928 `low-fi mono' recording made to suit the film, which adds appropriate atmosphere to the period. There are also very good, extensive notes with pictures in this DVD by Image Entertainment, and it is surely an important addition to a serious film collection as well as one of the varied milestones in Griffith's directing career.

This Alpha release of "Way Down East" is easily one of the better ones the company has on the market. The print is extremely watchable and tastefully packaged (completely unlike their version of "Orphans Of The Storm"). However, note that the print used is a re-edited version Griffith recut for the film's re-release in 1930, a decade after the movie's original release.
So that means that Griffith fans will want to have this dvd in their collections but also need to have the original version from the Image or Kino releases...

I loved this movie! It was entertaining, suspenseful, and romantic! I fell in love with the character David, the moment i laid eyes on him. Too bad he was born such a long time ago. I would have loved to meet him!