Creative Arts Television: Filmed and videotaped arts footage from 1950 to date.

Profile of the great film director D.W. Griffith. Ron Mottram, professor of cinema history and director of the Griffith retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City (1975) interviews silent film stars Blanche Sweet and Lillian Gish about their careers and working with Griffith. Illustrated with many film clips and photographs. Film excerpts include portions of "Way Down East" (1920), "Intolerance" (1916), "True Heart Susie" (1919) and "Birth of a Nation." Ms. Gish reminisces about the long hours, dangerous situations, and the presentation of character without recourse to spoken dialogue. Mottram and Gish talk of changes in Hollywood. Griffith always in financial difficulties, never kept profit from films, went to Paramount and was unsuccessful--couldn't work with a script, "things came from his own mind, " Paramount gave him "no free rein." Last minute rescue was created and perfected by Griffith. Griffith's quiet scenes as good as his spectacles. Homecoming themes important to him. Griffith created historical film with great crowds of people Film excerpts include portions of "Death's Marathon", "The Painted Lady", "Feud in the Kentucky Hills", "A Corner in Wheat", "The Informer", "Country Doctor", all made in the early years when Griffith worked for the Biograph company, 1908-1913. Ms. Sweet starred in many of these films and reminisces about the method of shooting in those days. These films and dozens of others were often turned out two or three a week, shown briefly, and then never seen again. Some of these films include the first "pans", "zooms" or "close ups" ever used. Griffith invented as he went along. 1975.

Title: D.W. Griffith in the Biograph years, with Blanch Sweet interview

Reference: 750202

Categories: "CINEMA DISCUSSION & INTERVIEWS, FILM TITLES, FILM ACTORS"

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