MovieChat Forums > Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages (1916) Discussion > Lillian Gish in this

Lillian Gish in this

posted 14 years ago by netshopper-2
4 replies | jump to latest

Did Lillian do anything more than sit and rock the cradle? Seems like very little for star billing.

[–] ljspin 14 years ago

According to her book, THE MOVIES, MR. GRIFFITH, AND ME, Lillian Gish did, basically, just that -- rocked the giant cradle and gave Griffith her opinions on certain scenes. I, for one, wish such a talented actress would have been given more to do in this movie.

Spin

[–] littlekaren 12 years ago

Just saw it yesterday and was shocked that her role was that of cradle rocker although I loved the way DWG kept going back to it to help prove his point. Found the film mesmerizing but somewhat anti-Semitic.

[–] franzkabuki 9 years ago

Yeah, that's weird - to have Gish, widely regarded as the greatest actress of the silent era, to play a "role" literally any woman could have played. Especially as she doesn't even get any close-ups so we could positively identify her.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] mdonln 9 years ago

According to the intro on TCM, Ms. Gish was heavily involved behind the scenes. She did a lot of the production, helped with marketing, all sorts of things. That may be why she didn't have much of an on-screen presence. She got to be in the movie but was able to devote her time doing other things that needed to get done.

Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]