WAY DOWN EAST (1920) is considered one of DW Griffith's best movies. The story revolves around Anna Moore (Lillian Gish), an innocent country girl who goes to the city when she and her mother need money. During her stay with her rich relations, she meets Lennox Sanderson (Lowell Sherman), an amoral cad who dupes her into a sham marriage and dumps her when he learns that she's pregnant. She gives birth, but the baby dies. Anna eventually winds up working on the Bartlett family's farm, hoping to make a new start. She falls in love with the son, David (Richard Barthelmess), but an unexpected development causes Anna's past to catch up with her
Following is my review.
SCRIPT: The story is complex and for the most part very involving. Griffith does succumb to his weakness for preachy and flowery intertitles once again, and I found some of them groan inducing. I wish that Griffith had used the visual means at his disposal rather than using his title cards to telegraph plot developments or the feelings of the characters. In spite of that, the story was enjoyable. The story attacks the sexual double standard that lets men play and makes women pay, as well as the emotional damage caused by self-righteousness without mercy and meddlesome gossip. Anna is a well-developed character, and the love that arises between her and David Bartlett is believable. There is also a love triangle that seems irrelevant at first, but helps to build up to the climax. However, the dated and corny country bumpkin humor that pops up every so often detracts from the story and slows the movie's momentum. SCORE: 7.5/10
ACTING: Without a doubt, this is Lillian Gish's vehicle, and she shows why she is so highly regarded. Her performance is dramatic without being exaggerated, and she conveys all of the Anna's many emotional states with a seeming minimum of effort. Gish looks like she was made to play this role. Richard Barthelmess was a dependably likable and naturalistic actor, and he complements Gish beautifully in his playing of the understanding, sensitive David Bartlett. Lowell Sherman was a revelation to me. I had never heard of him before, but he played the part of the suave ladies' man exceptionally well. Sherman acts in a realistic manner and occasionally gets us to feel a twinge of sympathy for Sanderson on the few occasions when the character feels his conscience affecting him. Also worth noting is Mary Hay, who plays the elder Bartlett's niece and is involved in the above love triangle; she is charming without being cloying or cutesy. Many of the numerous supporting players, though, provide rather broad performances for comic relief that contrast badly with the main protagonists. For me, the three leads and Mary Hay provided the bulk of the acting interest in this movie. ACTING: 7.5/10
CINEMATOGRAPHY/PRODUCTION: Griffith shows his considerable skills in this film. Billy Bitzer again shows why he is such an influential cinematographer with well-composed medium and long shots, intimate close-ups, and occasional use of tracking and panning. The scenery in the countryside is lush and beautiful, and is captured superbly by Bitzer's lens. Tinting is used to great expressive effect to convey time, place, and mood. The scene on the ice floes is justly regarded as one of the most dramatic and exciting sequences of silent cinema, and it is very well paced. Unfortunately, it's hard to completely assess the film in this regard because some sequences are lost now, and have been replaced on the Kino version by title cards and still photographs. Some of the editing is a little awkward, with actions being repeated in a few frames. SCORE: 9/10
SUMMARY: WAY DOWN EAST boasts fine performances and an involving story, centered around a heroine very well portrayed by Lillian Gish. The cinematography is first-rate, taking full advantage of the beautiful scenery. However, the "comic relief" elements are corny and broadly played, and add unnecessary padding to the running time. In spite of that, though, the central story is still moving and powerful. SCORE: 8/10
SCRIPT: The story is complex and for the most part very involving. Griffith does succumb to his weakness for preachy and flowery intertitles once again, and I found some of them groan inducing. I wish that Griffith had used the visual means at his disposal rather than using his title cards to telegraph plot developments or the feelings of the characters. In spite of that, the story was enjoyable. The story attacks the sexual double standard that lets men play and makes women pay, as well as the emotional damage caused by self-righteousness without mercy and meddlesome gossip. Anna is a well-developed character, and the love that arises between her and David Bartlett is believable. There is also a love triangle that seems irrelevant at first, but helps to build up to the climax. However, the dated and corny country bumpkin humor that pops up every so often detracts from the story and slows the movie's momentum. SCORE: 7.5/10
ACTING: Without a doubt, this is Lillian Gish's vehicle, and she shows why she is so highly regarded. Her performance is dramatic without being exaggerated, and she conveys all of the Anna's many emotional states with a seeming minimum of effort. Gish looks like she was made to play this role. Richard Barthelmess was a dependably likable and naturalistic actor, and he complements Gish beautifully in his playing of the understanding, sensitive David Bartlett. Lowell Sherman was a revelation to me. I had never heard of him before, but he played the part of the suave ladies' man exceptionally well. Sherman acts in a realistic manner and occasionally gets us to feel a twinge of sympathy for Sanderson on the few occasions when the character feels his conscience affecting him. Also worth noting is Mary Hay, who plays the elder Bartlett's niece and is involved in the above love triangle; she is charming without being cloying or cutesy. Many of the numerous supporting players, though, provide rather broad performances for comic relief that contrast badly with the main protagonists. For me, the three leads and Mary Hay provided the bulk of the acting interest in this movie. ACTING: 7.5/10
CINEMATOGRAPHY/PRODUCTION: Griffith shows his considerable skills in this film. Billy Bitzer again shows why he is such an influential cinematographer with well-composed medium and long shots, intimate close-ups, and occasional use of tracking and panning. The scenery in the countryside is lush and beautiful, and is captured superbly by Bitzer's lens. Tinting is used to great expressive effect to convey time, place, and mood. The scene on the ice floes is justly regarded as one of the most dramatic and exciting sequences of silent cinema, and it is very well paced. Unfortunately, it's hard to completely assess the film in this regard because some sequences are lost now, and have been replaced on the Kino version by title cards and still photographs. Some of the editing is a little awkward, with actions being repeated in a few frames. SCORE: 9/10
SUMMARY: WAY DOWN EAST boasts fine performances and an involving story, centered around a heroine very well portrayed by Lillian Gish. The cinematography is first-rate, taking full advantage of the beautiful scenery. However, the "comic relief" elements are corny and broadly played, and add unnecessary padding to the running time. In spite of that, though, the central story is still moving and powerful. SCORE: 8/10