The story goes that when D. W. Griffith attended a screening of the Italian biblical movie "Quo Vadis?" during its 1913 New York City run, he immediately became hooked on his desire to make a feature film, and on an epic scale. Employed by Biograph Studios, Griffith begged the executives for a chance to spend some money to make an unforgettable movie. The studio claimed it couldn't afford such an expense and to forget about it.
When he journeyed to the west coast away for the studio's headquarters to make a series of films in the late summer of 1913, Griffith decided to fulfill his dream of directing a feature length film, creating the 60-minute "Judith of Bethulia." The studio knew something was up when it began getting cascading bills for what they thought was a series of short films. When its executives discovered Griffith had spent over $36,000 to make one motion picture, they said the movie would have to be spliced into two for separate showings to get a return on their investment. And they also constricted Griffith from ever making another lengthy movie again.
This was the last straw for the director, who had been Biograph's premier director since 1908. He eventually landed at Mutual Film Corporation, formed just in 1912, which gave Griffith everything he wanted. The director also took his stock company of actors with him as well as his favorite cameraman, Billy Bitzer.
Biograph withheld the release of "Judith of Bethulia" until March 1914, to avoid paying Griffith any profit sharing the company had with the director until he walked out.
The movie itself was praised for its sprawling scope with a large cast dressed up in authentic biblical costumes. Blanche Sweet, 18 years old at the time of filming, was the seductive lead who arouses the Assyrian leader, played by Henry Walthall, in an erotic display of seductiveness. The battle scenes would prove to be a dress rehearsal for Griffith's 1916 "Intolerance," the Babylonian segment.
"Judith of Bethulia" provided the critics heaps of praise for Griffith's handling of a movie containing such a grand scale of cast and crew. They pointed out the pure artistry he painted on the screen, claiming this American director has ascended to the lofty perch of those Italian directors who had led cinema in the epic feature films.
When he journeyed to the west coast away for the studio's headquarters to make a series of films in the late summer of 1913, Griffith decided to fulfill his dream of directing a feature length film, creating the 60-minute "Judith of Bethulia." The studio knew something was up when it began getting cascading bills for what they thought was a series of short films. When its executives discovered Griffith had spent over $36,000 to make one motion picture, they said the movie would have to be spliced into two for separate showings to get a return on their investment. And they also constricted Griffith from ever making another lengthy movie again.
This was the last straw for the director, who had been Biograph's premier director since 1908. He eventually landed at Mutual Film Corporation, formed just in 1912, which gave Griffith everything he wanted. The director also took his stock company of actors with him as well as his favorite cameraman, Billy Bitzer.
Biograph withheld the release of "Judith of Bethulia" until March 1914, to avoid paying Griffith any profit sharing the company had with the director until he walked out.
The movie itself was praised for its sprawling scope with a large cast dressed up in authentic biblical costumes. Blanche Sweet, 18 years old at the time of filming, was the seductive lead who arouses the Assyrian leader, played by Henry Walthall, in an erotic display of seductiveness. The battle scenes would prove to be a dress rehearsal for Griffith's 1916 "Intolerance," the Babylonian segment.
"Judith of Bethulia" provided the critics heaps of praise for Griffith's handling of a movie containing such a grand scale of cast and crew. They pointed out the pure artistry he painted on the screen, claiming this American director has ascended to the lofty perch of those Italian directors who had led cinema in the epic feature films.