Magic Lantern Video & Book StoreD.W. Griffith
David Wark Griffith [1875-1948]
| short profile | ![portrait of David Wark (D.W.) Griffith [1875-1948]](images/DWGriffith.jpg "portrait of David Wark (D.W.) Griffith [1875-1948]") |
“I foresee no possibility of venturing into themes showing a closer view of reality for a long time to come.
The public itself will not have it. What it wants is a gun and a girl.” — D.W. Griffith
Motion pictures had existed for over a dozen years, yet it was D.W. Griffith's
controversial but wildly successful "The Birth of A Nation" [1915]
that transformed what had been a flickering novelty into an art form.
B I O
h e r e
His brother, R.E. Griffith, built the El Rancho Hotel in Downtown Gallup, New Mexico; it opened in 1937 and soon became headquarters for the many Western movies that were filmed in the area.
  | D.W. Griffith received an Honorary Oscar® in 1936 He also won |
D.W. Griffith entry at Wikipedia
D.W. Griffith's credits {over 530 films!} at Internet Movie Database
search Amazon for D.W. Griffith videos/DVDs {returns almost 200 items}
Magic Lantern's "The Birth of A Nation" 1915 Movie Page
Great Films Before The Academy Awards
History of Cinema Page
Autobiographies
 | "The Man Who Invented Hollywood: The Autobiography of D. W. Griffith" [1972] by D.W. Griffith, with James Hart
Touchstone hardcover [1/72] out of prodn/many used Touchstone hardcover [1/72] out of prodn/used |
 | "Billy Bitzer: His Story - The Autobiography of D.W. Griffith's Master Cameraman" [1973] by G.W. Bitzer [1872-1944]
FS&G pb [1/73] out of print/used Billy Bitzer's credits [1896-1933] on IMDb • Billy Bitzer entry at Wikipedia |
 | "The Movies, Mr. Griffith and Me" [1969] by Lillian Gish, with Ann Pinchot Mercury House pb [6/88] out of print/used Prentice-Hall pb [9/69] out of print/used Pearson hardcover [6/88] out of print/many used Prentice-Hall hardcover [9/69] out of print/used |
![Linda A. Griffith and D.W. Griffith in costume for 'When Knighthood Was In Flower' [1908]](images/LAG-DWG_knighthood.jpg "Linda A. Griffith and D.W. Griffith in costume for 'When Knighthood Was In Flower' [1908]") | "When The Movies Were Young" [E.P. Dutton 1925] by Linda Arvidson (Mrs. D.W.) Griffith [1884-1949], with a Foreword by Edward Wagenknecht [1901-2004] Dover New Impression pb [6/70] out of print/used Beaufort Books 9½x6½ hardcover [8/72] out of print/used |
The Films of D.W. Griffith
search Amazon for D.W. Griffith videos/DVDs
no browse/Amazon entry for D.W. Griffith
search/watch free online films by D.W. Griffith at Internet Archive
 | "D.W. Griffith: The Years At Biograph" [1970] by Robert M. Henderson Farrar, Straus & Giroux 8½x5½ pb [12/1970] out of print/used Farrar, Straus & Giroux 8x5½ hardcover [12/1970] out of print/50+ used |
 | "The Films of D.W. Griffith" [1975] by Edward Wagenknecht [1901-2004], Foreword by Lillian Gish Crown Publrs PUB pb [1975] out of print/used |
"D.W. Griffith and The Biograph Company" [1985] by Cooper C. Graham
Scarecrow Press 9x6 pb [1/85] out of print/used
author's official website
 | "Thinking In Pictures: Dramatic Structure In D. W. Griffith's Biograph Films" [1987] by Joyce E. Jesionowski
Univ CA Press 9x6 pb [11/89] out of print/used Univ CA Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [11/87] out of print/used |
 | "D.W. Griffith and The Origins of American Narrative Film: The Early Years At Biograph" [1991] by Tom Gunning
Univ Illinois Press 9x6 pb [9/93] for $23.84 Univ Illinois Press 9½x6½ hardcover [4/91] out of print/used |
 | "Eloquent Gestures: The Transformation of Performance Style In The Griffith Biograph Films" [1992] by Roberta E. Pearson
Univ California Press 9x6 pb [11/92] for $26.95 Univ California Press 9½x6½ hardcover [11/92] out of print/used |
 | "The Films of D.W. Griffith" [1993] by Scott Simmon Cambridge Univ Press 9x6 pb [7/93] out of print/used Cambridge Univ Press pb [7/93] out of print/used |
 | "Family Secrets: The Feature Films of D. W. Griffith" [2000] by Michael Allen British Film Institute 9½x6½ hardcover [4/2000] out of print/used |
B.F.I's Griffith Project
D.W. Griffith's credits {over 530 films!} at Internet Movie Database
The Pordenone Silent Film Festival in Sacile, Italy commissioned the British Film Institute to manage 'The Griffith Project' to fully document each and every
one of the 500+ films made by D.W. Griffith from 1907 to 1946. Under the direction of editor Paolo Cherchi Usai, the team published eleven books.
The films are discussed by a number of leading scholars in the field, including Richard Abel, Richard Allen, Ben Brewster, Eileen Bowser, André Gaudreault,
Lee Grieveson, Tom Gunning, Steven Higgins, Lea Jacobs, Joyce Jesionowski, J.B. Kaufman, Charlie Keil, David Mayer, Russell Merritt, Scott Simmon,
Kristin Thompson, Yuri Tsivian, and editor Usai. Amazon shows publication by Palgrave Macmillan, circa 1999-2000 (limited availability), the University
of California, and the British Film Institute.
 | "Rare Films of D.W. Griffith" [2009]
As Actor: Classic Video Streams b&w DVD [8/2009] for $14.99 contains 6 early silent b&w short films: "At The French Ball" [1908], "Crossroads of Life" [1908], "Politicians Love Story" [1908], "Rescued From An Eagle's Nest" [1908], "Her First Adventure" [1909], and "Caught By Wireless" [1909] As Director, Volume 1: Classic Video Streams b&w DVD [8/2009] for $13.49 contains 4 early silent b&w short films & 1 feature: "At The Altar" [1906], "Romance of A Jewess" [1908], "Song of The Shirt" [1908], "Voice of The Violin" [1909], and "Dream Street" [1921 silent feature] As Director, Volume 2: Classic Video Streams b&w DVD [8/2009] for $13.49 contains 9 early silent b&w short films & 1 feature: "Confidence" [1909], "The Golden Louis" [1909], "Her First Biscuits" [1909], "The Joneses Have Amateur Theatricals" [1909], "Lucky Jim" [1909], "Pippa Passes, or, The Song of Conscience" [1909], "Resurrection" [1909], "The Rocky Road" [1910], "Her Terrible Ordeal" [1910], and "Home Sweet Home" [1914 silent feature] starring Lillian Gish & Henry B. Walthall As Director, Volume 3: Classic Video Streams b&w DVD [8/2009] for $14.99 contains 6 early silent b&w short films & 1 feature: "The Cord of Life" [1909], "The Country Doctor" [1909], "The Cricket On The Hearth" [1909], "Fools of Fate" [1909], "What Drink Did" [1909], "Faithful" [1910], and "The Greatest Question" [1919 silent feature] starring Lillian Gish As Director, Volume 4: Classic Video Streams b&w DVD [8/2009] for $14.99 contains 4 early silent b&w short films & 1 feature: "A Calamitous Elopement" [1908], "Betrayed By A Hand- print" [1908], "The Cardinal's Conspiracy" [1909], "A Child of The Ghetto" [1910], and "The White Rose" [1923 silent feature] starring Mae Marsh & Ivor Novello As Director, Volume 5: Classic Video Streams b&w DVD [8/2009] for $14.99 contains 6 early silent b&w short films & 1 feature: "Balked At The Altar" [1908], "Father Gets In The Game" [1908], "Money Mad" [1908], "The Curtain Pole" [1909], "A Drunkard's Reformation" [1909], "The Lure of The Gown" [1909], and "The Idol Dancer" [1920 silent feature] starring Richard Barthelmess |
 |
"Griffith Masterworks 2" box set [2008]
Kino Intl. DVD box set [11/2008] 5 disks for $80.99 contains "The Avenging Conscience" [1914 feature] starring Henry B. Walthall, Spottiswoode Aitken & Blanche Sweet; "Way Down East" [1920 feature] starring Lillian Gish & Richard Barthelmess; "Sally of The Sawdust" [1925 feature] starring Carol Dempster & W.C. Fields; "Abraham Lincoln" [1930 feature] starring Walter Huston; "The Struggle" [1931 feature]; and the PBS documentary "D.W. Griffith: Father of Film" [1993]; plus bonus "Edgar Allen Poe" [Biograph 1909 short] |
 | "Before Hollywood, There Was Fort Lee: Early Moviemaking In New Jersey"
Image Ent. color/b&w DVD [5/2003] for $22.49 includes 40-minute featurette produced by Fort Lee Film Commission in 1964, plus D.W. Griffith's "The New York Hat" [Biograph 1912 short]; "The Wishing Ring" [World Film 1914 feature] adapted & directed by Maurice Tourneur; a half-hour version of Maurice Tourneur's "A Girl's Folly" [World Film 1917]; and portions of "Rescued From The Eagle's Nest" [Edison 1908 short] and D.W. Griffith's "The Curtain Pole" [Biograph 1909 short] |
 | "Griffith Masterworks" box set [2002]
Kino Video b&w DVD box set [12/2002] 7 disks for $89.99 includes "The Birth of A Nation" [1915 feature], "Intolerance" [1916 feature], "Broken Blossoms" [1919 feature], "Orphans of The Storm [1921 feature], and 23 Biograph shorts [1909-13], plus many extras Biograph shorts not duplicated in the "Years of Discovery" box set below are "The Adventures of Dollie" [1908], "The Usurer" [1910]; "The Last Drop of Water" [1911]; "Enoch Arden" [1911]; "The Miser's Heart" [1911]; "The Lesser Evil" [1912]; "Friends" [1912]; and "The Massacre" [1913] |
 | "D.W. Griffith: Years of Discovery, 1909-1913" [22 Biograph shorts; 2002]
Image Ent. b&w DVD [9/2002] 2 disks for $35.99 Biograph shorts not duplicated in the "Griffith Masterworks" box set above are "The Red Man's View" [1909]; "In The Border States" [1910]; "What Shall We Do With Our Old?" [1911]; "For His Son" [1912]; "The Girl and Her Trust" [1912]; "The Female of The Species" [1912]; and "The House of Darkness" [1913] |
"Rescued From The Eagle's Nest" [Edison Jan 1908 short]
Directed by J. Searle Dawley; cinematography by Edwin S. Porter; starring Henry B. Walthall,
with D.W. Griffith as actor; available on Fort Lee DVD (above);
full credits from IMDb
watch "Rescued From The Eagle's Nest" for free [5:04] online at YouTube
Mary Pickford Movies at Biograph
Mary Pickford acted in 84 short films from American Mutoscope & Biograph Co. in 1909 & 1910
{five were released in 1911}; all are directed by D.W. Griffith except as noted
Mary Pickford & D.W. Griffith at Biograph, 1909-1910
At the beginning of 1912, Pickford left I.M.P. and went back to American Mutoscope & Biograph Co.,
making 25 one-reelers and one two-reeler during the year; all but two were directed by D.W. Griffith
Mary Pickford & D.W. Griffith at Biograph, 1912
The Surviving Biograph Shorts
roughly 30 out of approximately 450 made
"The Adventures of Dollie" [12 mins.; July 1908]
Directed by D.W. Griffith (his first); starring Arthur V. Johnson, Linda Arvidson & Gladys Egan
available in "GM" box set only (above); full credits from IMDb
watch [12:28] free online at YouTube
"Those Awful Hats" [3 mins.; Jan 1909]
Written & directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Mack Sennett, Flora Finch, Linda Arvidson,
Robert Harron & Florence Lawrence; available in BOTH box sets (above); full credits from IMDb
"The Curtain Pole" [Feb 1909 short]
Co-written & directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Mack Sennett & Florence Lawrence;
available on Fort Lee DVD (above); full credits from IMDb
"Edgar Allen Poe" [Feb 1909 short]
Co-written & directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Herbert Yost & Linda Arvidson;
available on Masterworks 2 set (above) •
full credits from IMDb •
movie entry at Wikipedia
watch partial movie [11/2014 upload; 6:41] online at Internet Archive
"Lady Helen's Escapade" [8 mins.; April 1909]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Florence Lawrence; listed on National Film Registry (2004) •
full credits from IMDb
"Leather Stocking" silent short [Biograph Sept 1909]
No image found; 11-minute one-reeler short seems to be based on 'Last of The Mohicans' • Produced & directed by D.W. Griffith; written by Stanner E.V. Taylor; cinema-
tography by G.W. 'Billy' Bitzer & Arthur Marvin; starring Owen Moore, George Nichols, Marion Leonard, Linda Arvidson, Mack Sennett •
credits at IMDb
"The Sealed Room" b&w silent short [Biograph Sept 1909]
 |
Based on Balzac's 1831 story "La Grande Bretèche" and Edgar Allan Poe's 1846 story "A Cask of Amontillado"; instead of a cellar room, a nobleman constructs a windowless tower room for his trysts with his wife; when he discovers that she is cavorting there with a court troubadour, he calls his masons and has the room sealed up with them inside.
Directed by D.W. Griffith; script by Frank E. Woods; starring Arthur V. Johnson, Marion Leonard & Henry B. Walthall; minor roles for Mary Pickford, Mack Sennett, Linda Arvidson & Owen Moore
available in BOTH box sets (above) • full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia watch [11:16] free online at Internet Archive |
"The Light That Came" [11 mins; Nov 1909]
Written & directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Ruth Hart & Mary Pickford •
full credits from IMDb
available on "Nickelodia 2": Unknown Video b&w DVD [11/2007] for $19.95
"The Red Man's View" [11 mins.; Dec 1909]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Owen Moore, James Kirkwood, Frank Evans, W. Chrystie Miller,
Alfred Paget, Lottie Pickford, Mack Sennett, Charles West & Dorothy West;
available in "DWGYD" box set only (above); full credits from IMDb
"A Corner In Wheat" [14 mins.; Dec 1909]
When a wealthy mogul corners the wheat market and raises the price of flour, he doesn't consider the impact it will have on those
who cannot afford the increase. It takes an unexpected tragedy for him to realize the consequence of his actions.
Co-written by directed by D.W. Griffith; based on the Frank Norris novel; starring Frank Powell, Grace Henderson,
James Kirkwood, Linda Arvidson, Henry B. Walthall, Mack Sennett & Blanche Sweet; listed on National
Film Registry (1994); available in BOTH box sets (above); full credits from IMDb
"The Unchanging Sea" [13 mins.; May 1910]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Arthur V. Johnson, Linda Arvidson, Gladys Egan, Mary Pickford,
Charles West & Dorothy West; available in BOTH box sets (above); full credits from IMDb
"Ramona: The Story of The White Man's Injustice To The Indian" [17 mins; May 1910]
Co-written & directed by D.W. Griffith; co-written by Stanner E.V. Taylor, based on the 1884 novel by Helen Hunt Jackson;
starring Mary Pickford, Henry B. Walthall, Francis J. Grandon & Kate Bruce; credits at IMDb
watch Griffith's "Ramona" [1910 short] on YouTube
"In The Border States" [17 mins; June 1910]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Charles West, John T. Dillon, Gladys Egan, Frank Evans, Guy Hedlund, Alfred Paget,
Mack Sennett, Henry B. Walthall & Dorothy West; available in "DWGYD" box set (above) &
on "Birth of A Nation" DVD (below); full credits from IMDb
"The Usurer" [18 mins.; Aug 1910]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring George Nichols, Grace Henderson, Mack Sennett, Mary Pickford, Henry B.
Walthall, Claire McDowell, Gladys Egan & Linda Arvidson; available in "GM" box set only (above); full credits from IMDb
"The House With The Closed Shutters" [16 mins.; Aug 1910]
available on "Birth of A Nation" DVD (below); full credits at IMDb
"The Fugitive" [17 mins.; Nov 1910]
available on "Birth of A Nation" DVD (below); full credits at IMDb
"Enoch Arden" [33 mins.; Biograph 1911, Majestic rerelease April 1915]
Directed by Wm. Christy Cabanne; written by, 'supervised by' & starring D.W. Griffith;
also starring Alfred Paget, Lillian Gish & Wallace Reid; available in "GM" box set only (above); full credits from IMDb
the first officially-released two-reeler (rather than each reel being offered separately to distributors)
watch online for free [33:10] at Internet Archive
"Fate's Turning" [17 mins; Jan 1911]
Directed by D.W. Griffith;
full credits from IMDb
available on "Nickelodia 2": Unknown Video b&w DVD [11/2007] for $19.95
"His Trust" [14 mins.; Jan 1911]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Linda Arvidson, Alfred Paget, Lottie Pickford, Mack Sennett,
Charles West & Dorothy West; available in BOTH box sets (above) & on "Birth of A Nation" DVD (below)
full credits from IMDb
"His Trust Fulfilled" [17 mins.; Jan 1911]
available on "Birth of A Nation" DVD (below);
full credits from IMDb
"What Shall We Do With Our Old?" [17 mins.; Feb 1911]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring W. Chrystie Miller, Claire McDowell, Adolph Lestina, Elmer Booth,
Donald Crisp, John T. Dillon, Frank Evans, Guy Hedlund, Alfred Paget, W.C. Robinson & Charles West;
available in "DWGYD" box set only (above); full credits from IMDb
"The Lonedale Operator" [17 mins.; March 1911, rereleased Nov 1915]
Produced & directed D.W. Griffith; written by Mack Sennett; starring Verner Clarges & Blanche Sweet;
preserved by MOMA-NYC and available only on "Treasures From American Film Archives" box set
full credits from IMDb
"A Country Cupid" [18 mins; July 1911]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Blanche Sweet & Edna Foster;
full credits from IMDb
available on "Nickelodia 1": Unknown Video b&w DVD [4/2006] for $19.95
"The Last Drop of Water" [13 mins.; July 1911]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Blanche Sweet, Charles West, Robert Harron, Dell Henderson, Alfred Paget,
Linda Arvidson, Gladys Egan & Guy Hedlund; available in "GM" box set only (above); full credits from IMDb
"Swords and Hearts" [17 mins.; Aug 1911]
available on "Birth of A Nation" DVD (below); full credits at IMDb
"The Adventures of Billy" [18 mins; Oct 1911]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Donald Crisp & Edna Foster;
full credits from IMDb
available on "Nickelodia 1": Unknown Video b&w DVD [4/2006] for $19.95
"The Miser's Heart" [16 mins.; Nov 1911]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Linda Arvidson, Lionel Barrymore, Donald Crisp, Frank Evans, Robert
Harron, Adolph Lestina, Alfred Paget & Blanche Sweet; available in "GM" box set only (above); full credits from IMDb
"The Battle" [19 mins.; Nov 1911]
available on "Birth of A Nation" DVD (below); full credits at IMDb
"For His Son" silent short [Biograph Jan 1912]
 | A doctor develops a special soda pop called Dopokoke which is laced with cocaine; Dopokoke is adver-tised as relief 'for that tired feeling'; the drink is a success, but his son becomes addicted to it, with tragic results. Loosely based on allegations that the Coca-Cola company and other soft drink manufacturers laced their soda with cocaine • Directed by D.W. Griffith; cinematography by G.W. 'Billy' Bitzer; starring Charles West, Blanche Sweet, Charles Hill Mailes, William Bechtel, Christy Cabanne, Edward Dillon, Edna Foster, Robert Harron, Alfred Paget & W.C. Robinson
available on DVD in "DWGYD" box set only (above) with 21 other Griffith/Biograph shorts full credits at IMDb • watch full movie [8/2017 upload; 14.48] online at YouTube |
"The Sunbeam" [15 mins.; Feb 1912]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Ynez Seabury, Kate Bruce, Claire McDowell, Dell Henderson, Christy Cabanne,
John T. Dillon, Gladys Egan, Edna Foster & Adolph Lestina; available in BOTH box sets (above); full credits from IMDb
"The Girl and Her Trust" [17 mins.; March 1912]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Dorothy Bernard, Wilfred Lucas, Edwin August, Christy Cabanne,
Charles Gorman, Robert Harron, Walter Long, Charles Hill Mailes, Alfred Paget, W.C. Robinson & Charles West
available in "DWGYD" box set only (above); full credits from IMDb
"One Is Business, The Other Crime" [15 mins.; April 1912]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Charles West, Dorothy Bernard, Blanche Sweet, Frank Evans,
Robert Harron, Alfred Paget & W.C. Robinson; available in BOTH box sets (above); full credits from IMDb
"The Female of The Species" [17 mins.; April 1912]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Charles West, Claire McDowell, Mary Pickford & Dorothy Bernard
available in "DWGYD" box set only (above); full credits from IMDb
http://www.amazon.com/Biograph-Shorts-Female-Species-VHS/dp/6304192576/
watch [14:25 version] free online at YouTube
"The Lesser Evil" [13 mins.; April 1912]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Blanche Sweet, Edwin August, Mae Marsh, Alfred Paget, Charles Hill Mailes,
Charles West, Charles Gorman & Robert Harron; available in "GM" box set only (above); full credits from IMDb
"A Beast At Bay" [Biograph May 1912] with Mary Pickford
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pR624HTKB4
"A Pueblo Legend" [13 mins.; Aug 1912]
Filmed at the Pueblo of Isleta Tuei in New Mexico; written & directed by D.W. Griffith; starring
Mary Pickford, Wilfred Lucas, Robert Harron, J. Jiquel Lanoe, Charles Hill Mailes & Jack Pickford
print exists only at the Mary Pickford Archive; full credits from IMDb
"An Unseen Enemy" [15 mins.; Sept 1912]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Lillian & Dorothy Gish, Elmer Booth, Robert Harron & Harry Carey;
available in BOTH box sets (above); full credits from IMDb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYsuGFwImAY
"Friends" [13 mins.; Sept 1912]
Written & directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Mary Pickford, Henry B. Walthall, Lionel Barrymore, Harry Carey, Charles
Hill Mailes, Elmer Booth, Frank Evans & Robert Harron; available in "GM" box set only (above); full credits from IMDb
"The Musketeers of Pig Alley" [Biograph Oct 1912]
 | Historic 17-minute silent gangster film; a musician living in a New York City tenement is robbed by the neighborhood gangster, who he recognizes later during a riot. Co-written & directed by D.W. Griffith; co-written by Anita Loos; cinematography by G.W. 'Billy' Bitzer; starring Walter Miller, Lillian Gish, Elmer Booth, Clara T. Bracy, Alfred Paget, Jack Pickford, Robert Harron, Lionel Barrymore, Harry Carey, Donald Crisp, Frank Evans, Dorothy Gish & Antonio Moreno
available in BOTH box sets (above) • full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
watch "The Musketeers of Pig Alley" [1912] free online at Internet Archive
"The Painted Lady" [12 mins.; Oct 1912]
Written & directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Blanche Sweet, Madge Kirby, Lionel Barrymore, Christy Cabanne,
Harry Carey, Gladys Egan, Dorothy & Lillian Gish, Robert Harron, Jack Pickford & Henry B. Walthall
available in BOTH box sets (above); full credits from IMDb
"The Informer" [18 mins.; Nov 1912]
full credits at IMDb
"The New York Hat" [16-min.; Dec 1912]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; written by Frances Marion [1886-1973] & Anita Loos; starring Mary Pickford,
Lionel Barrymore, Dorothy & Lillian Gish, Alfred Paget, Jack Pickford & Robert Harron;
available in BOTH box sets & the Fort Lee DVD (above); full credits from IMDb
"The Burglar's Dilemma" [15 mins.; Dec 1912]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; written by & starring Lionel Barrymore; also starring Henry B. Walthall, Adolph Lestina,
Harry Carey, Frank Evans, Dorothy & Lillian Gish, Robert Harron, Alfred Paget & Charles West;
available in BOTH box sets (above); full credits from IMDb
"The Massacre" [30 mins.; Feb 1913]
Written & directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Wilfred Lucas, Blanche Sweet, Charles West, Alfred Paget,
Lionel Barrymore, Robert Harron, Charles Hill Mailes, Claire McDowell & Jack Pickford;
available in "GM" box set only (above); full credits from IMDb
"The House of Darkness" [17 mins.; May 1913]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Lionel Barrymore, Claire McDowell, Charles Hill Mailes, Lillian Gish,
Christy Cabanne, Robert Harron, Alfred Paget, W.C. Robinson & Henry B. Walthall
available in "DWGYD" box set only (above); full credits from IMDb
"The Mothering Heart" [23 mins.; June 1913]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Walter Miller, Lillian Gish, Charles West, Adolph Lestina, Christy Cabanne, Donald Crisp,
Charles Hill Mailes, Mae Marsh, Alfred Paget & Henry B. Walthall; available in BOTH box sets (above); full credits from IMDb
"Death's Marathon" [15 mins.; June 1913]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Blanche Sweet, Henry B. Walthall, Walter Miller, Lionel Barrymore, Robert Harron,
Adolph Lestina, Charles Hill Mailes & Alfred Paget; available in BOTH box sets (above); full credits from IMDb
"The Battle At Elderbush Gulch" [29 mins.; March 1914]
Co-written & directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Mae Marsh, Alfred Paget, Robert Harron, Lillian Gish,
Charles Hill Mailes, Henry B. Walthall, Lionel Barrymore, Harry Carey, Elmo Lincoln, W.C. Robinson
& Blanche Sweet; available in BOTH box sets (above); full credits from IMDb
"Home Sweet Home [1914 silent feature]
starring Lillian Gish & Henry B. Walthall
"The Birth of A Nation"
[D.W.G./Epoch silent classic Feb 1915]
  | Originally released as "The Clansman", shortly retitled as "The Birth of A Nation"; the film reflects the racist nature of the Dixon book (and of the Reconstruction Era), and was protested by the N.A.A.C.P. & others on re-release in 1922. The full-length version is 190 minutes • The plot follows two families in South Carolina on opposite sides in the U.S. Civil War; later events include recreations of historic Civil War battles, the assassination of President Lincoln, the post-war Reconstruction, and the founding of the Ku Klux Klan • Co-written & directed by D.W. Griffith; based on the 1905 novel & play "The Clansman" by Thomas F. Dixon Jr. [1864-1946]; starring Ralph Lewis, Elmer Clifton, Robert Harron, Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall, Miriam Cooper, Mary Alden, Walter Long, George Siegmann, Wallace Reid, Joseph Henabery {as Abraham Lincoln}, Josephine Crowell, Spottiswoode Aitken, George Beranger, Maxfield Stanley, Jennie Lee, Raoul Walsh {as John Wilkes Booth}, Donald Crisp (as Gen. Grant} & Howard Gaye {as Gen. Lee}; listed on National Film Registry (1992) • full credits from IMDb
Kino Intl. Deluxe Edition 187-minute b&w Blu-ray [11/2011] 3 disks for $24.93 Kino Intl. Deluxe Edition 187-minute b&w DVD [11/2011] 3 disks for $18.36 Big D Films 190-minute silent b&w DVD [5/2009] for $15.08 Image Ent. 187-minute b&w silent DVD [11/98] for $14.91 Desert Island Films 163-minute silent b&w DVD [8/2011] for $12.65 Reel Enterprises 159-minute b&w DVD [11/2006] for $12.95 Triad Prodns 125-minute remastered silent b&w DVD [10/2008] for $14.95 Alpha Video 90-minute silent b&w DVD [4/2005] for $7.71 Kino Video 165-minute b&w silent VHS [12/2002] 2 tapes for $24.95 Republic Pictures 165-minute b&w silent VHS [9/94] 2 tapes for $9.69 "The Clansman" 11"x17" poster available at Amazon |
 | "D.W. Griffith's Film The Birth of A Nation: The Film That Transformed America" [2006] by Michael R. Hurwitz BookSurge Publng 7¾x5¼ pb [9/2006] for $13.99 |
 | "D.W. Griffith's The Birth of A Nation: A History of The Most Controversial Motion Picture of All Time" [2007] by Melvyn Stokes
Oxford Univ Press 9¼x6 pb [12/2007] for $24.95 Oxford Univ Press 9x6 hardcover [12/2007] for $99.00 |
 | "The Birth of A Nation: How A Legendary Filmmaker and A Crusading Editor Reignited America's Civil War" [2014] by Dick Lehr The fiery story of Monroe Trotter’s titanic crusade to have Griffith's pro-K.K.K. film censored; Trotter's methods of peaceful protest became a model for dissent during the 1950s and 1960s civil rights movement. Kindle Edition from PublicAffairs [11/2014] for $17.99 PublicAffairs 9½x6½ hardcover [11/2014] for $20.33 |
more details (synopsis, books, posters, links) on
Magic Lantern's "The Birth of A Nation" 1915 Movie Page
"Daphne and The Pirate"
[Triangle/Fine Arts March 1916]
 | Directed by {William} Christy Cabanne; written by D.W. Griffith {as Granville Warwick}; starring Lillian Gish, Elliott Dexter, Walter Long, Howard Gaye, Lucille Young, Richard Cummings, Jack Cosgrave
VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • credits at IMDb |
"Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout The Ages"
[Triangle silent classic Sept 1916]
 | Also entitled "Intolerance: A Sun Play of The Ages"; four tales of intolerance by Mankind: religious rivalry in ancient Babylon; the tale of Christ in Roman-occupied Judea; Catholic vs. Huguenot in 1572 France; and in modern America — the massacre of workers at the beginning of the movie was modeled after the 1914 Ludlow massacre in Colorado and a portion of the film was shaped by the poem "Out of The Cradle Endlessly Rocking" by Walt Whitman, with the title and some lines used as intertitles • Produced, co-written, directed & edited by D.W. Griffith; starring Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Robert Harron, Howard Gaye, Lillian Langdon, Olga Grey, Margery Wilson, Eugene Pallette, Spottiswoode Aitken & Constance Talmadge; listed on National Film Registry (1989) NOTE: Griffith protogee Erich von Stroheim worked as an assistant director (on the many crowd scenes) and the reports that he also acted several roles are not true
Kino Video 197-min. b&w DVD [10/2002] for $26.99 Alpha Video 163-min. b&w DVD [10/2003] for $6.98 Kino Video 197-min. b&w VHS [6/2000] 2 tapes - out of prodn/used HBO Masterpiece 175-min. b&w VHS [10/91] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
 | "D.W. Griffith's Intolerance: Its Genesis & Its Vision" [1986] by William M. Drew McFarland & Co. 9x6 pb [9/2001] for $29.95 McFarland & Co. 9½x6¼ hardcover [4/86] out of print/used |
"Hearts of The World" [Paramount March 1918]
  | "The sweetest love story ever told" • "A romance of the Great War" • "D.W. Griffith's supreme triumph" • Filmed in England & France & Hollywood; a group of youngsters grow up and fall in love in a peaceful French village; the German army invades and occupies the village, bringing both destruction and torture; the young people of the village resist, some successfully, others tragically, until French troops retake the town • Produced, written & directed by D.W. Griffith; cinematography by G.W. Bitzer (refused visa to France due to German ancestry), Alfred Machin & Hendrik Sartov; starring Lillian Gish, Robert Harron, Adolph Lestina, Josephine Crowell, Jack Cosgrave, Kate Bruce, Ben Alexander, Marion Emmons, Francis Marion, Dorothy Gish, Robert Anderson, George Fawcett, George Siegmann, Fay Holderness, L. Lowry, Eugene Pouyet, Anna Mae Walthall, Yvette Duvoisin, Herbert Sutch, George Nichols, Mary Gish, Mary Hay, Erich von Stroheim, Noël Coward, Bettie Mae Clarke, Mae Clarke, Elizabeth Asquith, Walter Bytell, Alphonse Dufort, Jean Dumercier, Louise Emmons, Valerie Germonprez, John Harron, Mary Harron, Mrs. Harron, Tessie Harron, Lady Lavery, Jules Lemontier, Georges Loyer, Diana Manners, Gaston Riviere, Bettina Stuart-Wortley, British politician Edward Grey (archive footage), French Premier René Viviani (archive footage), British Prime Minister David Lloyd George (in prologue for British release)
Alpha Video b&w silent DVD [3/2014] for $5.98 ReelClassicDVD b&w silent DVD-R [9/2017] for $19.95 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia • 24"x36" blue poster from Amazon for $30.97 watch full movie [12/2013 upload; 1:53:49] online at Internet Archive |
![early screen logo for United Artists Pictures [est. 1919]](images/UnitedArtists-curlylogo.jpg "early screen logo for United Artists Pictures [est. 1919]")
United Artists Pictures was founded in February 1919 by screen stars Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks,
director D.W. Griffith, and lawyer William Gibbs McAdoo so that they could have more artistic control over their movies.
"Broken Blossoms, or The Yellow Man & The Girl"
[Paramount May 1919]
full credits from IMDb; listed on National Film Registry (1996)
"The Greatest Question" [1919 silent feature]
starring Lillian Gish
"The Idol Dancer" [1920 silent feature]
starring Richard Barthelmess
"Way Down East" [United Artists Sept 1920]
based on the 1857 novel "Way Down East" by Seba Smith
full credits from IMDb
"Dream Street" [United Artists April 1921]
full credits from IMDb
"Orphans of the Storm" [United Artists Dec 1921]
full credits from IMDb
 |
"Orphans of The Storm: A Complete Novel From D.W. Griffith's Epic On The Immortal Theme of The Two Orphans" [1922] by Henry MacMahon Read Books 6¾x4¾ pb [1/2008] for $26.99 Kessinger Publng 9x6 pb [9/2007] for $18.96 |
"The White Rose" [1923 silent feature]
starring Mae Marsh & Ivor Novello
"America" [United Artists Feb 1924]
full credits from IMDb
 |
"America or The Sacrifice: A Romance of The American Revolution" [Photoplay 1924] by Robert W. Chambers, with illustrations from the D.W. Griffith film Grosset & Dunlap hardcover [1/1924] out of print/used |
"Isn't Life Wonderful" [United Artists Nov 1924]
full credits from IMDb
"Sally of The Sawdust" feature [Paramount Aug 1925]
starring Carol Dempster & W.C. Fields; full credits from IMDb
"That Royle Girl" [Paramount Dec 1925]
starring Carol Dempster, W.C. Fields, Harrison Ford, Paul Everton, Kathleen Chambers & James Kirkwood
video/DVD not available {this silent film is considered lost}; full credits from IMDb
"The Battle of The Sexes" [United Artists Oct 1928]
full credits from IMDb
"Lady of The Pavements" [United Artists Jan 1929]
with Lupe Velez and William Boyd;
full credits from IMDb
"D.W. Griffith's Abraham Lincoln" feature [United Artists Aug 1930]
Co-produced & directed by D.W. Griffith; co-written by Stephen Vincent Benet;
starring Walter Huston;
full credits from IMDb
"The technique of sound inspired Griffith to new sensations [in 'Abraham Lincoln']"
— per critic Richard Brody, New Yorker Magazine
"The Struggle" [United Artists Dec 1931]
full credits from IMDb
"San Francisco" [M.G.M. June 1936]
Directed by W.S. Van Dyke; starring Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, Spencer Tracy & Jack Holt,
with a cameo by D.W. Griffith {as the orchestra conductor};
full credits from IMDb
"One Million B.C." [United Artists/Hal Roach April 1940]
Co-produced by Hal Roach & D.W. Griffith; co-directed by Hal Roach & Hal Roach Jr.;
starring Victor Mature, Carole Landis & Lon Chaney Jr.;
full credits from IMDb
Works About D.W. Griffith
 | "American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, The Birth of Hollywood & The Crime of The Century" [2008] by Howard Blum Anarchists bombed the Los Angeles Times offices on 1 October 1910; 21 employees died and a hundred were injured; the press dubbed the bombing 'The Crime of The Century'. The city hired legendary former Secret Service agent William J. Burns to investigate, and he soon had the McNamara brothers in jail. The defense hired attorney Clarence Darrow, who realized that the two men were provably guilty, and the men pled guilty and were sent to prison; the reporting of the trial was a national sensation. The author makes a case that film director David Wark Griffith, newly arrived in the outpost of Hollywood, perceived great drama in the bombing and trial and used elements of the story in his 1915 epic "The Birth of A Nation". Three Rivers Press 8x5 pb [10/2009] for $10.20 Crown 9¼x6 hardcover [9/2008] for $16.47 |
Family & Friends & Partners
David Wark Griffith was born in 1875 in Kentucky; he died at age 73 in Hollywood, California in 1948.
first wife actress Linda Arvidson Griffith [1884-1949] - married 1906, divorced 1936
Linda Arvidson's credits [1907-16] on IMDb •
Linda Arvidson entry at Wikipedia
second wife Evelyn Baldwin Griffith Kunze [1910-2004] - married 1936, divorced 1947
Evelyn Baldwin's single movie credit on IMDb •
there is no Wkipedia entry for Evelyn Baldwin
cinematographer G.W. 'Billy' Bitzer [1872-1944]
Billy Bitzer's credits [1896-1933] on IMDb •
Billy Bitzer entry at Wikipedia
The founders of United Artists Pictures in February 1919 were Douglas Fairbanks, D.W. Griffith,
Mary Pickford (Mrs. Fairbanks), Charlie Chaplin, and lawyer William Gibbs McAdoo.
D.W. Griffith Links
D.W. Griffith entry at Wikipedia
D.W. Griffith's credits {over 530 films!} at Internet Movie Database
no browse/Amazon DVDs entry for D.W. Griffith
search Amazon for D.W. Griffith videos/DVDs {returns almost 200 items}
United Artists Pictures Section of Magic Lantern's M.G.M. Studios Page
BR's D.W. Griffith fansite
historic El Rancho Hotel [est. 1937] in Downtown Gallup, New Mexico
Online sales in association with 
Current Filmmakers |
XXth Century Directors |
Early Filmmakers
Favorite Films (and Why) |
Film Genres |
History of Cinema
Movie Stars & Unknowns |
Movies: Great & Unsung
Film Festivals & Orgns |
Reference & Technical |
Film Businesses Page
top of this page · back to Magic Lantern homepage