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D.W.  Griffith

Great Films Before
The Academy Awards

History of Cinema Page

            portrait of David Wark (D.W.) Griffith [1875-1948]            on this page:

short profile

Films of D.W. Griffith
Biograph shorts

Autobiography

Works About D.W. Griffith

Links


D.W. Griffith entry at Wikipedia

D.W. Griffith's credits {over 530 films!} at Internet Movie Database

D.W. Griffith poster catalog at AllPosters.com


won Honorary Oscar in 1936     D.W. Griffith won an Honorary Oscar® in 1936

He also won
the D.G.A. Honorary Life Member Award (1938)
and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame




Autobiography

Autobiography of D. W. Griffith   "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 autobiography   "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
credits on IMDb, 1896-1933Billy Bitzer entry at Wikipedia
Lillian Gish autobiography  
"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]   "When The Movies Were Young" [E.P. Dutton 1925]
by Linda Arvidson (Mrs. D.W.) Griffith [1884-1949]

Dover New Impression pb [6/70] out of print/used
Beaufort Books 9½x6½ hardcover [8/72] for $19.95
credits on IMDb, 1907-16



The  Films  of  D.W.  Griffith

explore videos/DVDs of D.W. Griffith

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Feature Films of D. W. Griffith  
"Family Secrets: The Feature Films of D. W. Griffith" [2000]
by Michael Allen

British Film Institute 9½x6½ hardcover [4/2000] out of print/used
Films of D.W. Griffith   "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
Thinking in Pictures   "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

Griffith Masterworks DVD box set   "Griffith Masterworks" box set [2002]
Kino Video b&w DVD [12/2002] 7 disks for $89.99
includes "The Birth of A Nation" [1915], "Intolerance" [1916], "Broken Blossoms" [1919], "Orphans of The Storm [1921], 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 DVD box set  
"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]


The  Surviving  Biograph  Shorts
30 out of approximately 450 made

"The Adventures of Dollie" [12 mins.; July 1908]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Arthur V. Johnson, Linda Arvidson & Gladys Egan
available in "GM" box set only (above); full credits from IMDb

"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

"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

"The Sealed Room" [11 mins.; Sept 1909]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Arthur V. Johnson, Marion Leonard, Henry B. Walthall, Linda Arvidson,
Mary Pickford & Mack Sennett; available in BOTH box sets (above); full credits from IMDb

"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]
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

"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 only (above); 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

"Enoch Arden" [33 mins.; 1911, rereleased April 1915]
Directed by Wm. Christy Cabanne; written by & starring D.W. Griffith; also starring Alfred Paget,
Lillian Gish & Wallace Reid; available in "GM" box set only (above); full credits from IMDb

"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); 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 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

"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

"For His Son" [Jan 1912]
Directed by D.W. Griffith; starring Charles Hill Mailes, Charles West, Blanche Sweet, William Bechtel,
Christy Cabanne, Edward Dillon, Edna Foster, Robert Harron, Alfred Paget & W.C. Robinson
available in "DWGYD" box set only (above); full credits from IMDb

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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" [18 mins.; Oct 1912]
Co-written & directed by D.W. Griffith; co-written by Anita Loos; starring Elmer Booth, Lillian Gish, Alfred Paget, Harry
Carey, Robert Harron, Jack Pickford, Lionel Barrymore, Christy Cabanne, Donald Crisp, Frank Evans & Dorothy Gish
available in BOTH box sets (above); full credits from IMDb

"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 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 (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

"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 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

"The  Birth  of  A  Nation"
[D.W.G./Epoch silent classic Feb 1915]
Griffith's Birth of A Nation 1915 movie poster  
Griffith's Clansman 1915 movie poster  
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 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)
Kino Video b&w silent DVD [8/00] 2 disks for $26.99
the above DVD set includes a 'Making of..' documentary [1992] and 7 short films by D.W. Griffith: "In The Border States" [1910], "The House With The Closed Shutters" [1910], "The Fugitive" [1910], "His Trust"
[1910], "His Trust Fulfilled" [1910], "Swords and Hearts" [1911] and "The Battle" [1911]

Image Ent. b&w silent DVD [11/98] for $17.99
Delta b&w silent DVD [12/2004] for $6.99
Madacy? b&w silent VHS [1/85] 2 tapes for $24.95
Madacy b&w silent VHS [9/97] out of prodn/used
full credits from IMDb
"Birth of A Nation" 11"x17" poster available at AllPosters.com
"The Clansman" 11"x17" poster available at AllPosters.com

movie entry at Wikipedia

Birth of a Nation / The Film That Transformed America  
"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
Birth of A Nation critical text   "The Birth of A Nation: D.W. Griffith, Director" [1994]
critical text by Robert Lang

Rutgers Univ Press 9x6 pb [2/94] for $22.95
Rutgers Univ Press 9¾x6½ pb [2/94] out of print/used
American Racist / Thomas Dixon   "American Racist: The Life and Films of Thomas Dixon" [2004]
by Anthony Slide

Univ Press of KY 9x6 pb [9/2004] for $35.00
Thomas Dixon bio   "Thomas Dixon Jr. and The Birth of Modern America" [2006]
Edited by Michele K. Gillespie & Randal L. Hall

LSU Press 8½x5½ hardcover [4/2006] for $35.22
Birth of A Nation / Controversial Motion Picture   "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 Making of The Birth of A Nation" [Nov 1998 video release]
available on DVD above; full credits from IMDb


"Intolerance:  Love's  Struggle  Throughout  The  Ages"
[Triangle silent classic Sept 1916]
D.W. Griffith's Intolerance movie poster   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. 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)
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
11"x17" poster available at AllPosters.com
D.W. Griffith's Intolerance book  
"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]
full credits from IMDb

"Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man & The Girl"
[Paramount May 1919]
full credits from IMDb; listed on National Film Registry (1996)

"Way Down East"  [United Artists Sept 1920]
full credits from IMDb

"Orphans of the Storm"  [United Artists Dec 1921]
full credits from IMDb

Orphans of The Storm by Henry MacMahon  
"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

"America"  [United Artists Feb 1924]
full credits from IMDb

America or The Sacrifice   "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" [Paramount Aug 1925]
full credits from IMDb

"That  Royle  Girl"  [Paramount Dec 1925]
with W.C. Fields; 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"  [United Artists Aug 1930]
full credits from IMDb

"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

D.W. Griffith: Father of Film TV documentary  
"D.W. Griffith: Father of Film" [PBS TV broadcast March 1993]
Co-produced, co-written & co-directed by Kevin Brownlow & David Gill
H.B.O. Home Video color VHS [3/94] 3 tapes - out of prodn/rare
full credits from IMDb
D.W. Griffith / Early Years At Biograph   "D.W. Griffith and The Origins of American Narrative Film: The Early Years At Biograph" [1991]
by Tom Gunning

Univ IL Press 9x6 pb [9/93] for $24.00
Univ IL Press 9½x6½ hardcover [4/91] out of print/used
D.W. Griffith bio by Richard Schickel   "D.W. Griffith: An American Life" [1984]
by Richard Schickel

Limelight Editions 9x6 pb [7/2004] for $15.30
S&S hardcover [4/84] out of print/used
D.W. Griffith bio by Homer Croy   "Star Maker: The Story of D.W. Griffith, The Great Film Pioneer"
[1959] by Homer Croy

Duell, Sloan & Pearce pb [1/59] out of print/used
D.W. Griffith bio by Iris Barry   "D.W. Griffith: American Film Master" [1940]
by Iris Barry

Museum of Modern Art New York 10½x7½ hardcover [9/2002] for $13.95
Museum of Modern Art New York hardcover [9/2002] for $13.95


D.W.  Griffith  Links

United Artsts Pictures section of Magic Lantern's Studios Pages
BR's D.W. Griffith fansite



Online sales in association with
silent film DVD catalog at Amazon.com   and   D.W. Griffith movies poster catalog at AllPosters [dot] com

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