I was surprised that Griffith had made such a sensitive film nearly 100 years ago, which was very different from his "Birth of a Country" style. I am also surprised. I have never heard of this film before. I think the achievement and importance of this film may be underestimated.
First of all, in the performance of the actors, the male protagonist Barthelmess has actually achieved the similarity to the Chinese to a large extent. Although he still can't get rid of the performance characteristics (such as staged and pretentious) that are exclusive to that era, he is performing characters. In terms of character and heart, he has achieved a lot of achievements that actors could not achieve during the silent film period. Not to mention the heroine Lillian, she uses English to describe her beauty, exquisitely fragile, ethereal beauty In fact, it is quite similar to her own tragic experience. Her smile that needs the help of two fingers to pinch it out must be deeply imprinted in the hearts of many people.
Secondly, I think the cultural wonders created by the integration of the so-called Chinese, Indian Asan, and British sailors are not the focus of this film. The most important thing is the theme of this film-"ideal". The yellow man traveled across the oceans with the desire to promote Buddhism and to prosper all living beings. As a result, reality shattered his ideals. He could only seek some comfort in the opium kiln, and then hid in his own small broken grocery store to keep his ideals Shelved it. Until I met poor Lucy, the beauty, innocence, and tenderness exuding all over her rekindled his thirst for beauty and ideals. He loved her and treated her in every possible way, but he was afraid that all this was just a mirror, so he used almost to worship a shrine. The way, keeping a distance and loving her silently. But sadly, in the end, Lucy passed away, and his poor dream could not withstand another heavy blow. Amid the sound of the horn of the ship, he ended his life, and the ethereal soul may be far away with the sail. Quiet East.
The reason why Griffith wanted to portray the Chinese as the incarnation of noble and dreams may be due to his fantasy of the East, and based on the abstract theme of "ideal", he merged and collided Eastern and Western cultures, and produced strange effects. , Is indeed a bold move. On the screen at the time, a white man and a Chinese man in a small hat stared at each other affectionately. This scene must be amazing. Perhaps in that era, people were indeed brave and willing to talk about their ideals. If such a film is made today, will it be able to reach the height of the time? In our time, ideals have become contemptible objects.
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