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=> Film - Judith of Bethulia (1914)

Film - Judith of Bethulia (1914)

Posted by Ado (Guest) - Saturday, March 18 2006, 22:22:06 (CET)
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I remember watching this after seeing D.W. Grifith's "Birth of a Nation" in school. My teacher had pointed out that Robert Harron was picked for the part of the Warrior because he was of middle eastern decent, possibly being Assyrian is what attracted Grifith to him. His bio lists him being born in NY as an Irish Roman Catholic.

Pretty cool silent flick and the very first mention of Assyrian in film, you can find a copy of it on VHS for about $25.00.

SYNOPSIS:

Judith, an attractive widow (Blanche Sweet) of ancient Bethulia, undertakes a mission to kill the Assyrian conqueror (Henry B. Walthall), who has brutally oppressed her people. She disguises herself as a harlot and yields up her honor in order to have her chance at vengeance. Silent film maestro D.W. Griffith directed, combining this plot with the parallel story of a warrior (Robert Harron) and his damsel in distress (Mae Marsh), using a cross-cutting of concurrent narrative that works as an early predecessor to INTOLERANCE. Lionel Barrymore and Lillian and Dorothy Gish appear in the background throughout the film in various bit parts.

While a little on the stately and slow side, JUDITH is a fascinating chunk of cinema history. Griffith made this expensive four-reel epic as his answer to the full-length features that were coming over from Europe at the time, particularly QUO VADIS (1912). His employers at Biograph were so outraged at the expense and length of the film that they prompted Griffith to quit and start working as a free agent for Mutual. His landmark BIRTH OF A NATION would soon follow. Biograph would gradually go out of business.

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