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I borrowed "Intolerance" from the library first, since it's rather pricey, at least compared to my other DVDs. Don't even BOTHER with the cheaper versions. The one put out by Image Entertainment is far superior to them, both in image and sound quality (I know, I got a cheaper one by mistake, then got the Image Entertainment one, just like the library DVD).
It is most spectacularly done. Here are, literally, casts of thousands. The depiction of Babylon is particularly striking. D W Griffith had an actual 300 foot high wall built,and there are enough people around to make Babylon look brought back to life. You really feel as if you are there. Some of the battle scenes are startlingly gory. You can almost taste the pall of smoke hanging over the city. There is a subplot of a young woman with a crush on the king, who goes into battle as an archer just for him, ending tragically. All very well acted. Breathtaking stuff, here, done in the days when there were no special effects or digitized ANYTHING, in the days before actors unions and monolithic studios.
The story of Jesus is equally well done, with some attention to small details. Never before have I seen Jesus look pained at the Pharisees turning away when He greeted them, but they show it here,along with the joy of the newly wed couple when the water is turned to wine, the joy of the forgiven adulteress, and other things. Again, you feel as if you were there, with all the period costumes and authentic looking sets. The acting is also fine here, and the actor chosen to play Jesus is tall, strong looking and carries himself erect, but is neither strikingly handsome nor effeminate of face, so seems more like the "not comely, that man should desire him" Savior spoken of in the Bible. Excellent acting, again.
The modern story is well done, too,with enough plot twists to keep you guessing,and the last few minutes are VERY suspenseful. The characters are easy to relate to. I must admit that Griffith's referring to a young man's incarceration (he WAS framed) as being "intolerated away in a jail" as a bit silly, though.
The story of the Huguenots is well done, too. The royal court is lavishly decorated, which just shows the more plainly the contrast between the opulent royal lifestyles and the way the Huguenots lived, in their very plain, unadorned houses with plain wood chairs instead of velvet cushioned ones. The slaughter of them is heart breaking, with the implied killing of a baby in its grandmother's arms.
Some critics say that not all the stories depicted even SHOW intolerance, but I think they're mistaken. In my opinion, the "modern" story clearly shows the misery brought upon other people by the greed of the "reformer" group, who show blatant intolerance towards people who aren't as "upright" as they are. They are especially opposed to drinking and dancing, and managed to put a stop to both, locally, then open a children's home, where they place the babies and children that they legally snatch from non-upright mothers. The financial needs of the group get so great that their chief benefactor goes to her wealthy brother, who owns an industry, and he cuts ALL wages 10 percent so he can continue to give the group the money they need. This leads to a strike,quite naturally, which is violently put down, leaving some workers dead, and others leave the plant to work elsewhere and slide into poverty. So the intolerance of the "upright" group leaves everyone but them worse off.The story of Jesus,of course, points to the intolerance of the Jewish leaders towards this young, perfect Upstart, and nothing will satisfy them but His death.The Babylonian story shows how the intolerance of one passionate high priest towards others of other religions (including his own king) leads him to treasonously aid and abet a rival king in getting into the city of Babylon and overthrowing it. And the story of the Protestant French Huguenots under an intolerant Catholic king,and queen mother,of course shows their intolerance for the Huguenots, leading to them being slaughtered by the French Catholic soldiers.
It's nearly 3 hours long, but well worth it as terrific,well done escapism and historical drama (which most of it is).
| Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
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October 20, 2022 "Please retry" | — | 1 | $8.44 | $4.47 |
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February 24, 1918 "Please retry" | 1st | 1 | $9.95 | — |
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July 15, 2015 "Please retry" | — | 1 | $9.78 | — |
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Top reviews from other countries
Zita Cardosa
Bought for a friend. She loved it
Reviewed in Canada on March 18, 2023
山國閑遯 [iwao masa]
「新不寛容の時代」に鑑となる作品！ [コスミック出版／CCP-255]
Reviewed in Japan on August 25, 2020
