Broken Blossoms (1919)

 D.W. Griffith's "Broken Blossoms"


Based on the 1916 short story, "The Chink and the Child," "Broken Blossoms" demonstrates an interracial love story on screen, one of the first in history. Going from the epics of "The Birth of a Nation" and "Intolerance," D.W. Griffith goes much more intimate with his scope, themes, and sets. 

Lucy Burrows, a young girl who is abused by her alcoholic prizefighting father, is taken in by a kind-hearted Chinese immigrant, named Cheng Huan. His warm and gentle nature is a stark but welcomed contrast to the kind of behavior the poor girl often receives from her father. While resting in the upstairs bedroom of Cheng, one of her father's friends sees her. After the friend informs the father, he ramsacks Cheng's bedroom, takes Lucy back home, and beats her to death. Once Cheng discovers this horror, he kills the father and then kills himself.

This film seems like a continuation of the themes found in "Intolerance," specifically, that of intolerance itself. Because of the brutality and intolerance by the father, a tragic ending befall all characters. However, this films seems to be a 180 degree turn from Griffith's more popular, "The Birth of a Nation." While "Birth" showcased the racist ideas of white being a superior race while non-whites were portrayed as violent and belligerent, this film suggests something completely different. Right from the start, Cheng is shown to be very gentle, while the whites are portrayed as the aggressors. For example, back in China, Cheng sees two white American sailors begin to argue. He intervenes by telling them a message from Buddha, about not doing to others what you do not want done unto you. However, the white Americans do not listen and begin fighting anyway. This portrayal does not alter throughout the film, being more enhanced through Lucy's father, who beats her at the slightest infringement. 

The more extravagent sets Griffith was accostomed to in "The Birth of a Nation" and "Intolerance" are replaced here with small-scale, controlled studio environments. This creates a far more intimate effect that echoes the intimacy of the picture. The sets were constructed and filmed to showcase the two distinct attitudes broadcasted by the lead characters. When Cheng moves to the Chinese docks of London, Griffith casts dark shadows over the decrepit and seedy street. The effect is to emulate the squalor with which Cheng finds himself, as he is surrounded by drug addicts and drunkards. Similarly, Lucy and her father's abode is equally run down. The visual messiness of the home reeks of oppression and hostility. Both locations demonstrate the utter depression and ill fated life that Lucy and Cheng lead. It is only when Cheng takes Lucy to a safe location - the second story bedroom of Cheng's shop - that the visual feeling of their environment changes. In this place of respite from the cruel, harsh world, the two characters are able to experience beauty and love again. To reflect this change, Griffith decorates Cheng's bedroom with an abundance of beautiful decor. The abundance of colorful, decorative items creates a beauty in the visual space. This beauty comes crashing down only when Lucy's father wrecks the apartment out of anger. 




"Broken Blossoms" was met with critical and commercial success. Most audiences were generally very receptive. This seemed surprising, given the 180 degree turn from the racism of "Birth of a Nation" to the racial acceptance of this film. According to the film's star, Lillian Gish, theaters were decorated with flowers, moon lanters, and beautiful Chinese draperies at the premiere. 

The positive depiction of the Chinese people was even more surprising given the rampant anti-Chinese sentiment of America at the time. Many of these anti-Chinese sentiments were peddled by U.S. media, more commonly found in newspapers owned by William Randolf Hearst. Even th short story from which the film is based on seemed to ooze with racism towards the Chinese. In Burke's original story, teh Chinese protagonist is a sordid drifter who frequents opium dens and whorehouses, rather than the Buddhist missionary we see in the film. 

Overall, the film was a success. Griffith's switch to a more intimate story was greatly welcomed by audiences. That being said, a lot of the child abuse in the film left some queezy. What added to this dramatic realism was Lillian Gish's performance. Gish was beginning to take the art of screen acting to new and exciting heights. Her performance stunned viewers. On top of this knockout performance, Griffith crafted scenes and camera movements that aided in telling this intimate tale. 



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