Intolerance

Synopsis

D.W. Griffith had a vision of the movies as the greatest spiritual force the world had ever known. Just one year after the huge success of Birth of a Nation, he was emboldened to prove his faith in the new medium with Intolerance. Four separate stories are interwoven: the fall of Babylon, the death of Christ, the massacre of the Huguenots, and a contemporary (early 20th Century) drama – all crosscut and building with enormous energy to a thrilling chase and finale. Through the juxtaposition of these well known sagas, Griffith joyously makes clear his markedly deterministic view of history, namely that the suffering of innocents makes possible the salvation of the current generation, symbolised by the boy in the modern love story.

"Each story shows how hatred and intolerance, through the ages, have battled against love and charity. Therefore you will find our play turning from one of the four stories to another, as the common theme unfolds in each." – D.W. Griffith