Review of Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl (1919) by Fernando C — 26 Jan 2008

One of those silent classics I?ve been meaning to cross off the list. D.W. Griffin?s second post-Birth of a Nation project, and a continuation of his reformed view of race relations. Still racially offensive when viewed with modern standards, but rather progressive in the context of its times.

Not a technical triumph the way other silent classics like Metropolis is, the real triumph here is its unusually mature storyline. This probably wouldn?t be as impressive if it had come out in the later 20s, but in 1919 it was a real step forward.