Numerootno
A story that's too fascinating to pass by...
Aneesa Wardle
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
Marva-nova
Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.
guisreis
Great movie by the pioneer D.W. Griffith. It is beautifully filmed (including the quite realistic boxing footage) and has really amazing performances by Donald Crisp as the violent alcoholic misogynist boxer Battling Burrows and Lillian Gish as her suffering daughter Lucy (white Richard Barthelmess, though, does not convince so much as the "yellow man" from China). Although with a naive idea of an always peaceful Eastern spirit, it denounces xenophobia and - very curiously - racism. Besides that, by portraying domestic violence it also denounces misogyny. The story begins in a slow pace showing the contrast between calm Chinese people and brute Western sailors. Years after the "yellow man" comes to London slums, he knows a charming girl whose life is a hell, as her father alternates between boxing, drinking in the bar, and beating her at home. Then, what had began monotonously is turned into a storm. I have not watched "Intolerance" yet, but this is my favorite film by Griffith, author of infamous "The birth of a nation", by far (I have also watched "A Corner in Wheat").
agndubec
Another Griffith's melodrama! It was so hard to get to the end that full of madness film. Even, if its director made lots of interesting films, masterpieces, this, was completely not worth it. Storyline is quite poor. F.e we don't know much about main character's mother. All we can see, is pathology in family. And at the end of film we don't exactly know the reason why the girl ends like that. Also acting is terrible! Especcialy the moves of Donald Crisp are so so cheap or even weird. Lillian Gish is OK, but she is always sad so we can't rate her acting at all. And of course 'the Chinese Guy' who isn't even Asian- he don't shows us nothing special. I saw also, a few completely unnecessary shots- film was too long. ,,Broken Blossoms'' action moves on in the end, in the beginning there was nothing but cruelness. The last thing that shocked me.. main sick love of 20 (or more) year old guy to girl who was a innocent child- the way he looked at her was awful..
gavin6942
An intimate portrait of Cheng Huan (Richard Barthelmess), a kind hearted Chinese man, and his love for a poor abused girl named Lucy Burrows (Lillian Gish), as well as the brutality of Battling Burrows, a sadistic prizefighter.The visual style of Broken Blossoms emphasizes the seedy Limehouse streets with their dark shadows, drug addicts and drunkards, contrasting them with the beauty of Cheng and Lucy's innocent attachment as expressed by Cheng's decorative apartment. Conversely, the Burrows' bare cell reeks of oppression and hostility. Film critic and historian Richard Schickel goes so far as to credit this gritty realism with inspiring "the likes of Pabst, Stiller, von Sternberg, and others".I found the expression of Chinese thought to be remarkable. At a time when Americans feared the "yellow peril", this paints the Chinese as peaceful and loving, in contrast with a violent America. Cheng is like a saint or martyr, taking his convictions as far as they can be taken.The "closet scene" is the most discussed part of the film, and Gish's performance as "a tortured animal" in this claustrophobic space is what makes the film memorable, and even considered by some to have horror elements. Ivan Butler, for example, claims the scene "produces an overwhelming effect of claustrophobic terror".Historically, the film is also important because it became the first film released by United Artists, the production company formed in 1919 by Mary Pickford, Charles Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith. As any student of film knows, this company is going strong today (2010).I absolutely recommend this film to anyone who appreciates silent film. In an age dominated by German directors (Murnau, Lang, Wiese) and their Expressionist tendencies, this is a breath of fresh air.
devonb186
The silent film, Broken Blossoms, is a very intriguing film. The first thing I noticed was the beautiful setting in China. It drew my attention into the movie. I really liked how simple and happy the people seemed to be. As I continued to watch the movie I noticed the controversial themes taking place, especially for that time period. Drugs, alcohol, child abuse, and interracial romance caused many conflicts for the main character, Lucy. This was interesting because even in movies today we see these same controversies. I enjoyed the different sets that the directors used. The small sets with minimal camera movement really worked well with this story. The dyed film strips really helped to add effect. The ending was very surprising and I did not see it coming at all. I couldn't believe somebody that was so religious would shoot a man. This movie was quite enjoyable.
