Way Down East (September 3 1920 USA)

Way Down East (September 3 1920 USA)

D.W. Griffith Writers: Lottie Blair Parker (from the play by) William A. Brady (play) Lillian Gish ... Anna Moore Richard Barthelmess ... David Bartlett Mrs. David Landau ... Anna Moore's Mother Lowell Sherman ... Lennox Sanderson Burr McIntosh ... Squire Bartlett Josephine Bernard ... Mrs. Emma Tremont Mrs. Morgan Belmont ... Diana Tremont Patricia Fruen ... Diana's Sister Florence Short ... The Eccentric Aunt Kate Bruce ... Mrs. Bartlett Vivia Ogden ... Martha Perkins Porter Strong ... Seth Holcomb George Neville ... Constable Rube Whipple Edgar Nelson ... Hi Holler Mary Hay ... Kate Brewster - the Squire's Niece Creighton Hale ... Professor Sterling Emily Fitzroy ... Maria Poole - Landlady Filming Locations: Farmington, Connecticut, USA (Ice floe scenes) Mamaroneck, New York, USA White River Junction, Vermont, USA Orient Point, Long Island, New York, USA Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA The scenes on the ice floes were not only very dangerous to film, but for Lillian Gish, they had lasting ill effects. Until the day she died, her right hand was somewhat impaired due to the extended filming where her hand was in the icy water. During the filming of the ice floe scenes, a fire had to be built underneath G.W. Bitzer's camera in order to keep it warm enough to run. According to G.W. Bitzer, D.W. Griffith was frostbitten on one side of his face during the shooting, and it bothered him the rest of his life. While there is a lot of inter-cutting in the editing, the basic ice floe scenes were filmed in White River Junction (Hartford Village), Vermont during the late winter. Included among the '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die', edited by Steven Jay Schneider.

"The farm scenes and the interior scenes were filmed on the studio lot. We filmed the baptism of Anna's child at night in a corner of the studio, with the baby's real father looking on. Anna is alone; the doctor has given up hope for her child. She resolves to baptize the infant herself. The baby was asleep and, as we didn't want to wake him, I barely wihspered the words "In the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Ghost ..." as I touched the tiny temples.
There was only the sound of the turning camera. Then I heard a thud. The baby's father had slumped to the floor in a faint. D.W. was crying. He waved his hand in front of his face to signify that he couldn't talk. When he regained control of himself, he took me in his arms and said simply, "Thank you.""
"The Movies, Mr.Griffith and Me" - Lillian Gish /Ann Pinchot

















































































































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