Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Spoiler-free premise
The story of a poor young woman, separated by prejudice from her husband and baby, is interwoven with tales of intolerance from throughout history.
Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free+
Four stories intercut across history: a modern American couple separated by reformers, the fall of Babylon, Christ's final days, and the 1572 St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in France. Each turns institutional intolerance against private love and survival.
Why it belongs
D.W. Griffith makes parallel editing monumental, accelerating among four eras until sets, crowds, gestures, and narrative pressure become one cinematic argument.
Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case+
Babylonian walls, chariots, strike violence, prison cradles, religious processions, irises, and increasingly rapid crosscutting make simultaneity the spectacle. Its formal audacity coexists with the director's deeply compromised historical legacy.
Major award wins
No verified wins in this six-institution crosswalk.
Awards are reference metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.
Institutional reference ranks
Sight & Sound225IMDb Top 250—AFI 10049
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score
Great Cinema Master List scores
Greatness9.5
Engagement7.2
Ease3.6
English · Not Rated Silent Feature Mood: Challenging & Demanding
