Orphans of the Storm

Released Dec 28, 1921

2h 5m

Drama

List

88%

Tomatometer

17 Reviews

72%

Audience Score

250+ Ratings

When the plague kills their parents, Henriette (Lillian Gish) and her blind adopted sister, Louise (Dorothy Gish), go to Paris in hopes of finding a doctor to restore Louise's sight. As soon as they arrive, Henriette is kidnapped by an amoral aristocrat (Morgan Wallace), but escapes with the help of Chevalier de Vaudrey (Joseph Schildkraut). Louise, meanwhile, is taken in by thieves who force her to beg. As the French Revolution rages all around them, the two sisters struggle to reunite.

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Mabel McElliott

New York Daily News

Orphans of the Storm is real Griffith material, worked up at moments to the point of hysteria, but always interesting. The photography is especially good.

May 17, 2021

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Dorothy Gish is the blind girl, and this step from comedienne roles into a role of unlimited emotional possibilities reveals new capabilities in the less famous of the two Gish girls.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

New York Times

Orphans of the Storm is a stirring, gripping picture.

Mar 25, 2006

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Its historical melodrama about injustice and class struggle is captivating to me because it never loses its sense of epicness during the two and a half hours that it lasts, set in the context of the French Revolution. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 7/10

Aug 24, 2022

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

This 150-minute Storm is often imposing in the scale of its sets and crowds. Yet they are employed over-theatrically, movement blocked within a stationary frame. There is not enough camera movement, and on the other hand too much gesticulatory movement.

Dec 29, 2021

Full Review

Robert E. Sherwood

LIFE

There is scarcely a scene or an effect in the entire production that is not beautiful to look upon, and there is scarcely a moment that is not charged with intense dramatic power.

Oct 6, 2021

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William L

Orphans of the Storm may not be top-tier Griffith, but it does carry many of his distinctive hallmarks - the many close-ups of faces, his integration of personal interpretation of social criticism (here, railing against Bolshevism and autocratic monarchy), and the penchant for extraordinary sets and costumes. Though it can't help but feel as if it takes a bit too much inspiration from A Tale of Two Cities, it's still a realtively wholesome, measured, and well-produced film that has aged far better than Griffith's more controversial output. There is a somewhat strange attempt to integrate some of the slapstick humor that had been gaining popularity since Griffith's more one-note dramas had ceased to maintain their status as sole masters of the American box office, and it doesn't seem to add much to the narrative, instead feeling somewhat out of place. Not a popular classic, but a technical achievement. (3.5/5)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/09/21

Full Review

david l

Orphans of the Storm is inferior in its prolonged and less interesting second act, but the ending is fantastic and the beginning is particularly cinematic and very memorable. The whole film is very well acted by the two Gish sisters, superbly directed by Griffith and filled with memorable plot points, an epic feel to it and splendid sets and costumes.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

s r

1001 movies to see before you die. An overlong melodrama.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

D. W Griffth's ambitious epic is about two orphans who must fend for themselves, especially when one becomes blind. The movie is high in suspense and plot lines, but with skill the director is able to keep things interesting throughout the long running time.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Sprawling epic tale of two sisters during the time of the revolutions in France. In many ways this film rivals the 1939 epic Gone With the Wind: A long film which takes place over several years, kindness in the face of adversity, the passing of established society, and girls becoming women by trials of all sort. Not to mention the lavish costumes, sets, and well weaved story-lines. Based on a mid 19th century French play, this was the fifth adaption to the silent screen - and likely the best. I just wish the doctor had had a larger part in the midst of the maelstrom. There is an intermission about 2/3 of the way into the film, so it could be watched in segments.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Spectacular silent movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

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D.W. Griffith

Director

Lillian Gish

Henriette Girard

Dorothy Gish

Louise Girard

Joseph Schildkraut

Chevalier de Vaudrey

Frank Losee

Count de Linieres

Katherine Emmet

Countess de Linieres

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Synopsis

When the plague kills their parents, Henriette (Lillian Gish) and her blind adopted sister, Louise (Dorothy Gish), go to Paris in hopes of finding a doctor to restore Louise's sight. As soon as they arrive, Henriette is kidnapped by an amoral aristocrat (Morgan Wallace), but escapes with the help of Chevalier de Vaudrey (Joseph Schildkraut). Louise, meanwhile, is taken in by thieves who force her to beg. As the French Revolution rages all around them, the two sisters struggle to reunite.

Director: D.W. Griffith
Screenwriter: D.W. Griffith
Production Co: D.W. Griffith Productions
Genre: Drama
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 28, 1921, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 28, 2016
Runtime: 2h 5m

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