The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-10-21
BROKEN BLOSSOMS" A
TRIUMPH OF MOVIE ART

Wistful Lillian Gish, the fragrant lit
tie white Blossom" has won herself
place with the truly great in her in
depreciation of Broken Blossoms"
Richard Barthelmess, as Chinese poet,
is the Oriental mysticism, with a dimple
in his chin; Donald Crisp as Battling
Burrows is the burial prize fighter to
perfection. But the third that makes
Broken Blossoms" the most marvellous
picture of today is the wording of tho
captions, the tiny touches of real art
that stand for Griffith, the master hand
Have you ever noticed a little dog
that has been kicked about by every
body? 1t shrinks away timid and
afraid, till it almost invites a kick.
Even a kind word flung at it is mis-
trusted, and instead of making it fe-
rocious, the kicks make it more and
more humble. The most the poor little
beast asks is to be left alone, to stink
its unloved like among the unhallowed
hooks where no one will intrude. Grow
cling, humbly, because it was kicked
from puppyhood. expecting no kindness,
demanding nothing. hoping for nothing,
hoping for nothing beyond avoiding
blows, it is perhaps the most unloved
specimn of animal life. Yet sometimes
in this little dogs life there comes a
friend who will hold out a tender hand,
will sooth the wounds left by hard
knocks against merciless world, and
the little dog learns late in life to frisk
and frolic and becomes as other dogs.
Such a little waif is Luck, the un-
asked for daughter of Battling Bur-
rows slave for her fathers whims,
kicked about, mistreated,s she had never
even learned child's natural birth
right, the art of smiling. Yet her father
demands give us smile" So she takes
her two little fingers and stretches her
tiny mouth into set smile and turns
it upon him.
The Chinese poet loves little Lucy. He
has watched her day by day. seen her
yearning for dolls and flowers, and is
afraid to give them to her. And when
Lucy, in her nervousness, spills hot food
on her fathers hand and he whips her
(not on the screen-we are spared bru-
tally by such producer as Grifffth) 1T
is the Chinese poet who gives her the
one kind word that her short life has
known. He ministers to her wounds
and and dresses her in the gorgeous
costumes of his goddess of the east. And
through the night he kneels at the feet
of his little "Cockney Goddess" holding
L,one small grubby hand.
For two days Luck is happy in the
exha1ted love of the Chinese poet. Her
big fight. But prying friend of her
fathers finds her at the home of the
Chinese poet, and tells the brute. When
Battling Burrows comes for his
daughter, Lillian Gish portrays the
most marvellous acting that has even
been registered on the screen. Her ter
ror, childish and pathetic, is actual ter
ror No one will ever see this picture
without thanking a merciful heaven for
the atmosphere in which they spent
their own childhood weakness. The
poet comes too late and finds white
Blossom crushed, flower trodden
on a cruel road; it's sweetness a men,
Org He shoots the brute, and gently
! lifting white Blossom lays her at
| rest on the couch where she spent her
few happy hours. And after whisper
| ing his last prayer to his Chinese god
dess he joins his little wilted blossom in
! that unexplored beyond.
| Broken Blossoms" is not haunting
{, narrowing tragedy. 1t is masterpiece
| handled in manner that leaves you
speechless without tears. without emo.
| ton. You feel that you've seen every
| thing, you love everything, you forgive
| everything. And most of all you wan
4 to join the New York paper that said
| 1--WE feel like running up and dowr
| crying ,'Oh, don't miss it"|'