Intolerance is a silent film directed by D.W. Griffith in 1916. The film, considered one of the great masterpieces of the Silent Era, was made in response to critics, who claimed that Griffith's 1915 epic The Birth of a Nation was racist. A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ... David Lewelyn Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 - July 23, 1948) was an American film director (commonly known as D. W. Griffith) probably best known for his film The Birth of a Nation. ... 1916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... 1915 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Birth of a Nation is a controversial, if highly influential and popular silent film directed by D.W. Griffith, based on the play The Clansman and the book The Leopards Spots both by Thomas Dixon. ... An African-American drinks out of a water cooler designated for use by colored patrons in 1939 at a streetcar terminal in Oklahoma City. ...

One of the most spectacular films of all time, Intolerance was a colossal undertaking filled with monumental sets, lavish period costumes, and requiring more than 3,000 extras. The film consisted of four distinct but parallel stories that demonstrated mankind's intolerance during four different ages in world history. The timeline covered approximately 2,500 years, beginning with:

A scene from the Babylon segment

1. The "Babylonian" period (539 BC) depicts the fall of Babylon as a result of intolerance arising from a conflict between devotees of different Babylonian gods.
2. The "Judean" era (circa 27 AD) recounts how intolerance led to the crucifixion of Jesus.
3. The French Renaissance (1572) tells of the failure of the Edict of Toleration that led to the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre.
4. Modern America (1914) demonstrates how crime, moral puritanism, and conflicts between ruthless capitalists and striking workers helped ruin the lives of Americans.

These stories are not told separately. Instead the film constantly cuts between them, setting up moral and psychological connections among the different stories. As the four stories progress toward their climaxes, the cuts become more rapid. Breaks between the differing time-periods are marked by the symbolic image of a mother rocking a cradle, representing the passing of generations. Still from Intolerance by D. W. Griffith, a 1916 silent film. ... Still from Intolerance by D. W. Griffith, a 1916 silent film. ... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 580s BC - 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC - 490s BC - 480s BC Events and Trends 538 BC - Babylon occupied by Jews transported to Babylon are allowed to return to... Babylon (Confusion) is a later name given to the city of Babel. ... Centuries: 1st century BC - 1st century - 2nd century Decades: 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC 0s 10s - 20s - 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s Years: 22 23 24 25 26 - 27 - 28 29 30 31 32 Events The Emperor Tiberius retires to Capri, leaving the praetorian prefect Sejanus in charge of... Religious depictions of the crucifixion of Jesus typically show him supported by nails through the palms. ... This 11th-century portrait is one of many images of Jesus in which a halo with a cross is used. ... Events January 16 - Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk is tried for treason for his part in the Ridolfi plot to restore Catholicism in England. ... The Edict of Toleration, better known as the Edict of Saint-Germain from the chateau where it was promulgated, was issued by Catherine de Medici in January 1562. ... The St. ... 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

One of the unusual characteristics of the film is that none of the characters have names. Griffiths wished them to be emblematic of human types. Thus, the central female character in the modern story is called The Dear One. Her young husband is called The Boy, and the leader of the local mafia is called The Musketeer of the Slums. An emblem consists of a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept - often a concept of a moral truth or an allegory. ...

Actual costs to produce Intolerance are unknown, but best estimates are close to $2 million (around $33 million in today's dollars), an astronomical sum in 1916. The movie was by far the most expensive made at that point. When the movie became a flop at the box-office, the burden was so great that Griffith's famed Triangle Studios went bankrupt.

• Directed and written by D.W. Griffith
• Assistant directors: Allan Dwan, Erich von Stroheim, Christy Cabanne, Tod Browning, Jack Conway, Victor Fleming, W.S. Van Dyke, Elmer Clifton, Monte Blue, Mike Siebert, George Siegmann
• Cinematography: G.W. Bitzer and Karl Brown
• Editing: James and Rose Smith
• Original running time: approximately 8 hours
• Average running time of currently available copies: just under 3 hours

The cast was enormous and included: Allan Dwan (April 3, 1885 – December 21, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer and screenwriter. ... Erich Von Stroheim (September 22, 1885 - May 12, 1957) was a filmmaker and actor, noted for his arrogant Teutonic character parts. ... Charles Albert Browning, Jr. ... For the Arkansas lawyer and judge Victor A. Fleming, see Vic Fleming. ... Woodbridge Woody Strong Van Dyke II (March 21, 1889 - February 5, 1943) was an American film director. ...

• Douglas Fairbanks
• Lillian Gish
• Sam De Grasse
• Mildred Harris
• Harold Lockwood
• Wilfred Lucas
• Mae Marsh
• Owen Moore
• Wallace Reid
• Constance Talmadge
• Natalie Talmadge
• Tully Marshall

The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. Douglas Fairbanks (May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer, who became noted for his swashbuckling roles in silent movies such as The Mark of Zorro (1920), The Three Musketeers (1921), Robin Hood (1922), The Thief of Bagdad (1924) and The Black Pirate (1926). ... Lillian Gish Lillian de Guiche (October 14, 1893 - February 27, 1993), was an American actress. ... Samuel Alfred De Grace (June 12, 1875 - November 29, 1953) was a Canadian actor. ... Mildred Harris (November 29, 1901 - July 20, 1944) was a notable actress of the silent screen era and first wife of acting legend Charlie Chaplin. ... Harold Lockwood Harold Lockwood (born April 12, 1887 in Newark, New Jersey - died October 19, 1918 in New York City, New York) was one of the most popular original silent film actors and matinee idols of the early film period during the 1910s. ... Wilfred Lucas, born January 30, 1871 in the Province of Ontario, Canada - died December 5, 1940 in Los Angeles, California, United States, was a stage and film actor, a film director, and a screenwriter. ... Owen Moore ( December 12, 1886 - June 9, 1939) was born in Fordstown Crossroads, County Meath, Ireland. ... Wallace Reid Wallace Reid, born April 15, 1891 in St. ... Constance Talmadge (April 19, 1897?-November 23, 1973) was a silent movie star born in Brooklyn, New York, USA, and was the sister of fellow actor Norma Talmadge. ... Tully Marshall was a film actor with an over sixty-year career in film. ... The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress. ...

A detailed account of the film’s making is told in the William M. Drew 1986 book titled D.W.Griffith's Intolerance: Its Genesis and Its Vision.

External links

• Intolerance: Love's Struggle Through the Ages at the Internet Movie Database
• Summary and discussion of the movie at Filmsite.org, a website about classical American movies