This is an excerpt from the book Cinema, the Magic Vehicle – A Comprehensive GuideJourney One: 1913–1950In this episode, we explore Broken Blossoms (1919) — one of D.W. Griffith’s most intimate and haunting works. Set in the foggy slums of London’s Limehouse district, the film tells the heartbreaking story of Lucy Burrows (Lillian Gish), a young girl brutalized by her violent father, and Cheng Huan (Richard Barthelmess), a gentle Chinese man who tries to save her from despair.Far removed from the grand scale of Intolerance, Griffith’s Broken Blossoms is a quiet masterpiece of melodrama and visual poetry. With its lyrical lighting, delicate symbolism, and nuanced performances, the film explores the contrast between innocence and cruelty, love and violence, beauty and decay. Gish’s performance — fragile, emotional, and unforgettable — remains one of the defining moments of silent cinema.Based on Cinema, the Magic Vehicle by Jacek Klinowski and Adam Garbicz, this episode reveals how Broken Blossoms helped establish cinema as an art of emotion, atmosphere, and human depth — marking a new chapter in Griffith’s career and the evolution of world film.

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