Just brilliant. Two lead performances are truly exceptional. Ending is probably one of the best I've ever seen. Easily among the best from this era.

Griffith's desire to make an epic out of this, as described by another review, does take away from what could have been a great historical melodrama, feeling stretched at times despite the grand scope. Everything else about it is very well made, even more so in that the director went out of his way to make a film set in France and using the French Revolution to look at issues of class. Also with Lillian Gish, this is the first time a silent film actress has stuck out for me in terms of presence.

Black and white, silent and very long. This is great story telling. Full of interesting characters and set in a dramatic historical context.

Griffith is just a master of visual storytelling. This film flows so well, alternating moments of tension with moments of excitement with moments of pathos and so on. The last 45 minutes or so are a frenetic mix of all these elements, bringing the film to a satisfying, if not unexpected, close. Lillian Gish is especially good in the latter portions of the film, while Griffith is able to bring a sense of intimacy in spite of the revolutionary context.

Griffith tries something crazy: technique, and it works out in his favor. It is still long and quite boring at times, but the sophistication of camera language makes it the most tolerable of his films. Also, not one but two Gish's! Dorothy isn't as captivating as Lillian but she keeps up.

The story is actually an interesting one, and using the French revolution as a backdrop to a class system conflict works well. It's a shame Griffith can't let the film speak for itself, but that's not the big problem. No, the big problem is this is two and a half hours when it could be half that length if only Griffith hadn't been so intent on making it epic. He stretches out scenes and a lot of the political stuff feels very clumsily integrated to the narrative.