Thursday, June 20, 2013

Judith of Bethulia (1914)

Biograph Company
Directed by D.W. Griffith
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Near ancient Jerusalem, the invading Assyrians storm the city walls of Bethulia. Their leader, Holofornes, lives a life of debauchery in his tent, torturing any soldier who does not fight. Unable to penetrate the city walls, he decides to starve the city of food and water. One of its most respected citizens, Judith, dons provocative clothing and allows herself to be captured by Holofornes. At first she pities him, even respects him, but when she sees the plight of her fellow citizens, she proceeds with her plan to kill him. Based, at least in part, on historical writings in the apocrypha, Griffith's first feature length film is surprisingly good, especially the lengthy battle scenes at the city wall, which utilizes hundreds of extras giving it a very authentic feel, far more realistic than todays CGI spectacles of similar scenes. Re-released under the title "Her Condoned Sin" after Griffith had become famous for Birth of a Nation, Intolerance and others.

No comments:

Post a Comment