D. W. Griffith's INTOLERANCE: Reconstructing an Unattainable Text.

MOTION pictures history, 1901-1930; INTOLERANCE (Film); GRIFFITH, D. W. (David Wark), 1875-1948; FILMMAKERS; MODERN art; MOTION picture industry; ART museums; FILM historians; MOTION picture studios; CULTURAL industries

The recent restoration of D. W. Griffith's INTOLERANCE (Wark, 1916) by the New York Museum of Modern Art is an effort to recreate this film as it existed on the opening night, 5 September 1916. The author critiques this new version based on his own reading of the available primary materials, including some sources not utilized in the restoration. The notion that the original negative was disassembled during 1919-1920 to such a degree that Griffith was unable to fully restore it for future use is questioned. While no single edition of this film may be seen as definitive, the version presented by Griffith in 1926 may be seen as the one with which he himself was most satisfied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]