Every day brings a new story. And each day contributes to the art of story telling -- in prose and poetry, in music, on the stage, on the screen, and, of course, in books.
Today is the story of January 22nd.
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It is the 22nd day of the year, leaving 343 days remaining in 2022.
Griffith was a pioneering director in the silent era who developed or improved upon many of the now-basic techniques of film-making and camera work. His influence on the industry reverberates to this day.
He found actors who became mainstays of the silent screen, including Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, and Lionel Barrymore.
But along with his contributions, Griffith also exhibited major flaws. He never was able to make the transition to the "talkie" movies -- the only two he made were considered flops. And his debut movie, Birth of a Nation, while praised for its innovation, was harshly criticized for its blatant racism and hagiographic portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan.
Even during its premiere in 1915, the film was controversial and sparked demonstrations and protests. Efforts were made to ban its showing.
Still, it remains a mainstay of Hollywood history, mostly because of its inventive filming techniques. Griffith refined the close-up and the scenic long shot, along with the fade-in and fade-out. He introduced the use of cross-cutting -- editing and mixing scenes scenes shot at various locations to give the illusion that separate actions were happening together. He reframed shots at various angles to change perspectives.
In his second movie, Intolerance -- generally recognized as the best film of the silent era -- Griffith used what is now a Hollywood mainstay -- the spectacular and opulent setting.
Griffith died in Hollywood in 1948
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