Orphans of the Storm

Orphans of the Storm (1921) is D.W. Griffith's silent historical epic, and you can watch it online on iFILM. France stands on the brink of the upheaval that will topple the monarchy. Two foster sisters, Henriette and Louise, grow up inseparable until plague kills their parents and leaves Louise blind.

The pair set off for Paris to find a cure for Louise's sight, and they're torn apart almost at once: a predatory aristocrat crosses their path and abducts Henriette. From there the revolt itself keeps them apart — hunger, the mob, the guillotine waiting in the square. Griffith braids private melodrama into vast history so tightly that one sister's rescue comes down to seconds before the blade falls. The leads are real-life sisters Lillian and Dorothy Gish.

This was the last major film of Griffith's peak years: 150 minutes, thousands of extras, a Paris built on the backlot, and a last-minute chase that Hollywood would imitate for decades. He shaped it as a direct comment on revolution, wary of any power handed to the crowd. For anyone who wants to see where film language came from. Stream Orphans of the Storm (1921) online on iFILM.