ORPHANS OF THE STORM

A film by David Wark Griffith

Cast : Dorothy Gish, Lillian Gish

1921 / drama / original title : ORPHANS OF THE STORM / 150’ / status : completed / long feature-film / French catalog

Henriette and Louise, a foundling, are raised together as sisters. When Louise goes blind, Henriette swears to take care of her forever. They go to Paris to see if Louise’s blindness can be cured, but are separated when an aristocrat lusts after Henriette and abducts her. Only Chevalier de Vaudrey is kind to her, and they fall in love. The French Revolution replaces the corrupt Aristocracy with the equally corrupt Robespierre. De Vaudrey, who has always been good to peasants, is condemned to death for being an aristocrat, and Henriette for harboring him.