Griffith's French Revolution-set melodrama suffers from some
typically sanctimonious messages, and the rabble-rousing
sentimentality is slightly irritating as he draws a pedantic analogy
between Robespierre and the threat of 'Bolshevism' in the
contemporary USA. But it survives thanks to his customary virtues:
awe-inspiring sets, a true delicacy and beauty of imagery, and a
frenzied race to the rescue for a finale. And, of course, performances
of wonderful candour and subtlety from Lillian and Dorothy Gish.
