Judith of Bethulia 1913
Cast: Blanche Sweet -Judith, Henry B. Walthall -Holofernes's Eunuch Attendant, Robert Harron -Nathan, Mae Marsh -Naomi, Lillian Gish -A Young Mother, Lionel Barrymore, Antonio Moreno, Kate Bruce -Judith's maid, Gertrude Bambrick, Alfred Paget, Gertrude Robinson, Edward Dillon, Harry Carey -A Traitor, Dorothy Gish -The crippled beggar, Charles Hill Mailes, G. Jiguel Lanoe -Holofernes's Eunuch Attendant, William Christy Cabanne, Thomas Jefferson. Frank E. Woods -Screenwriter Billy Bitzer -Cinematographer, James Smith -Editor William Christy Cabanne - First Assistant Director
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DW GRIFFITH at BIOGRAPH COMPANY by IRA H.GALLEN Conservative Biograph Studios refused to allow D. W.Griffith to make any film longer than two reels. Ignoring this edict, Griffithallowed his Biblical epic Judith of Bethulia to run four reels, which led to his exit from the studio. Judith of Bethulia tells the story, set in theancient world, of the young widow Judith (Blanche Sweet) offering herself toAssyrian leader Holofernes (Henry B. Walthall) in order to kill the man andavenge the subjugation and slaughter of her countrymen.
With that material towork with, and shooting of a 12-square-mile set that allowed him to present the battle scenes, Judith of Bethulia was as big a picture as Griffith was associated with. Griffith did feel compelled to devise a more traditional movie story, involving the rescue of Mae Marsh by Robert Harron, and one can spot such Griffith stalwarts as Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, and Harry Carey in small parts.
Notes: Griffith's power of concentration had become so great that he could watch a rehearsal, read notes given to him and converse with his staff at the same time. At times, he could look at you without really seeing you. Construction began in Los Angeles' CHATSWORTH PARK on the sets of JUDITH OF BETHULIA. Griffith designs and builds a street of Bethulia, a replica of the city walls and a tract of land was filled with pitched tents for the campsite of the HOLOFERNS.
A makeup man helped the fifty or so extras into their wigs, beards and costumes with an assist by whatever Griffith regulars weren't acting that day. Each player was advised to remember his or her costume continuity. J.C. "LITTLE" EPPING, the new company accountant, had the distasteful job of totaling everything to do with daily expenditures and explaining them to the Biograph front office. Mr. Epping is a small, bespectacled man with a perpetually worried expression. In later years, he was a financial advisor for Griffith.
After the exterior scenes were completed, the shooting of the interiors was begun back in New York, bringing to a face-to-face argument the building animosity between Griffith and the front office. Griffith's vision of a four-reeler was complicated and the production costs on JUDITH OF BETHULIA would rise to the unheard of figure of $36,000.00 Even before the rumors began, his stock company players knew of the deepseated unhappiness Griffith was feeling. None of them felt that they were a part of Biograph, more a part of the Griffith influence and loyalty.
When word was to become generally known of his impending departure, they all awaited being asked to join him. Even Henry B. Walthall, who had come back to work on JUDITH. The front office was not just angry and frantic over the cost of the film. Their fury was aggravated by the picture itself; its length and the depiction of the barbaric HOLOFERNS, not to mention the gory beheading scenes. Rumor had it that Adolph Zukor had tendered an offer to Griffith that was for $50,000.00 per year, and Griffith had turned it down.
The film industry was not yet a decade old and little had been done to make the products easily accessible to exhibitors. The few film producers who existed at that time simply could not keep up with the demand. While the creative people were still groping to fashion a technique for this crude form of communication, business was stepping in and taking ruthless control. In the race to keep their nickelodeons filled, owners now had to outbid one another for the newest films.
While David Wark Griffith is finally told that another director will be brought in to make their longer productions, Biograph informs him that from now on, he would make only films of one or two reels. The decision to leave is therefore assured....
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