Lillian Gish: The Actor's Life for Me (1988)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Nice documentary on the life and career of Lillian Gish who started off on stage at the age of four and quickly moved onto work with D.W. Griffith just as he was shaping the way cinema would be viewed. From here Gish's career would go on for nearly eighty-years including a trilogy at MGM, working with Robert Mitchum on THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER and before her death working with Bette Davis on THE WHALES OF AUGUST. Fans of Gish will certainly enjoy watching this documentary as she gets to tell her story in her own words. As a Griffith fan it's always great listening to hear talk about the man, the making of THE BIRTH OF A NATION as well as the making of Intolerance and WAY DOWN EAST. Gish tells the remarkable story about the ending of WAY DOWN EAST and she also later talks about the death of Griffith. We also learn about her contract with MGM, the controversy about the ending of THE WIND and why she eventually left the studio. At just under an hour there's no doubt that there's a lot of stuff missing. Gish never fully talks about the film she directed back when there weren't too many female directors. She also doesn't get to talk much about the various other films that she appeared in. We briefly hear about her childhood where she calls her mom the most perfect person she's ever known but at the same time she doesn't talk much about her sister. Still, what we do hear is rather priceless so fans of silent cinema and Gish will want to check this out.
