Way Down East (1920) | Directed by D. W. Griffith - Full Movie

A naive country girl is tricked into a sham marriage by a wealthy womanizer, then must rebuild her life despite the taint of having borne a child out of wedlock.Show more

Way Down East is a 1920 American silent romantic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. It is one of four film adaptations of the melodramatic 19th century play Way Down East by Lottie Blair Parker. There were two earlier silent versions and one sound version in 1935 starring Henry Fonda.

Griffith's version is particularly remembered for its climax in which Lillian Gish's character is rescued from doom on an icy river.

Directed by: D. W. Griffith
Written by: Anthony Paul Kelly, D. W. Griffith (uncredited), Joseph R. Grismer (adaptation)
Based on: Way Down East by Lottie Blair Parker
Produced by: D. W. Griffith (uncredited)
Starring: Lillian Gish, Richard Barthelmess, Lowell Sherman, Burr McIntosh
Cinematography: G.W. Bitzer
Edited by: James Smith, Rose Smith
Music by: Louis Silvers, William Frederick Peters
Distributed by: United Artists
Release date: September 3, 1920
Running time: 145 minutes
Country: United States
Language: Silent (English intertitles)
Budget: $700,000
Box office: $4,500,000