Thursday, March 26, 2009

Does anyone prefer Dorothy GIsh to Lillian Gish?

If so, why? She generally seems to be in her sister%26#039;s shadow...
Does anyone prefer Dorothy GIsh to Lillian Gish?
Sadly, there are few films left with Dorothy%26#039;s performances in them to make any kind of accurate assessment of her talents,. The obvious one is %26quot;Orphans of the Storm%26quot;, where she and Lillian play sisters, but Dorothy having to play blind limits her role extensively. She does her part well, and is overshadowed by Lillian, but then, Mr. Griffith preferred (and coached) Lillian%26#039;s emoting style to fit his vision of her and the characters she played.


From the scant evidence, I%26#039;d have to say that ,ultimately, I prefer Lillian as an actress--her range and power were dynamic, when she turned them on, and her ability to convey nuance was just as good as could be---and when she finally left Griffith%26#039;s tutelage and went on stage and on to other films, she was hard to beat. My parents, who actually saw Miss Lillian play Lizzie Bordon in a stageplay, were electrified by her chilling interpretation---and her later filmwork, in films as varied as Island in the Sun, Night of the Hunter, The Whales of August and her comic turn in Sweet Liberty, showed her abilities remained vital even as a senior senior.


...But Dorothy was prettier...

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