Overview
A tale of love and sacrifice amidst the chaos of revolution.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- theatrical
- sentimental
- tense
- classic cinema screening
- historical film night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an impressive, lavishly staged silent historical melodrama with memorable spectacle, while finding its suspense and sentimentality conventional.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Henriette and Louise’s separation, abduction, blindness, romance, and threatened execution are staged through emphatic reversals and emotional suspense.
The storming of the Bastille, revolutionary crowds, aristocratic persecution, and guillotine threat supply the film’s major set pieces.
Henriette vows to care for blind Louise forever, and their bond motivates the central journey and separation plot.
The French Revolution replaces corrupt aristocratic rule with Robespierre’s equally corrupt regime, condemning De Vaudrey and Henriette.
Films like Orphans of the Storm, and why
The Birth of a Nation
epic silent-era historical melodrama centered on revolution, persecution, spectacle, and romantic peril
Intolerance
silent historical spectacle combining romance, class conflict, suspense, and elaborate period staging
Broken Blossoms
emotionally heightened silent melodrama featuring endangered women, social upheaval, and theatrical visual grandeur
A Tale of Two Cities
French Revolution drama built around aristocratic persecution, romance, and lavish historical spectacle
Movie Details
- Director
- D.W. Griffith
- Release Date
- 1921-12-28
- Runtime
- 150 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (106)
Cast
- Lillian Gish
- Dorothy Gish
- Joseph Schildkraut
- Creighton Hale
- Monte Blue
- Sidney Herbert
- Lucille La Verne
- Sheldon Lewis
- Frank Puglia
- Morgan Wallace
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Fandor Amazon Channel, FlixFling
- Rent
- Amazon Video, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Orphans of the Storm about?
- Two devoted sisters are swept into the violence of the French Revolution, where love, class persecution, and a race against the guillotine test their loyalty.
- What is Orphans of the Storm like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Orphans of the Storm as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Orphans of the Storm violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Orphans of the Storm as moderate.
- What did critics think of Orphans of the Storm?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an impressive, lavishly staged silent historical melodrama with memorable spectacle, while finding its suspense and sentimentality conventional.
- Which films are like Orphans of the Storm?
- Films with a similar feel include The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, Broken Blossoms, and A Tale of Two Cities.
- How long is Orphans of the Storm?
- Orphans of the Storm runs 150 minutes.
- Where can I watch Orphans of the Storm?
- In United States, Orphans of the Storm streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Fandor Amazon Channel, FlixFling.
