The torment of D.W. Griffith.

GRIFFITH, D. W. (David Wark), 1875-1948; FILMMAKERS; MODERN society; SEXUAL ethics; POPULAR culture; HISTORY of the motion picture industry; GISH, Lillian, 1893-1993; MAN-woman relationships; PSYCHOLOGY

Profiles movie mogul and director D.W. Griffith, whose films include `The Birth of a Nation,' `Intolerance,' and `The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.' Relationship with Lillian Gish; Discussion of his background, childhood, messianic aspirations, obsession with cleanliness, promiscuity, and career; Examples of how his motion pictures relate to society, audiences, popular culture, and his own psychological status at the time they were made.