IMDb RATING
7.2/10
11K
YOUR RATING
A frail waif, abused by her brutal boxer father in London's seedy Limehouse District, is befriended by a sensitive Chinese immigrant with tragic consequences.A frail waif, abused by her brutal boxer father in London's seedy Limehouse District, is befriended by a sensitive Chinese immigrant with tragic consequences.A frail waif, abused by her brutal boxer father in London's seedy Limehouse District, is befriended by a sensitive Chinese immigrant with tragic consequences.
- Awards
- 1 win
Lillian Gish
- Lucy - The Girl
- (as Miss Lillian Gish)
Richard Barthelmess
- Cheng Huan - The Yellow Man
- (as Mr. Richard Barthelmess)
Edward Peil Sr.
- Evil Eye
- (as Edward Peil)
Ernest Butterworth
- Secondary Role
- (uncredited)
Fred Hamer
- Secondary Role
- (uncredited)
Wilbur Higby
- London Policeman
- (uncredited)
Man-Ching Kwan
- Buddhist Monk
- (uncredited)
Bobbie Mack
- Ringside Employee
- (uncredited)
Moy Ming
- Minor Role
- (uncredited)
Steve Murphy
- Fight Spectator
- (uncredited)
George Nichols
- Police Constable
- (uncredited)
Karla Schramm
- Burrows' Girlfriend
- (uncredited)
Bessie Wong
- Girl in China
- (uncredited)
- Director
- D.W. Griffith(under the personal direction of)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhile filming the closet scene, Lillian Gish's performance of pure terror was so realistic that D.W. Griffith was compelled to shout back at her and urge her further. A passerby heard this going on and, convinced that something terrible was going on, had to be restrained from entering the studio.
- GoofsThe intertitles state, "The Buddha says, 'What thou dost not want others to do thee, do thou not to others.'" It was actually not the Buddha but Confucius' teaching.
- Quotes
Lucy Burrows: Don't do it, Daddy! You'll hit me once too often - and then they'll - they'll hang yer!
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Philco Television Playhouse: The Birth of the Movies (1951)
Featured review
A very beautiful ugly film
The subjects this film deals with are ugly, but the whole thing is done in a beautiful way.
Subjects dealt with are racism, poverty and the reasons why.
The way Griffith deals with these subjects is the contrasts settings. Look at the room above the Chinaman's shop: opulent, festooned with the finest oriental silk. Compare that with the stark squalor of the abode of Lucy and her bruiser of a father. Then there is the education and sophistication of the orientals compared to the simplistic, ill-thought-out racial prejudice of Battling and his cronies.
I also enjoyed the boxing match. Very realistic - not the fantastic nonsense of your Rocky-type bout where a man all but beaten to a jelly suddenly pulls some heavy punches from nowhere and wins the fight.
The acting, as has been mentioned elsewhere, is terrific from all three of the principal characters. Also, their characters are well-drawn. Even Battling Burrows - complete with cauliflower ear - is more than a mere heavy: he boxes for a living, he drinks, he lives in a slum with few worldly possessions. Why?
I find it hard to believe that the films they make nowadays are nowhere near as good as this. Whatever happened to progress?
This film spawned the famous song "Limehouse Blues."
Subjects dealt with are racism, poverty and the reasons why.
The way Griffith deals with these subjects is the contrasts settings. Look at the room above the Chinaman's shop: opulent, festooned with the finest oriental silk. Compare that with the stark squalor of the abode of Lucy and her bruiser of a father. Then there is the education and sophistication of the orientals compared to the simplistic, ill-thought-out racial prejudice of Battling and his cronies.
I also enjoyed the boxing match. Very realistic - not the fantastic nonsense of your Rocky-type bout where a man all but beaten to a jelly suddenly pulls some heavy punches from nowhere and wins the fight.
The acting, as has been mentioned elsewhere, is terrific from all three of the principal characters. Also, their characters are well-drawn. Even Battling Burrows - complete with cauliflower ear - is more than a mere heavy: he boxes for a living, he drinks, he lives in a slum with few worldly possessions. Why?
I find it hard to believe that the films they make nowadays are nowhere near as good as this. Whatever happened to progress?
This film spawned the famous song "Limehouse Blues."
helpful•179
- loza-1
- May 16, 2005
- How long is Broken Blossoms?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Broken Blossoms or the Yellow Man and the Girl
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $88,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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