The Wind (1928)

One of the greatest films of the silent era, and one of my personal favorites.
From IMDb by request.

Irving Thalberg gave Lillian Gish carte blanche when she signed with MGM and she personally selected the story, director and leading man for The Wind. By 1928 an older and exceedingly beautiful Gish displayed a depth and maturity not seen in her earlier films. The darker, more intense style of the great Swedish director Victor Sjöström was a perfect choice. D. W. Griffith saw Gish as a waif , which explains why all the films he made with Gish show her only in that light. The Wind showcases some of these earlier qualities but also ends in murder and insanity.

Letty Mason (Gish) leaves her home in the south to live with her cousin Beverly (Edward Earle) and his family in Texas. On the train she meets Wirt Roddy (Montagu Love) a slick, insincere businessman with lust on his mind and a wife back home. Not long after Letty arrives it becomes clear that Beverly's Wife Cora (Dorothy Cumming) is extremely jealous of the attention her family showers on this newcomer and Cora drives Letty from the home. With no money and nowhere to go Letty is forced to marry Lige Hightower (Lars Hanson), a man she does not love. She is left in Liges' shack during a storm and when Wirt tries to force himself on her she shoots him in self defense and is driven to madness.

Sjöström turned the wind itself, with the help of several large airplane engines, into the films most terrifying and ominous character. A ghostly superimposed white stallion galloping through the blowing sand represents the haunting ferocity of the storm. Repeatedly Sjöström used shots of sand driven against windows, first on the train, then later in the home, combined with the terrified reactions of Letty, to great effect. Metro added a happy ending after negative previews with typically Pollyanna American audiences. The original ending, in which Letty goes insane and wanders out into the sandstorm and her death, is reputed to still exist in European prints. "The Wind" is yet another example of MGM setting the standard for production of great motion pictures. A masterpiece of the late silent era, The Wind also features an exceptional dramatic performance from an actress known for far lighter roles.

This film is available on VHS from Scarecrow Video and FREE from Seattle Public Library.

Recommended viewing ...

Hearts of The World (1918)
True Heart Suzie (1919)
Way Down East (1920)
Orphans of The Storm (1921)
The Night of the Hunter (1955)