During Louis XVI's tyrannical reign, a high-born woman is forced to give up her daughter, the result of a relationship with a commoner. Left to freeze on the steps of Notre Dame, she is rescued by a starving peasant who rethinks his decision to abandon his own child and raises the two as inseparable sisters (played by Dorothy and Lillian Gish) who are indeed separated during the turmoil of the Revolution. Despite its extreme length, D.W. Griffith once more advanced movie storytelling techniques with Orphans of the Storm. The Gish sisters are sublimely emotive and the rollicking finale and historical recreations are superb.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Having just finished building his new boat, the aptly named Damfino, Buster, his wife, and two boys trail the vessel to be launched at sea, dismantling their house and sinking their car in the process. While out on the open waters (after raising the sunken ship) a major storm hits causing Buster and his family to abandon ship and high tail in back to shore. "The Boat", an early Buster Keaton short, contains some fine sequences including a desperate SOS call to a confused radio operator and an incredible scene where Buster tries to maintain his balance on the rolling ship.

Buster is a stagehand who doses off backstage, where he dreams he is every member present at a symphony including the band members, conductor, and the audience members. He awakens to engage in vaudevillian zaniness which includes impersonating a missing monkey and rescuing his sweetheart when her water submersion trick goes wrong. This early Buster Keaton short is whimsical and funny, again showing the wide range of the master's talents.