
A religious zealot and his nephew are thrown together on a South Seas Island with an alcoholic beach comber and a native dancer. A battle to see who will "civilize" whom ensues.

Stanner E.V. Taylor, Gordon Ray Young
United States

By 1920, David Wark Griffith had already ascended to the status of a cinematic deity, yet his creative restlessness often led him away from the sprawling battlefields of his earlier epics toward more intimate, albeit no less melodramatic, character studies. The Idol Dancer represents a fascinating, if som...

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Comparing the cinematic DNA and archive impact of two defining moments in cult history.

D.W. Griffith

D.W. Griffith
Community
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" By 1920, David Wark Griffith had already ascended to the status of a cinematic deity, yet his creative restlessness often led him away from the sprawling battlefields of his earlier epics toward more intimate, albeit no less melodramatic, character studies. The Idol Dancer represents a fascinating, if somewhat overlooked, entry in this transitional period. Filmed largely on location in Florida—which serves as a surprisingly convincing stand-in for the South Seas—the film eschews th..."

