Lillian and Dorothy Gish made their film debut on September 9, 1912, portraying sisters in D.W. Griffith’s An Unseen Enemy. With this year marking the 101st anniversary of that debut, Fritzi of Movies, Silently decided that she wanted to bring the classic film blogging community together to share our appreciation for the Gish sisters — and so the Gish Sisters Blogathon was born!
Since Fritzi’s blog is focused on silent film and she would like to see all eras of the Gish sisters’ careers receive coverage, she has kindly invited me and my mid-century focused blog to co-host this wonderful event. Though they’re most well-known for their work in silents, the Gish sisters both went on to have incredible careers as the film industry changed and sound was introduced. Dorothy continued acting until 1963, and Lillian until 1987!
September 7 – 9, we will be celebrating the careers of both of these phenomenal actresses — and we’re inviting all of you to join us in that celebration!
Guidelines for participation:
- All bloggers are welcome to contribute!
- No movie is “taken” — you can write about any film you want, even if someone else has already chosen it! (Check out Lillian’s filmography and Dorothy’s filmography if you need some inspiration.)
- No post type is off limits: articles, reviews, biographies, pictorials… anything you feel like sharing, as long as it’s about one or both of the Gish sisters!
How to join:
Leave a comment on either of our blogs, tweet us as @MoviesSilently or @TMPLindsey, or email us with the idea for your contribution! Then, grab one of these lovely banners that Fritzi made for the blogathon:
(You can find Fritzi’s blogathon announcement, with additional banners/varied sizes, here.)
Participants:
Cinemalacrum – The Night of the Hunter
Cinematic Catharsis – Broken Blossoms
Crítica Retrô – Orphans of the Storm
Donald Mania – A video tribute to the sisters and an article on Lillian’s influence on cinema.
Don’t Upset Granny Gish – A review of His Double Life + an article on becoming a Gish fan
Falderal – Lillian Gish’s relationship with fellow screen star Mary Pickford + review of The White Sister
The Film Writer – Profiles of each sister and a video tribute
Films Worth Watching – True Heart Susie and The Battle of Elderbrush Gulch
Girls Do Film – A review of Romola
The Great Katharine Hepburn – Remodeling Her Husband
The Joy and Agony of Movies – Intolerance
The Last Drive In – Lillian on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, “The Body in the Barn”
MIB’s Instant Headache – The Birth of a Nation blu-ray review
Motion Picture Gems – ? (Topic TBD)
The Motion Pictures – The Cardinal, Sweet Liberty
Movie Classics – A review of The Scarlet Letter
The Movie Rat – An article on the Lillian and Dorothy’s film careers
Movies, Silently – The Unseen Enemy, Orphans of the Storm and Gretchen the Greenhorn
The Nitrate Diva – Way Down East and/or Hearts of the World
Nitrate Glow – Broken Blossoms review + poetry inspired by the film
Once Upon a Screen – The Musketeers of Pig Alley & a pictorial
Outspoken and Freckled – The Night of the Hunter
portraitsbyjenni – A post on The Scarlet Letter and the story of how a university theater came to be named after Lillian
The Pneumatic Rolling-Sphere Carrier Delusion – A collection of newspaper clippings on both sisters
Silent Volume – Reviews of La Boheme, Mothering Heart, Birth of a Nation, Intolerance and DJ Spooky’s Rebirth of a Nation recut
Silver Screenings – Portrait of Jennie
The Soul of the Plot – Duel in the Sun
Strictly Vintage Hollywood – Nell Gwyn
They Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To – The Whales of August
Thrilling Days of Yesteryear – The Wind
True Classics – Review of La Boheme
The Motion Pictures 