---
title: 'Way Down East (1920)'
type: 'film'
director: 'D. W. Griffith'
released: '1920-08-26'
runtime_minutes: 145
genres:
  - 'Drama'
  - 'Romance'
countries:
  - 'United States'
canonical: 'https://cinepixo.com/movies/way-down-east-1920'
review_count: 0
imdb: 'https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011841/'
publisher: 'CinePixo'
---

# Way Down East (1920)

1920 · 145 min · Drama, Romance · United States


## Synopsis

Way Down East is a 1920 American silent melodrama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. It is one of four film adaptations of the 19th century play of the same name by Lottie Blair Parker. There were two earlier silent versions and one sound version in 1935 starring Henry Fonda. Griffith's version is particularly remembered for its climax in which Gish's character is rescued from doom on an icy river.

## Credits

- **Director:** [D. W. Griffith](https://cinepixo.com/people/d-w-griffith)
- **Screenplay:** [D. W. Griffith](https://cinepixo.com/people/d-w-griffith), [Anthony Paul Kelly](https://cinepixo.com/people/anthony-paul-kelly)
- **Producer:** [D. W. Griffith](https://cinepixo.com/people/d-w-griffith)
- **Original Music Composer:** [Louis Silvers](https://cinepixo.com/people/louis-silvers)
- **Director of Photography:** [Billy Bitzer](https://cinepixo.com/people/billy-bitzer), [Hendrik Sartov](https://cinepixo.com/people/hendrik-sartov)
- **Editor:** [James Smith](https://cinepixo.com/people/james-smith-2)

## Cast

- [Burr McIntosh](https://cinepixo.com/people/burr-mcintosh)
- [Kate Bruce](https://cinepixo.com/people/kate-bruce)
- [Carol Dempster](https://cinepixo.com/people/carol-dempster)
- [Lillian Gish](https://cinepixo.com/people/lillian-gish)
- [Edgar Nelson](https://cinepixo.com/people/edgar-nelson)
- [Creighton Hale](https://cinepixo.com/people/creighton-hale)
- [Una Merkel](https://cinepixo.com/people/una-merkel)
- [Richard Barthelmess](https://cinepixo.com/people/richard-barthelmess)
- [Lowell Sherman](https://cinepixo.com/people/lowell-sherman)
- [Vivia Ogden](https://cinepixo.com/people/vivia-ogden)
- [Emily Fitzroy](https://cinepixo.com/people/emily-fitzroy)
- [Mary Hay](https://cinepixo.com/people/mary-hay)
- [Porter Strong](https://cinepixo.com/people/porter-strong)
- [George Neville](https://cinepixo.com/people/george-neville)
- [Norma Shearer](https://cinepixo.com/people/norma-shearer)

## Criticism on CinePixo

No reviews published yet.

Source: https://cinepixo.com/movies/way-down-east-1920
Film facts: Wikidata (Q1187189); synopsis from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Reviews, themes and notes are the work of this site's members.