In 1916, D.W. Griffith filmed his silent, anti-war epic, “Intolerance,” at the corner of
Sunset and Hollywood Blvd. On a Los Angeles vacant lot, giant sets of 536 B.C. Babylon
arose forming a backdrop for battle scenes depicting the destruction of Babylon by the
Persian Empire in 536 B.C.
Flash forward eighty-eight years—neighbors and friends gather at Sunset and
Hollywood Blvds. with their hand-painted protest signs. In a display of street corner
democracy, they join others across the nation and the world to protest the push
towards war with Iraq.
Anti-war protests on the very spot where D.W. Griffith filmed the destruction of Iraq’s
ancient Babylon for “Intolerance” intrigued writer-director Christie Davis and inspired
the title of the documentary short.
Christie was also drawn to the prominent elephants that appear in the banquet hall
sets of the Babylonian story. These monuments to silent film history can be seen today
at theSunset and Highland shopping complex, where recreations of these giant white
elephants tower over the interior courtyard..
D.W. Griffith pioneered the film language we take for granted today, including the use of
close-ups to allow the viewer to experience the emotions of on-screen characters.
“Beyond Babylon” is in some measure an homage to this film pioneer, who Orson
Welles called “the premiere genius of our medium.”
Controversy over D.W. Griffith’s depiction of African Americans in “Birth of a Nation” has
stained this pioneer filmmaker’s legacy and has overshadowed the progressive social
ideals he sought to explore in his other films.
