The Wind (1928)

Director:

Victor Sjöström

Writers:

Dorothy Scarborough (novel)
Frances Marion (scenario)

Release Date:

23 November 1928 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Western

Plot:

Letty moves to West Texas from the East and it seems that the wind always blows and the sand gets everywhere...

Plot Keywords:

Wind | Storm | Marriage | Cowboy | Isolation

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Lillian Gish	...	Letty
Lars Hanson	...	Lige
Montagu Love	...	Roddy
Dorothy Cumming	...	Cora
Edward Earle	...	Beverly
William Orlamond	...	Sourdough
Carmencita Johnson	...	Cora's Child
Leon Janney	...	Cora's Child (as Laon Ramon)
Billy Kent Schaefer	...	Cora's Child
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Seessel Anne Johnson	...	Little girl (uncredited)

Directed by
Victor Sjöström		(as Victor Seastrom)

Writing credits
Dorothy Scarborough		(novel "The Wind")
Frances Marion		(scenario)

Produced by
David Gill	....	producer (restored version)
Liz Sutherland	....	producer (restored version)

Original Music by
Carl Davis		(1983)
William Axt		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
John Arnold		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Conrad A. Nervig

Set Decoration by
Cedric Gibbons		(settings)
Edward Withers		(settings)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Harold S. Bucquet	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Richard Bradford	....	sound supervisor: restored version
Mike Fairbairn	....	dubbing assistant: restored version

Costume and Wardrobe Department
André-ani	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Erich Gruenberg	....	orchestra leader: The Themes Silents Orchestra, restored version
Carl Davis	....	conductor: new score (uncredited)
Colin Matthews	....	orchestrator: Carl Davis (uncredited)
David Matthews	....	orchestrator: Carl Davis (uncredited)
Fritz Stahlberg	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Other crew
John Colton	....	title designer
Una Merkel	....	stand-in: Lillian Gish (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1928) (USA) (theatrical)

Runtime:

Sweden:95 min | 79 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Iceland:L | Portugal:17 (director's cut) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Bakersfield, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The film's artificially happy ending was insisted upon by the studio after test audiences balked at the original ending, where the insane Letty wanders into the desert, certain to die. This more appropriate ending reportedly still exists in Europe.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Chocolat (2000)

One of Gish's Finest

Lillian Gish's legendary career was nearly as lengthy as her life. Time and time again, she has shown audiences that she was truly one of the finest actresses who ever lived. A perfect example of her power and artistry is in "The Wind".

Miss Gish plays "Letty", a young girl from Virginia who moves to her cousin's house on the wild, open plains of Texas. The plot is very interesting and very fluid. Miss Gish is wonderful as usual (the sequence of events at the end of the movie is among the finest performances on film) but the real star of the movie is Swedish heartthrob Lars Hanson. A real delightful performance, with real charisma.

A must-see film that deserves more recognition.