The Greatest Thing in Life
(1918) American
B&W : Seven reels / 6062 feet
Directed by D.W. Griffith

Cast: Lillian Gish [Jeanette Peret], Robert Harron [Edward Livingston], Adolphe Lestina [Leo Peret], David Butler [Monsieur Le Bebe], Elmo Lincoln [American soldier], Edward Peil [German officer], Kate Bruce [Jeanette’s aunt], Peaches Jackson [Madamouselle Peaches], Ernest Butterworth

D.W. Griffith production; distributed by Famous Players-Lasky Corporation (Paramount Pictures Corporation) [Artcraft Pictures]. / Produced by D.W. Griffith. Scenario by Captain Victor Marier (D.W. Griffith and Stanner E.V. Taylor), from a story by Captain Victor Marier (D.W. Griffith and Stanner E.V. Taylor). Special effects by Hendrik Sartov. Cinematography by G.W. Bitzer. Camera operator Karl Brown. Edited by James Smith. Presented by D.W. Griffith. / © 15 November 1918 by D.W. Griffith [LP13064]. Premiere 16 December 1918 at Clune’s Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. New York premiere 22 December 1918 at the Mark Strand Theatre in New York, New York. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.37:1 format. / Working title: The Cradle of Souls. Released before A Romance of Happy Valley (1919), the production of which was begun before this film. At the Los Angeles premiere Clarine Seymour, Carol Dempster and Rodolfo di Valantina (Rudolph Valentino) appeared in a live prologue to the film, which was directed by George Fawcett.

Drama: World War I.

Survival Status: The film is presumed lost.

Keywords: African-Americans - Death

Listing updated: 19 January 2007.

References: Bardèche-History p. 104; Barry-Griffith pp. 56-57, 60; Bohn-Light p. 114; Card-Seductive p. 35; Everson-American p. 87; Weaver-Twenty p. 146 : Website-AFI.