D.W. Griffith takes on the French Revolution, including pussyfooting Robespierre (his epithet), many other famous historical figures, and the sisters Lillian and Dorothy Gish in one of the best of the director’s late silent epics (1922). Shot on 14 acres at Mamaroneck, New York, and based on Adolph Ennery’s 19th-century French play The Two Orphans, the film is full of suspense and melodrama. With Joseph Schildkraut, Lucille LaVerne, Monte Blue, and Louis Wolheim. 150 min. (JR)