Our series examining an Image of the Week from the photographic files, by Kevin Warstadt, Edward Connery Lathem ’51 Digital Library Fellow.

Filming of Way Down East ca 1920

Above is a photo from a folder titled Way Down East (Film). Way Down East is a 1920 silent film, directed by D.W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. The climax of the film features a rescue on an icy river, filmed in White River Junction. In this photo, Gish can be seen lying on an ice floe out on the river.

Gish was one of the biggest stars of the silent era, playing in films like the controversial Birth of a Nation and the much lauded Broken Blossoms.  Supposedly, Gish’s hand was badly injured from submersion in the freezing water in this scene, and she had reduced mobility in the hand for the rest of her life.

See more photos from the production of Way Down East here.