Scott Lord Silent Film: Lillian Gish in Battle of Elderbush Gulch (D.W. Griffith, 1913)

In addition to using closeups to isolate the actor from their diegetic surroundings and the particular background to the action of the scene, which, while viewing the emotion of the character as seperate in turn embeds, or immerses the character into the diegesis, locking and intertwining them into the word within the frame, D. W. Griffith would establish the relationship between character and environment as well through the use of editing and by varying spatial relationships, notably in the silent film "The Battle of Elderbush Gulch" (two reels) through the use of the longshot and the use of interiors.

The two reel film stars actresses Lillian Gish and Mae Marsh and was photographed by G.W. Bitzer for the Biograph Film Company. Edward Wagenknecht, in his volume The Films of D.W. Griffith writes of a film including a subplot which divides itself, "The Battle of Elderbush Gulch is one of the most complex Biograph films. This is fascilitated by the fact that it is in two reels, although Griffith had previously attempted similarly constructed films with a main narrative supported by subsidiary threads in one reel ABS (eg. Home Folks)....The use of parallel action is put to use here with more effect and extraordinary dexterity than before in part due to the film's elaborate construction."

The cameraman to "The Battle of Elderbush" was G.W. Bitzer. Silent Film

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Scott Lord Silent Film: Lillian Gish in Home, Sweet Home (D.W. Griffith, 1914)

Now directing for the Reliance Motion Picture and Majestic Motion Picture Corporation, D.W. Griffith had expanded his running length to six reels by 1914 with the film "Home Sweet Home", starring actresses Lillian Gish, Doroth Gish and Mae Marsh.

During 1914 Mutual Film released the seven reel film "The Escape", directed by D.W. Griffith and photographed by G.W. Bitzer. Starring in the film were Edna Foster, Mae Marsh and Blanche Sweet. The film is considered a Lost Silent Film. Silent Film D.W. Griffith

Scott Lord Silent Film: Blanche Sweet in Judith of Bethulia (D.W. Griffith, Biograph, 1914)

Lillian Gish's autobiographical account of "Judith of Bethulia" (D.W. Griffith at Biograph, 1914) included in her volume The Movies, Mr. Griffith and Me can again be placed in the historiography of film criticism by being a combination of reminiscences and digests of media accounts reflecting her perspective. "The advertisements later announced that 'Judith of Bethulia' was the most expensive film that Biograph ever produced . They went on to exaggerate the number of extras and costliness of the sets, ignoring Mr. Griffith's talent for making much out of little. It is true, however, that 'Judith' was more expensive and took longer to make than any Griffith picture up to that." Presaging the epic spectacle of D.W. Griffith, which quickly arrived within a two year period ,in fact still years before Cecil B. DeMille became proficient at the genre, the film stars one of the first all-star casts including Blanche Sweet in the titular role, Lillian and Dorothy Gish, Kate Bruce and Mae Marsh. It was the longer running time that allowed D.W.Griffith to film spectacle in his three reel "The Battle of Elderbush Gulch" and four reel "Judith of Bethulia", author Tom Gunning, in his volume D.W. Griffith and the origins of American narrative film: the early years at Biograph, noting "the control of space and time offered in Griffith's spectacle films from his late Biograph period."

Eric Rhode, in his volume A History of Cinema, outlines a chromology of Griffith's crescendo at Biograph, "From 1908 on Griffith directed over 400 films for Biograph. But he left the company in 1913 when it declined to change its policy and release the four reel'Judith of Bethulia', even though the public had shown an interest in five and six reel feature films."
Iris Barry, in her volume D.W. Griffith American Film Master writes of "Judith of Bethulia" having been Griffith's last film for Biograph. "'Judith of Bethulia', by reason of its legnth, its intricate composition, emotional power, ambitiousness andcistliness, provided a fitting climax to his long connection with biograph, though it is also a film which it is difficult wholly to admire today." By December of 1913, D.W. Griffith had left Biograph to join Mutual and the company had begun cutting the six reel film down to four reels.
The cinematographer to the film was G.W. Bitzer, who left Biograph with D.W. Griffith to accompany him. As quoted by Iris Barry in D.W. Griffith American Film Master, it was at first only reluctantly on Bitzer's oart, Griffith coaxing him with autonomy behind the camera. It is of interest that Griffith would grant Bitzer free reign in that Griffith began as an actor, improvised as a director without detailed shooting scripts when compared to Thomas Ince and was now aquiescing as to becoming primarily a scriptwriter. G.W. Bitzer, in his autobiography Billy Bitzer his story "By the time we were making plans for 'Judith of Bethulia' ,an epic in tour reels, Mr. Griffith told me that he would not sign a new contract at Biograph. 'A film without a message is a waste of time', he declared, as he paced the floor of my workshop trying to convince himself, as well as me, that he needed to leave Biograph if he was to advance.'

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