A Greek woman marries a struggling sculptor. When he can't support her and their baby, she offers to sell herself as a slave to allow them to buy food.
Acting
Florence Lawrence's face carries impossible grief through pantomime alone.
Direction
Griffith's cross-cutting between mother and buyer is brutally effective.
Director
D.W. Griffith
Florence Lawrence
Nerada
Harry Solter
Deletrius
James Kirkwood
Alachus
Mary Pickford
A Slave Girl
Henry B. Walthall
Alachus' Friend
Kate Bruce
Mourning Woman
Gladys Egan
A Child
Arthur V. Johnson
Deletius House Guest
Alfred Paget
A Barbarian
Lottie Pickford
A Dancer
Mack Sennett
A Barbarian
George Siegmann
A Soldier
Marion Sunshine
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Florence Lawrence was cinema's first named star, yet 'The Slave' remains one of her few surviving Griffith collaborations.
This is Griffith pre-'Birth of a Nation,' already perfecting his formula: vulnerable women, brutal men, and editing that weaponizes your emotions.
US
