History YMMV / Intolerance

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: This was the first film to have separate storylines, set in different places and times, with no overlapping characters, unified only by theme, told not in sequence but constantly cutting back and forth. It's so common in movies and TV now as to seem completely unremarkable to anyone seeing it for the first time today, but a century ago when it was released the technique was more controversial than the film's subject matter, since it left many audience members confused.

* CommonKnowledge: It is a longstanding legend that the film was not only a BoxOfficeBomb, but cost $2 million in 1916 dollars.[[note]]Approximately $56 million in 2023[[/note]] While it was the most expensive film of the time and for several years afterwards, it actually cost only $385,000 [[note]]Approximately $10 million in 2023[[/note]] and earned over $1.75 million [[note]]Approximately $49 million in 2023[[/note]] in distribution rentals, which, although less than Griffith's previous film ''The Birth of a Nation'', was still very profitable (to this day it is unknown how much ''The Birth of a Nation'' grossed, as according to Lillian Gish, "They track of the money it made," with estimates ranging anywhere from $5 million to $100 million; it is also unclear whether or not these estimates are adjusted for inflation).

* CommonKnowledge: It is a longstanding legend that the film was not only a BoxOfficeBomb, but cost $2 million in 1916 dollars.[[note]]Approximately $56 million in 2023[[/note]] While it was the most expensive film of the time and for several years afterwards, it actually cost only $385,000 [[note]]Approximately $10 million in 2023[[/note]] and earned over $1.75 million [[note]]Approximately $49 million in 2023[[/note]] in distribution rentals, which, although less than Griffith's previous film ''The Birth of a Nation'', was still very profitable (to this day it is unknown how much ''The Birth of a Nation'' grossed, with estimates ranging anywhere from $5 million to $100 million; it is also unclear whether or not these estimates are adjusted for inflation).

* VindicatedByHistory: The film was such a failure at the box office that it bankrupted Griffith's studio. Today, it's considered to by some to be one of the greatest silent films.

* CommonKnowledge: It is a longstanding legend that the film was not only a BoxOfficeBomb, but cost $2 million in 1916 dollars.[[note]]Approximately $56 million in 2023[[/note]] While it was the most expensive film of the time and for several years afterwards, it actually cost only $385,000 [[note]]Approximately $10 million in 2023[[/note]] and earned over $1.75 million [[note]]Approximately $49 million in 2023[[/note]] at the box office, which, although less than Griffith's previous film ''The Birth of a Nation'', was still very profitable (to this day it is unknown how much ''The Birth of a Nation'' grossed, with estimates ranging anywhere from $5 million to $100 million; it is also unclear whether or not these estimates are adjusted for inflation).

* EnsembleDarkhorse: The Mountain Girl is known as one of the first tomboys in cinema. So much so that Griffith even went back and filmed more scenes with her after the film was released and even released a standalone version of the story in 1919, titled ''The Fall of Babylon'' which even features a happy ending.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: The Mountain Girl is known as one of the first tomboys in cinema. So much so that Griffith even went back and filmed more scenes with her after the film was released and even released a standalone version of the story in 1919.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: The Mountain Girl is known as one of the first tomboys in cinema.

* {{Anvilicious}}: The message that intolerance is bad still has its value even if it may seem obvious to us now. [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped Keep in mind that people living in the time period of this film's production weren't exactly tolerant themselves]]. In fact, it could be argued that it ''still'' needs to be dropped, due to the large amount of intolerance that still goes on.

* {{Anvilicious}}: The message that intolerance is bad still has its value even if it may seem obvious to us now. Keep in mind that people living in the time period of this film's production weren't exactly tolerant themselves. In fact, it could be argued that it ''still'' needs to be dropped, due to the large amount of intolerance that still goes on.

** The Dear One. Not only did she have to move away from her home with her father, but she lost her father after a while, and had to witness her own husband being imprisoned over a crime he didn't even commit.

* Anvilicious: The message that intolerance is bad still has its value even if it may seem obvious to us now. Keep in mind that people living in the time period of this film's production weren't exactly tolerant themselves. In fact, it could be argued that it ''still'' needs to be dropped, due to the large amount of intolerance that still goes on.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: The message that intolerance is bad still has its value even if it may seem obvious to us now. Keep in mind that people living in the time period of this film's production weren't exactly tolerant themselves. In fact, it could be argued that it ''still'' needs to be dropped, due to the large amount of intolerance that still goes on.

* NightmareFuel: It's a major example, but there are brief scenes of people getting their heads and limbs chopped off in various scenes. Half a century before {{Creator/Alfred Hitchcock}} was in action, and they did made some pretty terrifying scenes.

* TheWoobie: The friendless one. See TearJerker.
** The Dear One, Not only did she have to move away from her home with her father. She lost her father after a bit, and had to witness her own husband being imprisoned over a crime he didn't even commit.

* ValuesDissonance: Portions of the film are (arguably) not very accessible to modern viewers because, while this film (unlike ''Film/{{The Birth of a Nation|1915}}'') is not morally repugnant, it deals with periods in history that most people simply do not consider important anymore. The Babylonian segments, for example, might have held more appeal in an era when Westerners were still fascinated by antiquity (in Griffith's time, many schools still taught Latin and Greek), but most Americans raised in the late 20th or early 21st centuries will not know or care about the subject matter. Then there is the French subplot, which doesn't really connect with modern viewers (except perhaps in [[UsefulNotes/TheTroubles Northern Ireland]]) since the Catholic-versus-Protestant controversy of old, while still present to some extent, has [[ForgottenTrope largely been replaced]] by the Christianity-versus-secularism dynamic today.
* ValuesResonance: Alternatively, the message that intolerance is bad still holds value today since multiple current human conflicts are essentially the result of intolerance.

* BrokenAesop: Griffith created the film specifically to denounce critics of ''[[Film/TheBirthOfANation1915 The Birth of a Nation]]'' as PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad, comparing the opposition of racism to ''the crucifixion of Christ'' among other things. However, the ambiguity at which he relayed his message made it easy to reinterpret it as being in support of the very viewpoint Griffith was against (largely because racism and bigotry in general are based heavily in intolerance), so much so that urban legend tends to misconstrue the film as Griffith apologizing for his earlier white nationalist propaganda piece.