The tormented life of Dante Alighieri, from solitary childhood to death in exile, seen through Giovanni Boccaccio’s journey to rehabilitate his memory.
本片是《天堂的孩子》导演马吉德·马吉迪的处女作。原名《巴都客》，指的是伊朗东南部邻近巴基斯坦边界的一批走私客。这批可怜人有老有少，每天顶着烈日风沙和被军警追捕的危险，像野狗般在荒凉的沙漠上流窜。十岁出头的男孩佳发，正是其中的一位可怜人。佳发因为父亲挖井暴毙，跟妹妹佳玛在流浪途中被人口贩子诱骗。佳发被卖给走私贩阿布多拉，佳玛则卖给阿拉伯人。在佳发的小小心灵中，一直念念不忘的心愿是将佳玛找到兄妹团圆。为了达到心愿，佳发过了一段典型的苦儿流浪记生活。
美国南北战争时期，南方庄园主卡梅伦一家原本过着安逸的生活。卡梅隆和斯通曼家的孩子同在一所寄宿学校念书，接触中，年轻的本杰明·卡梅隆（亨利·B·沃斯奥 Henry B. Walthall饰）和埃尔西·斯通曼（丽莲·吉许 Lillian Gish饰）互生情愫。然而不久南北战争爆发。本杰明参加了南方军队，奔赴前线，与北方的昔日好友斯通曼（拉尔夫·李维斯 Ralph Lewis饰）成了敌手。战后，黑人烧杀抢掠。本杰明组织三K党，对黑人进行报复，粉碎了建立所谓的“黑人王国”的阴谋。本杰明与埃尔西这对患难情侣也终于走到了一起。他们的结合，预示着一个新的国家的诞生和统一。 这部由美国电影巨匠D·W·格里菲斯编导的长达三个多小时的鸿篇巨制《一个国家的诞生》，是世界电影史上最重要的里程碑式电影，也是默片时代的经典之作。本片因为对白人优越主义的提倡，以及对三K党的美化而颇具争议性。
Beauty contest winner Patricia Knight's one bid for screen stardom was Columbia's Shockproof. Knight plays Jenny Wright, a convicted murderess paroled in the care of probation officer Griff Marat (Cornel Wilde). What begins as an aloof professional relationship eventually blossoms into romance. The fly in the ointment is shady Harry Wesson (John Baragrey), the gambler who inveigled Jenny into committing murder. The girl is torn between creature comforts offered her by Wesson and the promise of a clean life offered by Griff. This early Douglas Sirk effort contains a smattering of the stylistic touches which distinguished his later work.The screenplay was written by famed director Samuel Fuller, known for his gritty realism and hard-boiled style. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
