Over the course of five years, pioneering director D.W. Griffith created 450 films for the Biograph Company -- almost two films per week. Providing an unparalleled glimpse of American life at the turn of the century, the shorts star Lillian and Dorothy Gish, Lionel Barrymore, Mae Marsh and Mary Pickford. In addition to producing a high volume of films, Griffith's quickie two-reel movies paved the way for epics featuring the same legendary stars.