The Birth of a Nation
| The Birth of a Nation | |
|---|---|
 Movie poster | |
| Directed by | D. W. Griffith |
| Written by | D. W. Griffith, T. F. Dixon, Jr. Frank E. Woods |
| Produced by | D. W. Griffith, Harry Aitken |
| Starring | Lillian Gish Mae Marsh Henry B. Walthall Miriam Cooper Ralph Lewis George Siegmann |
| Cinematography | G.W. Bitzer |
| Edited by | D. W. Griffith |
| Music by | Joseph Carl Breil |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Epoch Producing Co. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 190 minutes (at 16 frame/s) |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | Silent film English intertitles |
The Birth of a Nation is a 1915 silent drama movie. It is a white supremacist film.
It was directed by D. W. Griffith and stars Lillian Gish. It was based on the book The Clansman by Thomas Dixon, Jr.
The movie
The movie is about two families during the American Civil War and the Reconstruction era. The Northern Stoneman family is pro-Union. The Southern Cameron family is pro-Confederacy. The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth is dramatized.
Popular success
The movie was a great success. It is a landmark of film history. It was very controversial though. It showed African-American men (played by European-Americans actors in blackface) as stupid and sexually aggressive towards European-Americans women. It also showed the Ku Klux Klan as a heroic force.
Impact
As a result, there were protests. The movie was banned in several cities. The outcry of racism was great. Screenings were often followed by riots and attacks.
The movie is also credited in part with the formation of the "second era" Ku Klux Klan the same year. The Birth of a Nation was used as a recruiting tool for the KKK. In 1915, it was the first movie to be shown at the White House, by Democrat Woodrow Wilson.
References
- ↑ D. W. Griffith: Hollywood Independent
- ↑ The Birth of a Nation. Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on September 18, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ↑ "The Birth of a Nation (1915)". filmsite.org. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011.
- ↑ Armstrong, Eric M. (February 26, 2010). "Revered and Reviled: D.W. Griffith's 'The Birth of a Nation'". The Moving Arts Film Journal. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
- ↑ Mass Moments: “The Birth of a Nation” Sparks Protest
- ↑ "Top Ten - Top 10 Banned Films of the 20th Century - Top 10 - Top 10 List - Top 10 Banned Movies - Censored Movies - Censored Films". Archived from the original on 2012-05-12. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- ↑ "A Birth of a Nation essays". Archived from the original on 2013-05-15. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- ↑ Perks in the White House
- ↑ Variety: The Ultimate Screening: ’42′ Gets a White House Endorsement