#3. The Birth Of A Nation (1915, DW Griffith)

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Have I Seen It Before?: Yes...for the most part

Thoughts Before Viewing: Oh brother.  One on the list I've been absolutely dreading.  I saw most of this in a film studies class back in the day.  I remember being fascinated by the techniques but...it's blatantly racist.  That overrides all of the innovative techniques and the fact it's the "first epic."  Bleh...let's get this over with...




Running Time: 195 minutes
Directed By: D.W. Griffith
Written By: Thomas Dixon Jr.
Primary Cast: Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall


Summary: The Stoneman family finds its friendship with the Camerons affected by the Civil War, both fighting in opposite armies.  The development of the war in their lives plays through to Lincoln's assassination and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.


My Thoughts: Well it has a few innovative cinematic techniques...MASTERPIECE!  No, this film is blatantly racist.  This is not what cinema is about.  At all.  Cinema is about capturing beauty and evoking feelings/mood, no matter how light or dark the subject matter may be.   I've never seen a film so hateful and ignorant.  It literally portrays the men behind the Ku Klux Klan as heroic.  Few films have left a worse taste in my mouth.   What it stands for is ugly and vile.  It's surreal to witness such atrocious acts portrayed in a glorified manner by a filmmaker.


This is a very hard film to sit through.  There is no entertainment value, it's genuinely offensive and there is nothing of substantial value to gain from this.  It's too bad it had to be the one to innovate so many crucial aspects of filmmaking.    From an academic perspective, I just can't bring myself to "admire" something this hateful in the slightest.  I really wish something else had come along beforehand to innovate these techniques.   What an embarrassment.



Does It Belong In The Book?: Unfortunately, yes.  Because it is a massive groundbreaker for cinema.  It's the the first to use numerous camera techniques and is the first piece of "epic" cinema.  Plus, it makes for a controversial discussion topic.  It's an educational/historical piece but NOT a good film.



Rating: 1/10

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