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▸▸In 1915, D. W. Griffith directed The Birth of a Nation, a silent epic drama film based on Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and play The Clansman. Griffith co-wrote the screenplay with Frank E. Woods, and Harry Aitken produced the picture.

The Birth of a Nation is a prominent film landmark, according to the film's technical prowess. It was the first non-serial American film ever produced, with a running time of 12 reels. It tells the tale of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, who was murdered by John Wilkes Booth, and of two families, the Stonemans and Camerons, as they struggle for supremacy during the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. It was the first American film to feature a musical score for an orchestra. It introduced closeups and fadeouts, and it was the first film to include a carefully staged battle sequence with hundreds of extras that appeared to be thousands. A 13-page 'Souvenir Program' was included. President Woodrow Wilson and his family viewed the film at the White House with members of his cabinet, making it the first film screened at the White House.

The film has been a subject of controversy ever since its release, as it has been described as "the most offensive film in Hollywood history." The image of Lincoln as a Southern sympathizer is at odds with the Lost Cause narrative, which promotes sympathy for the South. The film has been condemned for its racist portrayal of African Americans. Because the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is depicted as a virtuous organization that defends American values and protects white females from sexual assaults by blacks, the film has been condemned for its racist portrayal of blacks. The film has also received criticism due to the fact that white actors play blacks in blackface, and because the film portrays blacks as unintelligent and sexually aggressive towards white women.

Because the movie was popular across the country, its success was both a consequence of and a contributor to racial segregation in the United States. Across the country, black Americans organised and protested after seeing the film's negative portrayals of black people and Civil War history. In Boston and other localities, the NAACP and black leaders campaigned unsuccessfully to have the film banned because it was believed to provoke racial tensions and violence. Griffith's Intolerance was produced the following year in response to the controversy over Birth of a Nation.

Despite being divisive, The Birth of a Nation was a nationwide commercial success, grossing more than any previous film, and it had a significant impact on both the film industry and American society. An unfortunate consequence of the film was that a few months following the film's release, the Ku Klux Klan was revived, inspired by the movie. The film was inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1992 because it was deemed to be culturally, historically, and aesthetically important.


CREATORS

Directed by D. W. Griffith
Screenplay by D. W. Griffith and Frank E. Woods
Based on The Clansman by Thomas Dixon Jr.
Produced by D. W. Griffith and Harry Aitken
Restored and upscaled by moonflix, LLC


PLOT

The movie comprises two equal-length sections. It follows two families, the Northern Stonemans and the Southern Camerons. The Stonemans become connected with the Camerons when the Cameron brothers visit the Cameron estate in South Carolina, representing the Old South. While Phil Stoneman falls in love with Margaret Cameron, young Ben Cameron idolizes Elsie Stoneman. When the Civil War starts, the young men of both families enlist in their respective armies.



CAST

Lillian Gish as Elsie Stoneman
Mae Marsh as Flora Cameron, the pet sister
Henry B. Walthall as Colonel Benjamin Cameron ("The Little Colonel")
Miriam Cooper as Margaret Cameron, elder sister
Mary Alden as Lydia Brown, Stoneman's housekeeper
Ralph Lewis as Austin Stoneman, Leader of the House
George Siegmann as Silas Lynch
Walter Long as Gus, the renegade
Wallace Reid as Jeff, the blacksmith
Joseph Henabery as Abraham Lincoln
Elmer Clifton as Phil Stoneman, elder son
Robert Harron as Tod Stoneman
Josephine Crowell as Mrs. Cameron
Spottiswoode Aitken as Dr. Cameron
George Beranger as Wade Cameron, second son
Maxfield Stanley as Duke Cameron, youngest son
Jennie Lee as Mammy, the faithful servant
Donald Crisp as General Ulysses S. Grant
Howard Gaye as General Robert E. Lee


Original release date:
February 8, 1915

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