Birth Of A Nation......great movie? could it be made today?

[Archae]

I know, copycat...but seriously, "Birth Of A Nation" is one of the most vile racist movies made, why it was made in the first place?

[SwampG8r]

1. i think not

and why in the first place? I think Griffith had an agenda and he acted on it

[JustAnotherGen]

2. Because D. W. Griffith

Was a man of his time. And he stayed true to the book it was based on.

That said - it should never be banned or out of print. It serves as a time capsule of our country.

As a black woman I do believe there was an update - its called The Help. If you check out the AA Group you can find some of my thoughts on it. In 100 years someone will say/write what you did abouth Birth of a Nation.

The analysis will include why did they idolize maids - when they had a black first Lady with a J.D. from an Ivy League university.

[Aristus]

3. My parents took me to see a screening of BoaN when I was about 10 years old.

They were showing it at a local museum. I thought it was going to be about the American Revolution.

I didn't understand how the title related to the Civil War. (My whole family are history buffs, and I knew quite a lot for a ten year-old.)

And I began to get very uncomfortable when the film moved toward a celebration of the KKK as the 'good guys'. Even at that age, I understood how monstrous the Klan was.

[JustAnotherGen]

4. Oh and if you really want your skin to crawl

Watch it back to back with Triumph of The Will. Another time capsule.

That's how we watched it Art and History of film at Niagara University in the 1990's.

With both I was amazed by their technical expertise. With both I was repulsed.

And in these days of YouTube and Instagram stars - we see remnants of the individual submitting to the propaganda and becoming a partner of it.

Having read a great deal about Griffith - I think if he could come back for one day . . . He would apologize. We know he apologized to his maid. That's been documented.

[Rstrstx]

15. Very different movies

Triumph of the Will I thought was way ahead of its time technically, the way Leni (who just died a few years ago I believe) was almost maniacal about the look of the onscreen image and used innovative techniques like digging trenches and using rails to get those shots really makes it stand out from movies that had come before. She also expanded on that in Olympia. Birth I think was remarkable mainly for its length.

I find Birth also to be the more repulsive of the two, especially the second half. Triumph is terrible also but mostly because of what came after the movie. Anti-semitic and other offensive references were kept to a minimum in a movie of few words, unlike in Birth where the vilification of African Americans was on unabashed display. Birth also had the terrible effect of helping resurrect the KKK.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

5. Maybe by Dinesh D'Souza

[JustAnotherGen]

9. True that!

Watch - I bet he will.

[clarice]

6. My opinion,

"Birth Of A Nation" is one of the most vile racist movies made" = Yes to that

I think that Birth of a Nation is NOT highly regarded for it's content, but more for Griffith's
ground breaking technical skills in the actual filming.

[JustAnotherGen]

7. Very true

And we then had to recreate the battle scene with m and m's for film making class. See my post up thread about Art and History of film.

What he did there - watch Cold Mountain. The great battle scene there in my opinion is an updated technology knock off. Same with Saving Private Ryan.

[clarice]

11. 100%. nt

[eShirl]

8. It changed filmmaking, therefore it is important.

Film scholars agree, however, that it is the single most important and key film of all time in American movie history - it contains many new cinematic innovations and refinements, technical effects and artistic advancements, including a color sequence at the end. It had a formative influence on future films and has had a recognized impact on film history and the development of film as art. In addition, at almost three hours in length, it was the longest film to date. However, it still provokes conflicting views about its message.

Its pioneering technical work, often the work of Griffith's under-rated cameraman Billy Bitzer, includes many techniques that are now standard features of films, but first used in this film. Griffith brought all of his experience and techniques to this film from his earliest short films at Biograph, including the following:

the use of ornate title cards
special use of subtitles graphically verbalizing imagery
its own original musical score written for an orchestra
the introduction of night photography (using magnesium flares)
the use of outdoor natural landscapes as backgrounds
the definitive usage of the still-shot
elaborate costuming to achieve historical authenticity and accuracy
many scenes innovatively filmed from many different and multiple angles
the technique of the camera "iris" effect (expanding or contracting circular masks to either reveal and open up a scene, or close down and conceal a part of an image)
the use of parallel action and editing in a sequence (Gus' attempted rape of Flora, and the KKK rescues of Elsie from Lynch and of Ben's sister Margaret)
extensive use of color tinting for dramatic or psychological effect in sequences
moving, traveling or "panning" camera tracking shots
the effective use of total-screen close-ups to reveal intimate expressions
beautifully crafted, intimate family exchanges
the use of vignettes seen in "balloons" or "iris-shots" in one portion of a darkened screen
the use of fade-outs and cameo-profiles (a medium closeup in front of a blurry background)
the use of lap dissolves to blend or switch from one image to another
high-angle shots and the abundant use of panoramic long shots
the dramatization of history in a moving story - an example of an early spectacle or epic film with historical costuming and many historical references (e.g., Mathew Brady's Civil War photographs)
impressive, splendidly-staged battle scenes with hundreds of extras (made to appear as thousands)
extensive cross-cutting between two scenes to create a montage-effect and generate excitement and suspense (e.g., the scene of the gathering of the Klan)
expert story-telling, with the cumulative building of the film to a dramatic climax

http://www.filmsite.org/birt.html

[joeybee12]

13. Yes, it did...

And it's shame it had to be so ridiculously racist, otherwise it would have been mandatory viewing for all film students.

[sir pball]

17. We spent two full session on it in my film class

Of course, in a small liberal arts school in the Northeast, we didn't really need to have it explained that it was the technical merit we were studying in great detail, the content is an afterthought.

[Kablooie]

10. I tried to watch it a couple of years ago.

Racism aside, it was so slow and boring I couldn't get through it.
It's notable only because it was the first long form feature film.

The racism was protested at the time so in Griffiths next film, "Intolerance"' tried to address the issue by showing the history of intolerant societies in a negative light.

I saw "Intolerance" in school and it was long but fascinating. A much, much better film and is held in much higher esteem by the movie industry today.

Elements of the set design from Intolerance are used in architecture of the shopping center that houses the Dolby theater where the Academy Awards are held each year.

[Hugabear]

12. I'm sure Ted Nugent would love to remake it

With Mel Gibson as the star

[Warpy]

14. Griffith was an innovator

and that's the only reason this is watched almost 100 years later.

It's a heinous story based on a heinous book written by someone who remembered the Civil War and blamed the whole thing on a bunch of ungrateful black slaves in the south who needed to be kept in line afterward by the Knights of the Klan because they'd revert to the jungle, otherwise.

Yeah, I lived in the south in the late 50s and I remember the mindset that still persisted, handed down by Grandpa.

[edbermac]

16. Nice review by Roger Ebert

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-birth-of-a-nation-1915

[el_bryanto]

18. not to excuse the terrible racism of Birth of a Nation - but has anybody seen Intolerance?

I haven't sought it out - but it is seen by some as Griffiths apology for Birth of a Nation, and I'm still thinking I should watch it at some point.

Bryant