The Birth of a Nation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the 1982 film of the same name, see Birth of a Nation (1982 film).
| The Birth of a Nation | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | D. W. Griffith |
| Produced by | D. W. Griffith Harry Aitken[1] |
| Screenplay by | D. W. Griffith Frank E. Woods |
| Based on | The Clansman by T. F. Dixon, Jr. |
| Starring | Lillian Gish Mae Marsh Henry B. Walthall Miriam Cooper Ralph Lewis George Siegmann |
| Music by | Joseph Carl Breil |
| Cinematography | G.W. Bitzer |
| Edited by | D. W. Griffith |
Production
company |
David W. Griffith Corp.
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| Distributed by | Epoch Producing Co. |
Release dates
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Running time
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133 minutes[2] (Original release) 190 minutes (at 16 frame/s) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent film English intertitles |
| Budget | $112,000[3] |
| Box office | unknown; estimated $11,000,000[4]–$60,000,000[5] |
The Birth of a Nation
The film chronicles the relationship of two families in Civil War and Reconstruction-US era: the pro-Union Northern Stonemans and the pro-Confederacy Southern Camerons over the course of several years. The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth is dramatized.
The film was a commercial success, but was highly controversial owing to its portrayal of black men (played by white actors in blackface) as unintelligent and sexually aggressive towards white women, and the portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan (whose original founding is dramatized) as a heroic force.[6][7] There were widespread African-American protests against The Birth of a Nation, such as in Boston, while thousands of white Bostonians flocked to see the film.[8] The NAACP spearheaded an unsuccessful campaign to ban the film.[8] Griffith's indignation at efforts to censor or ban the film motivated him to produce Intolerance the following year.[9]
The film is also credited as one of the events that inspired the formation of the "second era" Ku Klux Klan at Stone Mountain, Georgia, in the same year. The Birth of a Nation was used as a recruiting tool for the KKK.[10] Under Democratic President Woodrow Wilson, it was the first motion picture to be screened in the White House.[11][12]
Despite the film's controversial content, Griffith's innovative film techniques make it one of the most important and influential films in film history.[13][14]
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