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The Birth Of A Nation 7/20 (1915)

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hollywoodclassics
March 11, 2008

Two brothers, Phil and Ted Stoneman, visit their friends in Piedmont, South Carolina: the family Cameron. This friendship is affected by the Civil War, as the Stonemans and the Camerons must join up opposite armies. The consequences of the War in their lives are shown in connection to major historical events, like the development of the Civil War itself, Lincoln's assassination, and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.
A controversial, explicitly racist, but landmark American film masterpiece.
The domestic melodrama/epic originally premiered with the title The Clansman in February, 1915 in Los Angeles, California, but three months later was retitled with the present title at its world premiere in New York, to emphasize the birthing process of the US. The film was based on former North Carolina Baptist minister Rev. Thomas Dixon Jr.'s anti-black, 1905 bigoted melodramatic staged play, The Clansman.
Its release set up a major censorship battle over its vicious, extremist depiction of African Americans, although Griffith naively claimed that he wasn't racist at the time. Unbelievably, the film is still used today as a recruitment piece for Klan membership - and in fact, the organization experienced a revival and membership peak in the decade immediately following its initial release. And the film stirred new controversy when it was voted into the National Film Registry in 1993, and when it was voted one of the "Top 100 American Films" (at # 44) by the American Film Institute in 1998.
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. 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.
The subject matter of the film caused immediate criticism by the newly-created National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for its racist and "vicious" portrayal of blacks, its proclamation of miscegenation, its pro-Klan stance, and its endorsement of slavery. As a result, two scenes were cut (a love scene between Reconstructionist Senator and his mulatto mistress, and a fight scene). But the film continued to be renounced as "the meanest vilification of the Negro race." Riots broke out in major cities (Boston, Philadelphia, among others), and it was denied release in many other places (Chicago, Ohio, Denver, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Minneapolis, eight states in total). Subsequent lawsuits and picketing tailed the film for years when it was re-released (in 1924, 1931, and 1938).
The resulting controversy only helped to fuel the film's box-office appeal, and it became a major hit. Even President Woodrow Wilson during a private screening at the White House is reported to have enthusiastically exclaimed: "It's like writing history with lightning. And my only regret is that it is all terribly true." To his credit, Griffith later (by 1921) released a shortened, re-edited version of the film without references to the KKK.
This is a film which every movie buff really does need to see, for two reasons. 1) It shows how far the movie making process has come, and gives us all a way to truly appreciate some of the other early films, and how far the moviemaking technology advanced between 1915 and the 1930's. and 2) It also allows us the chance to appreciate just how conflicted our society has always been, not just today. Many of the other reviewers have labeled this film as racist garbage, but it truly does represent one group's view of society at the time, and gives us a great way to understand some of the driving factors behind the race relations problems we would have later. In particular, during the Civil Rights battles that would take place during the 1950's and 60's in the deep South.
Part 8 - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=o1gVm1g...
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Category: Film & Animation

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D.W. Griffith Lillian Gish Mae Marsh Henry B. Walthall Miriam Cooper Mary Alden Ralph Lewis

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quetou (1 month ago) Show Hide

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Wow, look how much Alfrunk hates black people. You think he's going to be ok for the next 7 years?

edavismookie25 (1 month ago) Show Hide

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Your right my friend. BTW I am white and total agree with you and so does Alexis d'Toqueville who came to this country in 1835 from France and was amazed at how blacks were treated.

"The European(white race) is to the other races(particularly blacks) what mankind is to animals himself. When he can't subdue or make him subservient to him (slavery) he seeks to destroy him"

-Alexis d' Toquville Democracy in America 1835

MackerelCat (2 months ago) Show Hide

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OH god you are all so pathetic, frankly it is an embarassment.

Alfrunk (2 months ago) Show Hide

-3

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Quiet wigger

tomitstube (2 months ago) Show Hide

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wazz matter alfuck, the world going to fast for you? a black man, or in the case of this ignorant move, a "mulatto" is now the president of the united states. and in less than two generations after the civil rights movement. and you witnessed the whole thing! haha! couldn't stop it could you racist? you can't. the world's past you knuckle draggers by. so long racist idiot.

Alfrunk (2 months ago) Show Hide

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Quiet Toby, go get a shovel and dig a ditch somewhere. Obama's proven himself to be an idiot and will not be re elected. I guess the world was moving too fast for your ape-like intellect when Condi Rice was secretary of state, huh? I know logic isn't your strong point, but you might want to think about how stupid you look changing your obsession about race to one of ideology when it suits you. Thank god your people don't have souls!

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edavismookie25 (1 month ago) Show Hide

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You are an idiot and a embarrasment to the white race. Thank God you are a dying breed. BTW I am white. And if Obama is an idiot I guess George W. Bush is the most intelligent human being in your eyes. You are right President Obama should have all of the worlds problems solved by now right? He's been in office since January right? He has to clean up the pass administrations errors right? What an complete moron you are. People like you need to be shipped off to a deserted island where you can't

edavismookie25 (1 month ago) Show Hide

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reproduce for the sake of humanity.

tomitstube (2 months ago) Show Hide

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well of course you're right, it's like maureen dowd said, there's a segment of the population who will never except a black man as their prez. it's been one ignorant protest after the other. the sad thing is, these idiots are willing to sell this country down the river for their skin color, all the while pretending to be "patriots". it's enough to make you sick. the good thing is, they're increasingly becoming a smaller minority.

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The Birth Of A Nation 7/20 (1915)

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