The Birth of a Nation (1915)

Somehow YouTube has labeled someone else's more recent upload of this public domain film as "official" simply because it has ads in it.
Pretty much owning the title Best Movie Ever Made, this three hour epic silent drama with racist overtones is easily among the most influential films ever, and one of the very first feature length American films ever, and the original blockbuster.

D. W. Griffith later attempted to redeem himself from the racism alligations by making Intolerance (1916), and as soon as I find a copy of that with public domain music, I will upload that too.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• david
• llewelyn
• wark
• griffith
• silent
• film
• public
• domain
• ku
• klux
• klan
• kkk
• epic
• the
• birth
• of
• nation
• 1915
• part
• full
• movie

[nextproject90]

Thanks for posting this movie. Whether you like it or not it will always create great conversations when brought up. Would like to know if anyone has filed any copyrights infringement action against you for posting these? Not trying to be nosy but several other channels are having a lot of problems with it right now. Naively thought public domain meant exactly that.

[apehodet]

@nextproject90 i uploaded plan 9 from outer space, and someone who made a radio play adaptation of the movie claimed they owned the original audio track.

the videos i've uploaded of these are of pretty mediocre quality because they come from genuinely public domain sources, as opposed to the higher quality transfers on the dvds/blu-rays i also own.

[SmurfTheCool]

Someone please tell me why this movie is praised .

[apehodet]

@SmurfTheCool because this film is on a technical level and a storytelling level that way decades ahead of its time. it was the first feature film that could be referred to as a piece of art, and it is directly or indirectly influential to all working filmmakers. it was also the first blockbuster - sixty years before jaws. it is also seen as a notoriously racist film and an historical account of a world view that far too many people shared.

[SoulOfTheGeneration]

As an African American, I will go on record by saying that this film is greatly important not only in recalling actual feelings and beliefs of some Americans in history but to remind and teach this and future generations the realities of the past in hopes that they not be repeated, some may agree with my comments and some may not, but I believe that all people should have access to proper information regarding history from various sources so that THE INDIVIDUAL may choose his/her path in life

[RosPratch]

I gave this upload thumbs down for the simple reason that it does not feature the original score composed and arranged by Joseph Carl Breil.

[virtuvianTrace]

@SmurfTheCool white racists are the only ones who praise it. i'm black and i praise it because i can show my friend's who doubt me when i tell them how vile and hateful whites actually are,there's no extent they won't go to to demonize any group that's not white. It's almost comical actually, that this is the childlike way they view other humans. Very surreal but nonetheless, yes there are some people that may call themselves intelligent that think of the black diaspora in this way.

[marqtheone]

@WN4723 Cry more. No one is going around killing Whites over a movie. White people still are getting their shine in the movies....Go watch The Help and tell me if anything has changed.

[terrfomp92]

I'm taking a U.S. History in Film class and we watched this movie. Actually we watched three quarters of it. As great of a movie as it is, I couldn't imagine sitting through all three hours of it.

[GreyLittleKitten]

That awkward moment when you feel like hugging Lincoln.. but don´t do it.

[mirnaguerrero1968]

ESTA PELICULA tiene valor en la HISTORIA del cine ...porque Griffith es maestro en la sistematización del lenguaje cinematográfico. De ahí en más, NADIE puede negar el carácter RACISTA del contenido y la forma. Un caso más de un genio EN SUS CIRCUNSTANCIAS HISTÓRICO ESPACIALES...

[nextproject90]

Went on to read all of these racism comments. It was pretty clear to me what the overall problem is and it does not have a thing to do with race. It is about how we have ALL turned our backs on GOD and we dont even love the people in our own race anymore or GOD. So how could we possibly love someone from another race? This is not a color issue. It is about the fact that most people are walking around filled with hate in general.