The Birth of a Nation (1915) [HD] - Lillian Gish

D. W. Griffith's film chronicles the relationship between two families, the Northern Stonemans and the Southern Camerons, through the anarchy of the American Civil War and Reconstruction. Events during the Civil War, Lincoln's assassination and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan are all dramatised.
The Birth of a Nation has been lauded as groundbreaking for its innovative film techniques. Of far less credit is its blatantly racist portrayal of African-American men and heroic depiction of the Ku Klux Klan, for which it has received widespread criticism. Its premiere was protested by the NAACP and incited riots in several major cities. The outcry led Griffith to produce the film Intolerance the following year.
Roger Ebert:
"To understand "The Birth of a Nation" we must first understand the difference between what we bring to the film, and what the film brings to us. All serious moviegoers must sooner or later arrive at a point where they see a film for what it is, and not simply for what they feel about it. "The Birth of a Nation" is not a bad film because it argues for evil. Like Riefenstahl's "The Triumph of the Will," it is a great film that argues for evil. To understand how it does so is to learn a great deal about film, and even something about evil."
Director: D. W. Griffith
Cast: Lillian Gish as Elsie Stoneman, Mae Marsh as Flora Cameron, Henry Walthall as Colonel Ben Cameron, Miriam Cooper as Margaret Cameron
Intolerance
Films by D. W. Griffith
Essential silent films
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