The Birth Of A Nation 20/20 (1915)
Uploaded by: hollywoodclassics
Video Description:
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.
Watch all my channels:
http://youtube.com/hollywoodclassics
http://youtube.com/classicanimation
http://youtube.com/dancefrenzy
http://youtube.com/classicdocumentaries
http://youtube.com/vintagecommercials
http://youtube.com/classicsoundbox
http://youtube.com/videomiscellany
Tags for this video: Alden B. Cooper D.W. Gish Griffith Henry Lewis Lillian Mae Marsh Mary Miriam Ralph Walthall
Find more videos in the "Film" category
See more videos uploaded by hollywoodclassics
| DW GRIFFITH JUDITH OF BETHULIA 1913 | The Birth Of A Nation 1/20 (1915) | The Birth Of A Nation 2/20 (1915) |
 |  |  |
| The Birth Of A Nation 3/20 (1915) | The Birth Of A Nation 5/20 (1915) | The Birth Of A Nation 4/20 (1915) |
 |  |  |
Share This Video:
Comments for this video: Show || Hide
Tell a friend:
...Like then and now, Afro African blacks are free to MIGRATE BACK to Africa to build their own beautiful and powerful country! But they refuse to enjoy their own rich Indigenous African culture, language, history, religion (not the Christian, Muslim, Judaism religions but their own Afro African black religions),and all its potential!...very sad!
Hence, I don't need to go back to Europe because this is the New (European) World! However, the truth is that Afro African blacks refuse to learn about their indigenous identity; they only want to learn and enter into the European white society and when they can't or are rejected they WHINE and CRY discrimination, etc.
It's funny how the mind works. An enlightened person watch this movie and immediately understand how ridicules the message this film tries to convey. The bigots watch it and all they can see is justification for their hate. "Fanaticism and ignorance is forever busy and needs feeding"
2)Despite many people - ignorant of history - say,I came to the conclusion that the forming of KKK in the specific period (1865-1870) was rather necessary.One has to disagree with their methods,of course. The main responsible for the atrocities of both sides are always the radicals (e.g. Stoneman in the movie) who like to manipulate the masses for their own purposes.