3: The Birth of a Nation

1915/USA  190m  Dir: D.W. Griffith   Key Cast: Lillian Gish   

Based on: The Clansman by Thomas F. Dixon Jr.

This is a really difficult review to write. The Birth of a Nation is both a hugely significant film but it's also a piece of horrible racist propaganda. 

The first half of the film is actually great. It tells the story of the American Civil War excellently with some superb battle sequences that for a film released in 1915 are stunning. It also depicts the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and does so excellently- it tells you the date and that it's the Ford Theater so you know what is coming but everyone is just going about their business until the assassination takes place. 

In terms of film-making, the film was revolutionary. It was the first 12-reel film and the longest to date, it had an intermission and a musical score for an orchestra. Using hundreds of extras was a new thing too and D.W. Griffith pioneered many film techniques we recognised today like close-ups and fade-outs. Whatever your views on the film, it's undeniably a landmark in cinema history. 

But then you come to the second half where things become deeply uncomfortable. The film promotes the 'Lost Cause' ideology that advocates the belief that the cause of the Confederate States during the Civil War was a just one. It gradually builds from portraying African Americans as stupid and sexually aggressive to the KKK being portrayed as a heroic force required to preserve American values. 

I don't think you can ever justify this portion of the film. Some argue that the racism comes more from Thomas Dixon Jr. who wrote the novel the film is based on but even if director D.W. Griffith didn't agree with those views he didn't push against them in any way. The KKK had disbanded but re-formed within a few months of the film's release- you can argue that this may not be a causal link but it's difficult to look past the idea that this film didn't influence this at all. 

I'm left feeling hugely conflicted. The fact it's such a brilliantly well-made film conflicts with the fact that it's obscene. Critic Richard Brody wrote that "The worst thing about The Birth of a Nation is how good it is" and I understand what he means. If it had been a terrible film telling the same story it would have been forgotten but it's not meaning it's a film that gained a wide audience for a hundred years. 

Were I to ignore the racist nature of this film and focus on the film-making prowess I'd say it was great but there's no way I can ignore the actual content of the film.