Review of The Birth of a Nation (1915) by Hiatt N — 25 Aug 2012

I will open this review with a few remarks: I am not a racist. I am not a Klan sympathizer. I am as far to the left as you can go without being socialist. I have little to no interest in American History under recreational circumstances.

I should hate this film. I have absolutely no investment in it: it's a highly racist portrayal of American history and the Ku Klux Klan with a strong right slant. But I think it's one of the greatest movies ever made.

It's an absolutely flooring work of film art. The battle and chase scenes are among the best ever filmed, and when you consider the year of its release, they're all the more stunning. As film entertainment, it succeeds spectacularly: I barely stirred for three silent hours.

Morally, however, I have extreme problems with this movie. I felt as though I was going to be sick at several points, and more than once my conscience contemplated suicide. But it's an unavoidable, unmissable entry into film history, forever stained by racism but forever enduring for its brilliance and pure power.

I can't think of one word to sum up how I feel about the film, so I won't. Don't see it if you don't want to struggle with a moral complex for the rest of your life.