Review of The Birth of a Nation (1915) by Ivan M — 03 May 2012

The public still struggle to talk frankly about D.W. Griffith's 1915 epic, "The Birth Of A Nation", almost a century since it was released. We hugely respect the fact that it defined cinema as a genuine art form and constructed the bare conventions of a film that we've thought of as essential ever since, yet people are uneasy to give it the praise it deserves as it is also based on one of the most viciously racist stories ever written.

The film itself is not so much racist in its entirety as it is in its portrayal of events. A feature of editing that Griffith made popular is the trick of showing somebody in trouble, then cutting to someone on their way to rescue them, then cutting back to the one in danger, then back to the saviour and so on.

This is a feature that is extremely prominent in Birth Of A Nation, and one of the reasons people get so angry with this film is that nearly every time it's used, the victim is a vulnerable caucasian being menaced by a vicious black man, and in one of the most famous scenes in the film, Griffith cuts to a large group of heroic Ku Kux Klan members rushing to save the day.

None of these controversial portrayals are explicitly stated. We are merely angry with ourselves while watching, because what comes before the infamous climax conditions us to be rooting for the Klan.

We find ourselves excited by the suspense and we do get a picture of the KKK having noble intentions, which makes us want to sweep this disgraceful masterpiece under the carpet and ignore it. We must think of the mindset of the general public back in 1915, and respect the good points of the movie.

A difficult watch, but I am extremely proud to say I've watched it and I look at it as one of the most technically impressive films of all time.