Review of The Birth of a Nation (1915) by Jason M — 27 Jan 2016

The Birth Of A Nation is monumental as the 1st feature-length film of all time. It is a giant feat as in 1915, there was not much precedence in film-making that D.W. Griffiths could lean on. This film broke the initial ground for Hollywood and set the standard that we still follow today. This is similar to the Beatles and perhaps Elvis before them, largely popularizing the standard 4-piece rock band and 2-4 minute rock song.

Many audience critics give this film a negative rating due to its racist tones. This should not be the basis of a film review. The context of that time is different than today. There is much rubbish considered art in the last 25 years that will be reflected on negatively 75 years from now. This film is 100 years old. It is a piece of history and defined the full length movie genre that we are all here writing about.

The Birth Of A Nation is based on the novel "The Clansman" about the purported role of the Ku Klux Klan in re-establishing the South after the American Civil War. D.W. Griffith should not be considered racist for his adaption of this novel into film. The depictions of blacks and carpetbaggers are eye-opening today, but the sentiment would have been strong during the Reconstruction era of the South. The Clansman novel glorifies the KKK. The Birth Of A Nation adapts the novel. Griffiths' legacy should not be punished as this film's source material is not his. I cannot understand why so many audience reviewers have come to this film to bash, yet "Triumph Of The Will", an exaltation of Adolph Hitler, enjoys a 75% audience rating?

As a work of art, it stands strong as a model by which all movies have borrowed from and cinema has largely grown from. This is the genesis of the form and should be applauded as such.