The Birth of a Nation: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''"Classic or not, ''Birth of a Nation'' has long been one of the embarrassments of film scholarship. It can't be ignored ... and yet it was regarded as outrageously racist even at a time when racism was hardly a household word.''"~~|'''Andrew Sarris'''}}~~

{{quote|''"Classic or not, ''Birth of a Nation'' has long been one of the embarrassments of film scholarship. It can't be ignored ... and yet it was regarded as outrageously racist even at a time when racism was hardly a household word.''"

|'''Andrew Sarris'''}}

{{quote|"Despite Birth's blatant glorification of the KKK and depiction of black Americans as wild animals, this movie still ... nope, we're not finishing that sentence. On one hand, it pioneered concepts like actually moving the cameras and using rapid cuts, and you're probably still seeing its influence in movies today. On the other hand, ''everything else about it.''"~~|'''Cracked''', [http://www.cracked.com/article_19826_6-iconic-scenes-ripped-off-from-lesser-known-movies_p2.html 6 Iconic Scenes Ripped Off From Lesser Known Movies]}}~~

{{quote|"Despite Birth's blatant glorification of the KKK and depiction of black Americans as wild animals, this movie still ... nope, we're not finishing that sentence. On one hand, it pioneered concepts like actually moving the cameras and using rapid cuts, and you're probably still seeing its influence in movies today. On the other hand, ''everything else about it.''"

|'''[[Cracked.com]]'''|[http://www.cracked.com/article_19826_6-iconic-scenes-ripped-off-from-lesser-known-movies_p2.html 6 Iconic Scenes Ripped Off From Lesser Known Movies]}}

A 1915 silent movie directed by D.W. Griffith, starring famous silent film actress [[Lillian Gish]], and one of Hollywood's first great "epic" films.

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Being one of the first feature films ever, The Birth of a Nation introduced, refined, and popularized zillions of tropes, and is considered one of the most groundbreaking films ever. But it is also extremely controversial - its view of Reconstruction is one that promotes white supremacy and that glorifies the KKK. Not surprisingly, one of President [[Woodrow Wilson]]'s favorite films (Wilson segregated the Navy and introduced Jim Crow laws to Washington, DC). Even he had to distance himself from his praise of the film eventually, though.

''The Birth of a Nation'' was added to the [[National Film Registry]] in 1992 - the same year that the counterbalancing ''[[Within Our Gates]]'' was added to the Registry.

''The Birth of a Nation'' was added to the [[National Film Registry]] in 1992 - the same year that the counterbalancing ''[[Within Our Gates]]'' was added to the Registry and three years after Griffith's later work ''[[Intolerance]]'' was listed.

This film is in the public domain and can be viewed in its entirety at [http://www.youtube.com/movie?v=FbYXF5HmEds Youtube].