Movies - The Birth of a Nation

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	Movies - The Birth of a Nation

The Birth of a Nation was one of the most popular films of the silent era. Its innovative techniques made it an important silent film. However, the film glorified slavery and provided historical justification for segregation and disfranchisement of African American people.

The film is highly controversial but also a technically innovative silent film directed by D. W. Griffith, based on Thomas Dixon's novels The Clansman (also a play) and The Leopard's Spots. It was released in 1915 and has been credited with securing the future of feature length films (any film over an hour in length) as well as solidifying the codes of film language. The film premiered on February 8, 1915 in Los Angeles, California under the title The Clansman, but was retitled at its world premiere in New York three months later.

The title was changed from The Clansman to The Birth of a Nation to reflect the filmmakers' belief that before the American Civil War, the United States was a loose coalition of states antagonistic toward each other, and that the Northern victory over the breakaway states in the South finally bound the states under one national authority.

The film's controversy is in its premise that the Ku Klux Klan arose to restore order to the post-war South, as it was "endangered" by "uncontrollable" African American denizens and their allies, abolitionists, mulattos and carpetbagging Republican politicians from the North. Though popular and lucrative, the film drew significant protest upon its release. Premieres of the film were widely protested by the newly founded NAACP. Griffith was surprised by the harsh criticism. The Birth of a Nation has been linked to the second emergence of the Ku Klux Klan, which was revived the year of the film's release after a period of virtual non-existence since the 1870s. (Although this point is debated).

Until The Big Parade
surpassed it in 1925, The Birth of a Nation was the highest grossing film, taking in more than $10 million at the box office (what would be $180 million in 2006). It is still studied by film and cultural historians alike, and in 1992 the United States Library of Congress deemed it "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Cast

Sam De Grasse
Lillian Gish
Robert Harron
Mae Marsh
Miriam Cooper
Wallace Reid
Henry B. Walthall
Mary Alden
Elmer Clifton
Josephine Crowell
Kevin Flavin
Robert Cheek
Hamilton Mitchell

Production

The Birth of a Nation pioneered such techniques as deep focus, jump-cut, and facial close-up, which are now considered integral to the industry. It also contains many new cinematic innovations, special effects, and artistic techniques, including a color sequence at the end. It shattered box office records at the time and was also the longest film to date. For these reasons, it was voted one of the "Top 100 American Films" (# 44) by the American Film Institute in 1998.

Griffith based the script on the novel The Clansman by Thomas Dixon. He agreed to pay $10,000 for the rights, but ran out of money and could only afford $2,500 of the original option. For the balance, he offered Dixon 25 percent interest in the picture. Dixon reluctantly agreed. At the time, Dixon's proceeds were the largest sum any author received for a motion-picture story - several million dollars.

Although the film made use of some black actors, some were played in blackface. In particular, any actor who was to come in contact with a white actress was played in blackface. For example, the Camerons' maid is both white and obviously male.

Griffith's budget started at $40,000, but the film ultimately cost $110,000 ($2,000,000 in 2006). As a result, Griffith constantly had to seek new sources of capital for his film. A ticket to the film cost a record $2 ($36 in 2006). However, it remained the most profitable film of all time until it was dethroned by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
(1937).

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for The Birth of a Nation ]

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