The Birth of a Nation

Starring:Spottiswoode Aitken, Mary Alden, George Beranger, Elmer Clifton, Miriam Cooper, Donald Crisp, Josephine Crowell, Howard Gaye, Lillian Gish, Robert Harron, Joseph Henabery, Jennie Lee, Ralph Lewis, Walter Long, Mae Marsh, Wallace Reid, George Siegmann, Maxfield Stanley, Henry B. Walthall
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

A pivotal moment in film history. After The Birth of a Nation, nothing was the same: not the way audiences watched movies, not the way filmmakers created them. D.W. Griffith's jumbo-size saga of the Civil War expanded the boundaries of storytelling on the screen, conveying a richer, more complicated (and certainly longer) tale than anyone had seen in a movie before. The delicate relationships, the sad passage of time, the spectacular battle scenes all look as fresh and innovative today as they did in 1915. So do Griffith's brilliant actors, most of them--including favorite leading lady Lillian Gish--drawn from his regular stock company. What has become increasingly problematic about The Birth of a Nation is Griffith's condescending attitude toward black slaves, and the ringing excitement surrounding the founding of the Ku Klux Klan. Griffith, whose political ideas were naive at best, seemed genuinely surprised by the criticism of his masterwork, and for his next project he turned to the humanist preaching of the massive Intolerance. Despite protests, Birth sold more tickets than any other movie, a record that stood for decades, and President Woodrow Wilson famously compared it to "history written in lightning." That judgment has lasted. --Robert Horton

Description

Based on a play called "The Clansmen," D.W. Griffith's three-hour Civil War epic traces the development of the Civil War itself, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan through the lives of two families.

Customer Reviews:

The American "Triumph of Will".......2007-06-14

Viewing this movie is kind of like what it would be to see a sculpture by Michelangelo glorifying rape or verse by Shakespeare aggrandizing murder...

To say today that we cannot recognize the wrongs of the past or their depiction in art or literature is not an elevation of free speech but rather a limitation on our free speech.

We not only have the right but the duty to recognize what was wrong in the past and call it for what it was.

In this film D.W. Griffiths attempted to dramatically portray the justifiable rise of the Ku Klux Klan. Its release and presentation resulted in a sort of segregationist passion play that both spiked Klan membership (which peeked at over a million in the mid 1920s) and reinvigorated violence against African Americans (including a sharp rise in lynchings in the American south).

The film premiered during the administration of Woodrow Wilson who resegregated the American military (which had originally been desegregated under Abraham Lincoln and would not again be desegreated until the administration of Harry S Truman). It accompanied a phenonomenal rolling back of the clock for American egalitarianism and helped set the stage for what would become another fifty years of injustice for African Americans.

To be sure, watch the movie and witness its technical accomplishments. But beware of the evil that occurs when genius is placed in service of madness.

Learn from history to better avoid its errors.

Flawed by weird outlook of Director / Producer, but more timely than 'political-stupidity' of today!.......2007-03-30

The Director / Producer does a good job of this
up-to-the-minute cinematically modern (for it's
day) film, that takes a simpathetic look at the
Southern States. However, his mildly racist and
Pro Masonic proclivities come through as well.

A Pity. The Abe Lincoln in here unfortunatety
look like an 19th century pawn broker, with his
overdone makeup! The KKK part (a racist organi-
zation started by the masonic lodge) is stupid!
They never 'saved' anybody, and the Masonic Lodge
itself (which the KKKluxos Adolphus covered for)
has damned many mens (women's and even Children's
souls - the DeMolays)actually to hell! Still, for
it's time, until the KKKlan KKKlowns come riding
into the pic, is worth the watch. D.W. Griffith
could never get it released today! So get a cheap
VHS copy of it, erase the KKK part from then on
on the film and you have as close to a silent 4
star movie as you ever will. Just git your teeth
on the stereotypical parts of 'buck' dancing
negroes!

A deeply troubling and maybe brilliant film classic.......2007-02-05

D.W. Griffith's THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915) deeply troubles me as a white caucasian. The opening and closing scenes hint at a movie that will make a serious statement against all wars. And the battle scenes in part one, including hospital recovery, are superb. This is a movie that has the power to move and enrage audiences 92 years after it was made, so I consider it an important film classic. I particularly am moved by hero Henry B. Walthall's return home from war to his sweetheart Mae Marsh, the scenes with Abraham Lincoln, and the impeccable re-creation of Ford's Theater on the night Lincoln was shot. Miriam Cooper and Lillian Gish are also unforgettably poignant. So there is a lot to recommend to even black audiences nowadays, mostly in part one.

If only Griffith had stopped at the 85 minute intermission point, he would have had a true masterpiece. What on earth was he thinking in the remaining 100 minutes when he turns the movie into infuriating melodrama and the cinema of propaganda? (The Kino archive print I watched, the definitive one to buy or rent, runs 187 minutes, with color tinting and an orchestra score.) The Civil War is over, and the black characters are in control (and mostly played by white actors in blackface). The blacks are in control of Congress, will not let whites vote, and unwittingly kill the lovely (white) Mae Marsh character.

The logical and needed solution, for Griffith, is to have Walthall form the Ku Klux Klan to avenge his sweetheart's death and let the South not be under the power of the evil and all-powerful blacks. This is when BIRTH OF A NATION becomes the infuriating cinema of propaganda. I found myself getting all worked up and wanting all blacks on screen to meet a violent death. When a whole army of KKK riders faces down a whole street of blacks, you cheer for the KKK to kill all the blacks and restore order. And they eventually do.

BIRTH OF A NATION is a powerful and important film, despite its disturbing racism, because of its vast scope and its brilliant filmmaking. It maintains interest for over three hours, has beautifully drawn and heartbreaking white major characters (again, especially, the three women), stunning battle scenes on a movie determined to make a timely statement to end all wars forever, and parallel cutting between blacks and whites in the admittedly exciting climax. I'm not sure, but I think parallel editing was invented here, along with iris camerawork. (All you see on screen is a circle or some other geometric shape.) And there is again the mammoth length--187 minutes, plus intermission--at a time when Keaton was not yet on screen and Keystone was making 20-25 minute slapstick comedies with Chaplin and Arbuckle. Griffith, with BIRTH, basically invented the modern cinema; and 92 years later we are still arguing over its merits and admittedly finding its pro-KKK climax blood-racingly exciting because of Griffith's melodramatic storytelling. You are not allowed to cheer for the blacks.

The NAACP will not allow BIRTH OF A NATION to be shown theatrically anymore. Too bad. As a white guy I'd love to see it with a predominately black audience. Fortunately, we can still see it on DVD versions ranging from only 90 minutes, to Kino's definitive 187 minute roadshow version with color tinting and an orchestra score. Kino also gives us the 1930 chat with D. W. Griffith and Walter Huston on Griffith's intentions with BIRTH; a 25 minute behind-the-scenes documentary; scenes from the roadshow souvenir program; fascinating legal/censorship records; and several Griffith Civil War shorts he made at Biograph Studios before BIRTH.

Watch BIRTH OF A NATION with a sober head, some intelligence, and in the greatest possible print. 92 years later it is a masterpiece of propaganda that still has the power to enrage, excite, disturb, and move modern audiences as few silent films do.

Genius in the Service of Evil.......2007-01-31

I can't add to the discussions of the repulsive evil represented by this movie or its place in American film history. But I do have two suggestions.

First, buy a longer version of the movie because these contain the complete version. Other versions are shorter because they either contain the much-edited version Griffith re-released in later years or are artificially speeded up to conform to modern frame rates.

Second, read some background on the technical innovations of the film before watching it so that you can appreciate how this movie is THE seminal movie in American film history. You can find some good background material online.

You will be amazed by Griffith's technical genius. But you will also feel you need a moral cleansing after watching his mocking, degrading, violent portrayal of black human beings and glorification of the KKK.

The first motion picture "event".......2007-01-29

"It's like writing history with lightning," President Woodrow Wilson reportedly said after watching D.W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation" at a special White House screening.

Wilson was expressing admiration for both the film and the relatively new technology of the motion picture. Now, "The Birth of a Nation" is as much a part of history as the Civil War it dramatized.

When Orson Welles made "Citizen Kane" in 1941, it is said that he watched many of Griffith's films in the hope of picking up a pointer or two from the man acknowledged as the master of the motion picture medium. With "The Birth of a Nation," Griffith established the narrative approach that is now the norm for motion pictures, with cross-cutting of scenes, as well as close-ups, used to tell the story.

Griffith's masterwork was the first motion picture "event," unequaled until "Gone With the Wind" twenty-four years later. With a running time of 100 minutes in an era when movies were typically half that length, the $2.00 admission charged by theaters was also heftier than audiences of the day were accustomed to.

Historically, the importance of Griffith and "The Birth of a Nation" can not be disputed, but it's doubtful many modern viewers can appreciate Griffith's achievement in anything but its historical context.

It remains the subject of heated controversy for its glowing portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan, which some critics suggest should disqualify Griffith from consideration as a motion picture pioneer. That's nonsense, of course, and those who continue to vilify Griffith and his film, however justly, are doing their cause a disservice. If not for the controversy, "The Birth of a Nation" would likely find an audience only in academia where even film students would likely find it heavy going.

In the decades since Griffith's film impressed Woodrow Wilson, we have become impressed to the point of indifference. "The Birth of a Nation" has not aged well. It is unquestionably a milestone in cinema, but it's not one with the potential to entice a modern audience.

Brian W. Fairbanks

Average customer rating:

For study, not entertainment.
Disturbing Piece of Cinematic History
Let's get this straight!
The evil genius - The Ethical before the Aeshetic my personal answer to the moral dilemna
Birth of a Nation

The Birth of a Nation
Starring: Spottiswoode Aitken , Mary Alden , George Beranger , Elmer Clifton , and Miriam Cooper
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: DVD
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Sunset Boulevard (Special Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B0001EFTRE
Release Date: 2004-03-10

Description

One of the most important and technically advanced films of all time, famed American film pioneer, D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation is well renowned not only for its brilliant cinematography, innovative editing, and superb acting, but also because of its racist portrayal of African Americans and sympathetic depiction of the Ku Klux Klan. Featured on AFI's list of "Best Films of the 20th Century." Includes collectible poster

Customer Reviews:

For study, not entertainment........2007-04-19

It is true that this film was a great leap foward in the technical development of motion pictures. However, D. W. Griffith was too smart a man to NOT know what the story was about (based on "The Clansman", hello). Critics who like the film either already decided that it was a cinema classic before they saw it or are in some way racist themselves. The film is not subtle in how it poorly portrays blacks, and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan is not an unfortunate footnote to the story, it's the Finale! It can't even be said to be a reflection of the time in which it was made because it met with protests when it was released (this at a time when blacks were still second class citizens!). Griffith was a wizard with a camera and the film may be looked at for that, but only that.

Disturbing Piece of Cinematic History.......2007-01-20

Despite the patently racist content of this film, I rate it highly for its innovative film techniques, its effective portrayal of one of the sinister currents in American social/political life, and the fact that it continues to generate heated debate almost a century after it was produced. The content is very disturbing, but it's an important piece of film history to see in order to understand one of the darker sides of America, one that regrettably continues to exist.

Let's get this straight!.......2006-09-29

DW Griffith was amongst the early filmmaking pioneers, the battle scenes set the standard for what would follow in the next several decades.

He was also a southerner full of racist angst with a vehicle to vent his toxic spleen. Not only were many of the present day stereotypes of African Americans either started or reinforced by this film he goes one further and rewrites the outcome of the civil war. Anyone who thinks this is an accurate portrayal of reconstruction and the mission of the KKK is sadly mistaken or prone to the same sort regressive school of thought that denies the holocaust, thinks the native Americans had a chance to fight back, and believes the history of man began 6,000 years ago.

This is actually a great tool for teaching tolerance. When it is presented in the classroom most students can plainly see the contradictions between this film and legitimate history.

Those who do not see the contradiction (versus legitimate history) as obvious need to catch up on some reading and/or have some type of moral reevaluation regarding their thinking.

The evil genius - The Ethical before the Aeshetic my personal answer to the moral dilemna.......2006-05-21

This film is considered a milestone in the history of the Cinema. It employs film narrative techniques which will be tremendously influential on the great period of cinematic development which comes after it. It is at the start of American cinema.
But its ideational base is an evil one, a strong hatred for black Americans informs the work throughout. It thus raises the question of how we properly value the work of 'evil genius'. In this work the glorification of Klansmen , the degrading relation to the Black also raise the question of whether it is possible to watch 'the action' of this work without squirming and feeling uncomfortable. I know I had difficulty even looking at the film for long periods of time. The site of hordes of Hooded Klansman charging angrily forward does not exactly warm my heart.
My own personal answer is that the Ethic must outweight the Aesthetic, and that this work must then be more blamed than praise.

Birth of a Nation.......2006-02-28

Still a great movie after 90 years from when it was produced, a real piece of history.

Average customer rating:

Over simplified, and incomplete
A History of Violence
Israel: Against All Odds

Israel: Birth of a Nation
Starring: Martin Gilbert
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Israel: A Nation Is Born
Against All Odds - Israel Survives: The Complete First Season
Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs
Heritage - Civilization and the Jews
Israel in a Time of Terror

ASIN: B000AABL58
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Description

Sir Martin Gilbert hosts this compelling look at Israel's first three years, featuring never-before-seen footage and eyewitness accounts of the nation's birth.

Customer Reviews:

Over simplified, and incomplete.......2007-01-26

Undoubtedly it's difficult to adequately describe the history of any nation's birth in one 50 minute documentary. The History Channel and Sir Martin Gilbert made a creditable attempt. Yet, the overall result is disappointing.

As another reviewer mentioned, the film is too much comprised of historical footage major War of Independence battles--from before the Nov. 29, 1947 United Nations partition vote, before and after Israel's May 14, 1948 Declaration of Statehood, through the February, March, April and July 1949 Armistice agreements and their aftermath.

The film includes interviews with retired Jewish defenders and survivors of massacres at Kfar Etzion, Mount Scopus (Hadassah Hospital medical convoy, Apr. 13, 1948), Sha'ar HaGai and Yad Mordechai. There is also wonderful 1949 footage of post-war Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and so on shot by Briton Bernard Beecham, who visited specifically to document life in Israel's first days as a sovereign state.

On the down side, the only Arab archival footage was reportedly staged anti-Israel military propaganda. This seems imbalanced.

There are also 1948 clips of Galilee Druze and Negev Bedouins who look happy to have accepted Jewish sovereignty.

But viewers miss any adequate Arab League political or Islamic theological explanations for the refusal to accept a new Arab state alongside the Jewish one. There's only the demand of Transjordanian King Abdullah I--that Israel submit to Muslim rule, or face war.

Also missing are any extant archival radio or news clips of Arab exhortations to flee--or destruction of Israel. Possibly only the news clips survive, but the documentary missed an important opportunity to air them.

Finally, while Jewish immigration from Arab nations is mentioned in passing, the forced exodus of nearly one million Jews from Arab and Muslim nations is not reported here, nor is Israel's absorption of their vast majority. That's unfortunate, since Middle Eastern Jews had lived in Arab and Muslim countries for thousands of years, in the case of Iraq, since long before the coming of Christ.

Birth of a Nation tries, but doesn't adequately present the intricacies of Israel's founding.

A History of Violence.......2006-10-02

I was very disappointed with this film. I had hoped to learn about the "Birth of a Nation" and "prenatal" life in the region. But the entire film is about postnatal fighting.

The film is appropriate for people who find fighting to be glorious - for people who like to keep score of battles and casualties like some kind of sports game.

This ugly film depicted the entire society as being barbaric. In fact it sanctified the barbarism as being something heroic. Surely the beautiful people and the rich culture of this region deserve more than this. Surely the viewers deserve more than this History Channel pandering.

Israel: Against All Odds.......2006-04-11

the most beautiful miracle of hshem took place on may of 1948. israel became a nation once again. for 2000 years israel has been displaced and been scattered through out the nations of the world. this is the most touching,heart warming,and gut renching you will ever see on film. makes you want to sob with so much joy and relief to see the holy people of G'D coming back home to the promised land of avraham, yitzhak,and ya'akov. biblical prophecy has been fulfilled.
yehoshooah is the gratest miracle, his life and ministry, his death, and ressurection. his whole life mirrors (reflects) exactly what happened too ancient israel and the jewish inhabitants. also vice versa israel mirrors the agony, pain, and death and ressurection of our beloved masheeakh yehoshooah.
this movie makes me proud to be jewish, proud to be israeli, and joy in my heart that yehoshooah,the anointed one,and his father in heaven, the holy one of israel, made this all possible that israel would be a nation once again. against all odds israel is still a nation surrounded by arab enemies who want to destroy our country and our people. it is sad to say but true that there are christians who like the arabs feel the same way about us. yet against all odds israel is a nation and a miracle too. bruch hshem (bless G'D) and todah hshem (thank G'D) i know i do every day. i know this film will inspire people.anyone who loves freedom will love this inspiring miracle that came true and was well documented on film. after the agony, suffering,pain, and death of the holocaust joy came afterwards in may of 1948 that joy came when israel became a nation once again. sorrow comes in the evening and joy comes in the morning i have read this in the psalms of king david. the holocaust was the evening and the nation of israel was the morning when joy came to the people.

Griffith Masterworks (The Birth of a Nation / Intolerance / Broken Blossoms / Orphans of the Storm / Biograph Shorts 1909-1913)

Average customer rating:

Stunning DVD Quality
IN RESPONSE TO ART FOR HATES SAKE
Amazing, bravo!
Art for Hate's Sake
A Comment about "His Trust"

Griffith Masterworks (The Birth of a Nation / Intolerance / Broken Blossoms / Orphans of the Storm / Biograph Shorts 1909-1913)
Starring: D.W. Griffith , and Lilian Gish
Manufacturer: Kino Video
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Treasures From American Film Archives - Encore Edition

ASIN: B00007CVSB
Release Date: 2002-12-10

Amazon.com

Although the DVDs included in Griffith Masterworks are available separately, they gain even greater significance in this stupendous boxed-set compilation. The title is no understatement: These four features and 30 short films comprise the crowning achievements in D.W. Griffith's pioneering legacy, spanning the director's progress from cinematic innovator (the Biograph shorts, 1909-13) to his ambitious creation of the controversial epics The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916), and his mastery of the emotionally intense melodramas Broken Blossoms (1919) and Orphans of the Storm (1921). Griffith's artistic growth is evident throughout, as he moves from the static camera of the Biograph years to his groundbreaking development of cinematic grammar including close-ups, parallel editing, and mobile-camera action. The historical importance of these films has long been established; they're available here in the best available condition, carefully preserved with the illuminating perspective of history.

That perspective extends to the set's impressive bonus features, representing an unprecedented wealth of archival material exclusive to these DVDs. Appropriately, The Birth of a Nation is closely examined through vintage and latter-day materials, including a peculiar 1930 prologue featuring Walter Huston and Griffith himself, musing over the film's ongoing battle with censorship; archival documents further examine the charges of racism that plagued the film for decades. Other highlights include Lillian Gish's introduction to Broken Blossoms, filmed for the 1970s TV series The Silent Years; two filmed introductions featuring Orson Welles (for Intolerance and Orphans of the Storm); and a rare look at Griffith acting in the 1908 short "Rescued from the Eagle's Nest." A veritable goldmine for home or classroom viewing, Griffith Masterworks is an essential addition to any collection of classic silent cinema. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Stunning DVD Quality.......2006-11-29

Hi, D.W. Griffith fans. I am not particularly a very big fan of D.W. Griffith, but my aunt knew I liked silents so she got it for me for getting good grades. I was pleased, but COME AWWN! D.W. GRIFFITH IS NOT VERY INTERESTING, EVEN FOR ME, A SILENT-LOVING KID! I woul've preffered IT, starring Clara Bow, but this collection is pretty good. BIRTH OF A NATION is extremely racist. I only reccomend buying this if you've seen some of his work before. It might shock you. I liked INTOLERANCE best. It is a lovely movie with a great story. ALL FILMS IN THIS COLLECTION ARE RESTORED BEAUTIFULLY AND LOOK GREAT! SOME OF THE BEST RESTORATION WORK I'VE EVER SEEN! There are some nice rare Biograph shorts that are work watching. I watch any of these movies on Jan. 22, becuase that is D.W. Griffith's birthday. Did you know that musical movie star June Knight shares his birthday? She is my fave actress, and I reccomend that you watch her movie Brodway Melody of 1936, MY FAVORITE MOVIE, if like musicals and you want to see Robert Taylor sing in a movie for his first and last time.

IN RESPONSE TO ART FOR HATES SAKE.......2006-09-03

THESE FILMS ARE A LOOK AT HISTORY. NOTHING MORE. THEY ARE NOT AN ENDORSEMENT. BUT I GUESS THATS THE KIND OF REACTION WE COULD EXPECT FROM SOME FRUITCAKE FROM SAN FRANCISCO.

Amazing, bravo!.......2006-07-23

Though i am only thirteen i have had a passion for movies ever since i was young and have been increasing my collection (upwards of 400 now) of fantastic movies, this is one of my finest additions. D W Griffiths work may have been racist or one sided but his work changed world film, one of these movies even made the American Film Institute's(AFI) Top One Hundred Films of the past 100 Years ( Birth of a Nation)! All of these movies (except Biograph shorts 1909-1913) made the their way into the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, and for me to find them all together was a dream come true. If you are a movie fan who is interested in the silent film era do yourself a favor and make this fantastic addition to your collection today.
-Movie Man 22

Art for Hate's Sake.......2006-05-26

Why do those who rave about Griffith's cinematography never seem to notice that it was all in the service of racism, Southern sectional mythology, and American exceptionalism? The Birth of a Nation is a pernicious slander on the ex-slaves and the brave few from the north who tried (and failed) to reconstruct the South. Had they succeeded, we wouldn't be lost in the Bushes now. Art MUST be judged on its message as well as its manners. I notice, by the way, that even Disney has shown some signs of shame over the studio's unabashed racism of yesteryear; The Song of the South (Uncle Remus tales) is NOT available. I'm not urging censorship of Griffith, nor of Gone With The Wind and other pernicious propaganda films, any more than repression of Leni Reifenstahl's Triumph of the Will. I merely want the next generation of film critics to be appropriately aghast.

A Comment about "His Trust".......2006-04-10

"His Trust" was the fourth of Griffith's first seven Civil War Shorts. Actually there were only six, "His Trust" was the only two-reeler and against Griffith's wishes Biograph released it serially, calling the second reel "His Trust Fulfilled". It lacks the charm of the remaining five shorts and is painfully cornball in comparison to most of Griffith's Biograph work.

Wilfred Lucus (in blackface) plays George, a faithful Negro servant entrusted by his owner with the welfare of his wife and young daughter when he goes off to fight for the South. Predictibly the owner dies in a nicely staged battle sequence, union soldiers burn the mansion in a poorly staged arson sequence, and George rescues the daughter and his master's sword. The daughter grows up in George's cabin. In the second reel George pays for her education at a seminary, and resists the temptation to steal when his money runs out. She eventually marries her "cousin" (seriously) and George gets to keep the sword.

Although a rather weak story, "His Trust" is significant for several reasons. It's subject, a southern family reduced to poverty by the war mirrors Griffith's own situation. Griffith's father served in Kentucky's "Orphan Brigade" during the Civil War and the family never really recovered from the financial setbacks that resulted.

It's hero, a "good Negro", is portrayed affectionately-if somewhat patronizingly; a precursor of what was to come in "Birth of a Nation".

Finally, "His Trust" was Griffith's first foray outside the world of single reel shorts. Griffith was pressing Biograph for funding to do longer films. Other studios had already released the five reel "Life of Moses", a four reel "Les Miserables", and a three reel version of "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Biograph's resistance to the concept of longer films would eventually be a factor in Griffith's split with his original studio, a production house that owed its #1 reputation to Griffith's vision and innovation.

Even in 1910 Griffith seemingly had grasped the change that was taking place as feature length films would not be released serially but would play as extended showings in legitimate theaters.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Average customer rating:

Birth of A Nation: a devastating commentary on the KKK

Birth Of A Nation
Starring: Lillian Gish; Henry B. Walthall; Mae Marsh; Mirian Cooper
Director: D.W. Griffith
Manufacturer: Reel Enterprises
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The Birth of a Nation
Intolerance (1916) (Silent) (B&W)
The Grapes of Wrath
Battleship Potemkin
Amistad

ASIN: B000KJTBVA
Release Date: 2006-11-13

Description

The first true film, a lavish Civil War epic in which Griffith virtually invented the basics of film grammar. Two brothers, Phil and Ted Stoneman, visit their friends in Piedmont, South Carolina: the family Cameron. This friendship is affected by the Civil War, as the Stonemans and the Camerons must join up opposite armies. The consequences of the War in their lives are shown in connection to major historical events, like the development of the Civil War itself, Lincoln's assassination, and the birth of the Klu Klux Klan. Still a rouser, and of great historical interest. Silent with music score. Battle scenes and reconstruction period recreated along with touching scenes of family reunion.

Customer Reviews:

Birth of A Nation: a devastating commentary on the KKK.......2007-03-31

Birth of a Nation is director D.W. Griffith's powerful but violently controversial masterwork depicting the post-U.S. Civil War experiences of two families, the Stonehams of Pennsylvania and the Camerons of Virginia. The Stonehams (fictional replacements for the very real Radical Republican Congressman Thaddeus Stephens and his family) revel in the North's victory and the imposition of abolitionist policies in the South. The Camerons are depicted as put-upon defeated Southerners trying desperately to preserve the beliefs and morality of the Old South. Portrayed as victims of Northern aggression, the Camerons are beset by newly freed slaves who threaten their lives and livelihoods, including attempting a rape (a controversial subject in 1915 film making) by a former slave of one of the Cameron daughters. Riding to the "rescue" of Southern womanhood is the "heroic" Ku Klux Klan, Hell-bent on preserving the South and driving out the invading Northern carpetbaggers and subjugating the newly freed slaves.

The debates that have raged over this film have focused on the depiction of the KKK as a heroic organization and of Northerners as aggressive and vicious conquerers, equating all Northerners with the barbaric hordes who destroyed "noble" Rome. Controversy has focused on whether Southern-born Griffiths was himself a racist and deliberately depicted the KKK in a positive light or was the film meant to be an ironic rendering of Thomas Dixon's racist play, "The Clansman" There can be no denying that "Birth of A Nation" is a powerful film about a violent period in post-Civil War US history. It is a film that bears watching, not only for the story of the film itself but also for it's reflections of the virulent racism present in US society in the years prior to the US entry into WWI.

[...].

The Birth of a Nation & The Civil War Films of D.W. Griffith

Average customer rating:

The American "Triumph of Will"
Flawed by weird outlook of Director / Producer, but more timely than 'political-stupidity' of today!
A deeply troubling and maybe brilliant film classic
Genius in the Service of Evil
The first motion picture "event"

The Birth of a Nation & The Civil War Films of D.W. Griffith
Starring: Spottiswoode Aitken , Mary Alden , George Beranger , Elmer Clifton , and Miriam Cooper
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Civil War | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00007CVS7
Release Date: 2002-12-10

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

The American "Triumph of Will".......2007-06-14

Flawed by weird outlook of Director / Producer, but more timely than 'political-stupidity' of today!.......2007-03-30

A deeply troubling and maybe brilliant film classic.......2007-02-05

Genius in the Service of Evil.......2007-01-31

The first motion picture "event".......2007-01-29

Average customer rating:

Birth of a Nation Silent Film Plus Bo
Starring: Spottiswood Aitken , Mary Alden , Monte Blue , Miriam Cooper , and Josephine Crowell
Director: D.W. Griffith
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

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Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Art House & International | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Drama | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Art House & International | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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Intolerance: A Sun Play of the Ages
The Birth of a Nation
Battleship Potemkin
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
The Birth of a Nation

ASIN: B0007TFIFG
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Average customer rating:

The American "Triumph of Will"
Flawed by weird outlook of Director / Producer, but more timely than 'political-stupidity' of today!
A deeply troubling and maybe brilliant film classic
Genius in the Service of Evil
The first motion picture "event"

The Birth of a Nation
Starring: Spottiswoode Aitken , Mary Alden , George Beranger , Elmer Clifton , and Miriam Cooper
Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Civil War | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Battleship Potemkin
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
City Lights (2 Disc Special Edition)
Modern Times (2 Disc Special Edition)
Metropolis (Restored Authorized Edition)

ASIN: B00005J75F
Release Date: 2001-05-08

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

The American "Triumph of Will".......2007-06-14

Flawed by weird outlook of Director / Producer, but more timely than 'political-stupidity' of today!.......2007-03-30

A deeply troubling and maybe brilliant film classic.......2007-02-05

Genius in the Service of Evil.......2007-01-31

The first motion picture "event".......2007-01-29

Average customer rating:

The Birth of a Nation
Starring: Spottiswood Aitken , Mary Alden , Monte Blue , Miriam Cooper , and Josephine Crowell
Director: D.W. Griffith
Manufacturer: Miracle Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Intolerance
Battleship Potemkin
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Way Down East

ASIN: B00023BLR6
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Average customer rating:

Terrific value

Abraham Lincoln / Birth of A Nation
Starring: Walter Houston; Lillian Gish
Director: D.W. Griffith
Manufacturer: Miracle Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

You Are There: Abraham Lincoln's Greatest Moments: The Emancipation Proclamation/The Gettysburg Add

ASIN: B000AMPQH0
Release Date: 2003-03-03

Customer Reviews:

Terrific value.......2006-11-06

This is probably the greatest dvd ever put out by one of those suggested
list price of one dollar companies. The prints on this disc aren't great - there are better - but they are actually not too lousy either; worse
prints have certainly floated through before and apparently after this
disc appeared. Aside from scene selection, though, there is nothing extra
on this dual-layer, two-sided disc. Considering, however, what the two
features are, this is obviously a must-have for anyone into building a comprehensive movie library. And since precious few who actually do buy this dvd to just see what all the controversy with "Birth Of A Nation" was
about and then actually sit through both films will ever return to either again, a dollar or two spent for both seems a very logical purchase.
Not that either of these films were ever his best work. 1915's "Birth Of A Nation" didn't really advance D.W. Griffith's art very far; he'd already mastered everything found in here with his last round or two of Biograph films. And indeed, there are several glaring continuity errors (the reappearance of a character already killed, for example) and many just plain incoherent shots. And the film's defiant 19th century white southerner viewpoint is appalling, obviously. Yet the film is definitely
fascinating as well; Griffith was indeed the master of directors when
inspired, and this film, while terribly flawed, is often truly inspired.
"Abraham Lincoln", however, is a different animal entirely, despite being
basically an extension of several scenes from the earlier film. This was
Griffith's first all-sound film, and is overall disappointing. While it's
generally true that he produced very little after 1924's masterpiece "Isn't Life Wonderful?" that compared to his earlier periods,
this is the most frustrating of them all, because this one has potential all over it; and while it seems ready to develop into Griffith classical
melodrama, it is somehow at odds with the main point of the film. Much like his earlier historical "America", much feels stilted and dry, and noone really gives an excellent performance; but at least "America" had Griffith's final significant leading lady, Carole Dempster. "Abraham Lincoln" does have several superb scenes, but an equal number of very boring and stiff scenes as well. The movie did some business but received an apathetic critical response, and for once, the critics weren't completely wrong.
The director would redeem himself on his next and final piece, 1931's "The Struggle", one of his greatest films which saw a shocking resumption of his peak powers. In retrospect, though; at the time it was a critical and commercial disaster and went largely unseen until Kino's great video release around the mid '90's (no dvd release by anyone I can tell as of the end of 2006).
And obviously having "The Struggle", Griffith's only other sound film, on this disc would be infinitely a better and more logical film set, what is on here is still, undeniably, classic stuff. Being as the prints used are pretty decent, for a mere one or two bucks you can get them on one dvd. Thats pretty awesome; and they are of course sold separately for similar bargain prices. The best introduction to Griffith as far as art is concerned would be 1916's "Intolerance", and Delta has a great, near-Kino
definitive print on dvd titled "Intolerance: A Sun Play Of The Ages". Usually sold around five or six dollars, this particular edition is rarely seen anywhere physically but is easily acquired on the web. This particular dvd copy of "Abraham Lincoln"/"Birth Of A Nation" is usually
easy to come across in store bargain bins, and preferable in fact to a couple of other issues with similar prices so try to get this release online if you can't find it locally.

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