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* SpiritualAntithesis: Thomas Dixon Jr. described ''The Clansman'', the novel this film was based on, as "a sequel" to ''Literature/UncleTomsCabin'' by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Whereas that book was Stowe's denunciation of the un-Christian evil and barbarism of slavery, ''The Clansman'' was Dixon railing against the disaster that he saw in the ''end'' of slavery, with the Ku Klux Klan presented as heroes doing their best to restore what they could of the old order. Gus has often been described as a dark mirror of Uncle Tom; whereas Uncle Tom is a paragon of Christian morality who dies a martyr by refusing to give away the whereabouts of two slaves he helped escape, Gus is a violent rapist who gets what he has coming through a VigilanteExecution courtesy of the Klan.
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* SpiritualAntithesis: Thomas Dixon Jr. described ''The Clansman'', the novel this film was based on, as "a sequel" to ''Literature/UncleTomsCabin'' by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Whereas that book was Stowe's denunciation of the un-Christian evil and barbarism of slavery, ''The Clansman'' was Dixon railing against the disaster that he saw in the ''end'' of slavery, with the Ku Klux Klan presented as heroes doing their best to restore what they could of the old order. Gus has often been described as a dark mirror CorruptedCharacterCopy of Uncle Tom; whereas Uncle Tom is a paragon of Christian morality who dies a martyr by refusing to give away the whereabouts of two slaves he helped escape, Gus is a violent rapist who gets what he has coming through a VigilanteExecution courtesy of the Klan.
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* BrokenAesop: The film's scene carries a message of peace and universal brotherhood...but this was after scenes of immense violence and persecution against the black characters.
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* BrokenAesop: The film's final scene carries a message of peace and universal brotherhood...but this was after ''after'' scenes of immense violence and persecution against the black characters.
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* CorruptPolitician: The black legislators are depicted as incompetent and sleazy buffoons, with Lynch portrayed as a devilish fiend.
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* BrokenAesop: The film's scene carries a message of peace and universal brotherhood...but this was after scenes of immense violence and persecution against the black characters.
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* DovesMeanPeace: Ironic, considering the film's promotion of violent racist values, but Ben and Else kissing a dove together is used to both symbolise their love for each other and peace between the Northern and Southern states of America.
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Being one of the first feature films ever, ''The Birth of a Nation'' introduced, refined, and popularized too many tropes to count, and is considered one of the most groundbreaking films ever, proving that cinema was a valid form of media rather than a passing fad, in fact. It was a massive hit, grossing somewhere between $50–100 million when movie tickets cost a dime. However, it was also extremely controversial even when released, as its view of Reconstruction is one that promotes white supremacy, loathsomely demonizes black Americans (especially [[MixedAncestry biracial black-white people]]), and glorifies the KKK. In fact, the KKK had a ''huge'' revival in the years after this was released (membership numbered around six million at its peak around 1925), and many people credit ''Birth'' as one of the reasons why.
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Being one of the first feature films ever, ''The Birth of a Nation'' introduced, refined, and popularized too many tropes to count, and is considered one of the most groundbreaking films ever, proving that cinema was a valid form of media rather than a passing fad, in fact. It was a massive hit, grossing somewhere between $50–100 million when movie tickets cost a dime. However, it was also extremely controversial even when released, as its view of Reconstruction is one that promotes white supremacy, loathsomely demonizes black Americans (especially [[MixedAncestry biracial black-white people]]), people), and glorifies the KKK. In fact, the KKK had a ''huge'' revival in the years after this was released (membership numbered around six million at its peak around 1925), and many people credit ''Birth'' as one of the reasons why.
* HalfBreedDiscrimination: One of the themes is that mixing of the races is bad and that the offspring of those marriages are evil. The two worst villains in the film, Lydia Smith and Silas Lynch, are "mulattoes".
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* MixedAncestry: One of the themes is that mixing of the races is bad and that the offspring of those marriages are evil. The two worst villains in the film, Lydia Smith and Silas Lynch, are "mulattoes".
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** Ben Cameron as an ex-Confederate soldier who forms the Klan to protect Southern virtue is one for Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. (This is a looser example. Forrest was a cavalry general, while Ben Cameron is an infantry colonel.)
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** Ben Cameron as an ex-Confederate soldier who forms the Klan to protect Southern virtue is one for Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. (This is a looser example. Forrest was a cavalry general, while Ben Cameron is an infantry colonel. Not to mention Forrest actually left the KKK and even condemned it for being too violent.)
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* RuleOfSymbolism: Yes, even a film with massive ValuesDissonance such as this one, can have a surprising amount of symbolism. Though it's not exactly subtle...
**The straightforward film ends with a mind-bogglingly trippy closing scene. The vision reflects the stated anti-war purpose of the film. We see a personification of war—a massive armored soldier sitting atop a steed—attacking a group of screaming people on the left side of the screen, while the right side is filled with dead bodies. Slowly, the scene shifts. Instead of a group of wounded people, we see a group of happy folks partying in togas. Instead of a giant warrior superimposed over them, we see Jesus Christ himself. Ironically enough, neither of these scenes take place in modern times—they seem either medieval or ancient. On one hand, the symbolism is pretty simple: war is bad and Christianity is good. On the other, however, it seems to be a subtle way of implying that Jesus is on the side of the South, which seems pretty absurd considering the whole slavery business. Either way, it's quite the trippy way of closing out a film that takes an otherwise realistic approach.
**The varied state of the Camerons' plantation mansion reflects the state of the South at large. At first, the house is completely luxurious. This establishes the mansion—and the Camerons themselves—as symbols of the Southern aristocracy. The house becomes a major target during the war. For example, at one point a group of guerillas attack the house, ransacking it and setting it on fire. Later, during Reconstruction, Lynch makes it his goal to cause as much damage to it as possible. Because the house represents the Southern aristocracy, these attacks represent the perceived targeting of that aristocracy by the North during the Reconstruction. Furthermore, the house's resilience despite these attacks reflect Griffith's belief that this line of nobility is alive and well in this new American era.
**Animals pop up often throughout The Birth of a Nation, and they carry a different sort of symbolic resonance each time. For example: When we first meet the Cameron family, There's a gaggle of adorable puppies and kittens playing at their feet. This is supposed to relate them (and the pre-war South as a whole) with innocence, an innocence that Griffith thinks is sullied after the Civil War. Later, the villainous Silas Young is shown beating a dog and giving it to other men for even more nefarious deeds. This is not a particularly subtle way of revealing the dude's evil nature. Soon, after Lynch beats up the dog, Ben and Elsie are seen kissing a dove together. It's a way of relating their love to peace between the North and South, as doves typically symbolize peace.
**The straightforward film ends with a mind-bogglingly trippy closing scene. The vision reflects the stated anti-war purpose of the film. We see a personification of war—a massive armored soldier sitting atop a steed—attacking a group of screaming people on the left side of the screen, while the right side is filled with dead bodies. Slowly, the scene shifts. Instead of a group of wounded people, we see a group of happy folks partying in togas. Instead of a giant warrior superimposed over them, we see Jesus Christ himself. Ironically enough, neither of these scenes take place in modern times—they seem either medieval or ancient. On one hand, the symbolism is pretty simple: war is bad and Christianity is good. On the other, however, it seems to be a subtle way of implying that Jesus is on the side of the South, which seems pretty absurd considering the whole slavery business. Either way, it's quite the trippy way of closing out a film that takes an otherwise realistic approach.
**The varied state of the Camerons' plantation mansion reflects the state of the South at large. At first, the house is completely luxurious. This establishes the mansion—and the Camerons themselves—as symbols of the Southern aristocracy. The house becomes a major target during the war. For example, at one point a group of guerillas attack the house, ransacking it and setting it on fire. Later, during Reconstruction, Lynch makes it his goal to cause as much damage to it as possible. Because the house represents the Southern aristocracy, these attacks represent the perceived targeting of that aristocracy by the North during the Reconstruction. Furthermore, the house's resilience despite these attacks reflect Griffith's belief that this line of nobility is alive and well in this new American era.
**Animals pop up often throughout The Birth of a Nation, and they carry a different sort of symbolic resonance each time. For example: When we first meet the Cameron family, There's a gaggle of adorable puppies and kittens playing at their feet. This is supposed to relate them (and the pre-war South as a whole) with innocence, an innocence that Griffith thinks is sullied after the Civil War. Later, the villainous Silas Young is shown beating a dog and giving it to other men for even more nefarious deeds. This is not a particularly subtle way of revealing the dude's evil nature. Soon, after Lynch beats up the dog, Ben and Elsie are seen kissing a dove together. It's a way of relating their love to peace between the North and South, as doves typically symbolize peace.
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It is in the public domain and can be viewed in its entirety on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGQaAddwjxg YouTube]] or even [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation its article]] on [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]]. Many early cinema pioneers worked on or appeared in the film: Creator/JohnFord is a Klansman, Creator/ErichVonStroheim was one of Griffith's assistants, and Creator/RaoulWalsh plays [[UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln John Wilkes Booth]].
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It is in the public domain [[note]](notorious film preservationist Raymond Rohauer tried to claim copyright on it through purchasing the copyrights of the film's producer Epoch Producing Corporation, who thought they had the rights to the movie [they didn't; D. W. Griffith did] and renewed its copyright in 1942, and sued fellow film preservationist Paul Killiam for reissuing the film in 1964, touching off a legal battle which ended in 1975 with the ruling that the 1942 copyright renewal was invalid and the film thus in the public domain, a ruling the Supreme Court upheld in 1976)[[/note]] and can be viewed in its entirety on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGQaAddwjxg YouTube]] or even [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation its article]] on [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]]. Many early cinema pioneers worked on or appeared in the film: Creator/JohnFord is a Klansman, Creator/ErichVonStroheim was one of Griffith's assistants, and Creator/RaoulWalsh plays [[UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln John Wilkes Booth]].
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It is in the public domain and can be viewed in its entirety on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3kmVgQHIEY YouTube]] or even [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation its article]] on [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]]. Many early cinema pioneers worked on or appeared in the film: Creator/JohnFord is a Klansman, Creator/ErichVonStroheim was one of Griffith's assistants, and Creator/RaoulWalsh plays [[UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln John Wilkes Booth]].
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It is in the public domain and can be viewed in its entirety on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3kmVgQHIEY com/watch?v=nGQaAddwjxg YouTube]] or even [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation its article]] on [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]]. Many early cinema pioneers worked on or appeared in the film: Creator/JohnFord is a Klansman, Creator/ErichVonStroheim was one of Griffith's assistants, and Creator/RaoulWalsh plays [[UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln John Wilkes Booth]].
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->''"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'''
''The Birth of a Nation'' is a 1915 silent film and white nationalist propaganda piece directed by Creator/DWGriffith, starring famous silent film actress Creator/LillianGish, and one of Hollywood's first great "epic" films.
-->-- '''Andrew Sarris'''
''The Birth of a Nation'' is a 1915 silent film and white nationalist propaganda piece directed by Creator/DWGriffith, starring famous silent film actress Creator/LillianGish, and one of Hollywood's first great "epic" films.
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-->-- '''Andrew Sarris'''
''The Birth of a Nation'' is a 1915 silent
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* FlatCharacter: Another reason this film is so hated by modern audiences is because a good chunk of the characters have little -- if any -- personality. (i.e.: Elsie Stoneman, Austin Stoneman, Margaret Cameron, to name a few)
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In 2016, over a century after the original film's release, a film with the same name was released. Unlike the pro-Klan overtones of the 1915 film, the 2016 one was [[SpiritualAntithesis the exact opposite]], being openly ''against'' racism and slavery; info for that film can be found [[Film/TheBirthOfANation2016 here]].
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In 2016, over a century after the original film's release, a film with the same name was released. Unlike the pro-Klan overtones of the 1915 film, the 2016 one was [[SpiritualAntithesis the exact opposite]], being openly ''against'' racism and slavery; info for on that film can be found [[Film/TheBirthOfANation2016 here]].
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* AllIsWellThatEndsWell: For ''[[ValuesDissonance certain definitions]]'' of "ends well." White power is restored in the South, a terrorized black populace is returned to what the KKK thought was their rightful place, and the Cameron siblings marry the Stoneman siblings.
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* AllIsWellThatEndsWell: For ''[[ValuesDissonance certain definitions]]'' ''certain definitions'' of "ends well." White power is restored in the South, a terrorized black populace is returned to what the KKK thought was their rightful place, and the Cameron siblings marry the Stoneman siblings.
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* {{Defictionalization}}: The burning cross so associated with the KKK actually was not used by the 19th century Klan. It was invented by Thomas Dixon for his novel, popularized by this film, and then adopted by the new Klan that was founded in response to this movie.
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* NeverMessWithGranny: We have an overweight elderly housekeeper leap into action and save her employer, knocking down at least one ruffian and two soldiers in the process. Interesting for a white supremacist racist work, the heroine is black and the man she's saving is white. It was a [[ValuesDissonance common belief at the time, and certainly Griffith's as a Southern whites]], that African-Americans had been [[HappinessInSlavery better off, and happier, as slaves]], until they were "stirred up" by Northern interlopers. This viewpoint was later internalized by Northern politicians who weren't too keen on giving African-Americans the vote so they started buying into the "Lost Cause" view as well. A scene of a black woman leaping to the defense of her beloved employer/master was more acceptable than an African-American judge or soldier (who are shown as cackling villains in the film).
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* NeverMessWithGranny: We have an overweight elderly housekeeper leap into action and save her employer, knocking down at least one ruffian and two soldiers in the process. Interesting for a white supremacist racist work, the heroine is black and the man she's saving is white. It was a [[ValuesDissonance common belief at the time, and certainly Griffith's as a Southern whites]], whites, that African-Americans had been [[HappinessInSlavery better off, and happier, as slaves]], until they were "stirred up" by Northern interlopers. This viewpoint was later internalized by Northern politicians who weren't too keen on giving African-Americans the vote so they started buying into the "Lost Cause" view as well. A scene of a black woman leaping to the defense of her beloved employer/master was more acceptable than an African-American judge or soldier (who are shown as cackling villains in the film).
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Being one of the first feature films ever, ''The Birth of a Nation'' introduced, refined, and popularized too many tropes to count, and is considered one of the most groundbreaking films ever. It was a massive hit, grossing somewhere between $50–100 million when movie tickets cost a dime. However, it was also extremely controversial even when released, as its view of Reconstruction is one that promotes white supremacy, loathsomely demonizes black Americans (especially [[MixedAncestry biracial black-white people]]), and glorifies the KKK. In fact, the KKK had a ''huge'' revival in the years after this was released (membership numbered around six million at its peak around 1925), and many people credit ''Birth'' as one of the reasons why.
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Being one of the first feature films ever, ''The Birth of a Nation'' introduced, refined, and popularized too many tropes to count, and is considered one of the most groundbreaking films ever.ever, proving that cinema was a valid form of media rather than a passing fad, in fact. It was a massive hit, grossing somewhere between $50–100 million when movie tickets cost a dime. However, it was also extremely controversial even when released, as its view of Reconstruction is one that promotes white supremacy, loathsomely demonizes black Americans (especially [[MixedAncestry biracial black-white people]]), and glorifies the KKK. In fact, the KKK had a ''huge'' revival in the years after this was released (membership numbered around six million at its peak around 1925), and many people credit ''Birth'' as one of the reasons why.
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whoops
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The second part depicts the Reconstruction era. With the war over and slavery abolished, new issues arrive that America must resolve. The South must be rebuilt and [[YouWillBeAssimilated re-integrated]] as part of the nation, without its dependency on slavery. The freed slaves must find their place in the new society, and their rights and legal status must be determined. Violent controversy erupts in the South over how to tackle these issues. Stoneman and the Radical Republicans go to South Carolina to try to influence the votes of Southern blacks. The Ku Klux Klan is formed in response, who hunt down and lynch a murderous former slave, rescue the Cameron family from an attack by a black militia, and effectively disenfranchise the black voters. The people depicted throughout the film as the "true enemy," though, are mulattoes-- those of mixed white and blaack ancestry, who will stop at nothing to bring the white man down.
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The second part depicts the Reconstruction era. With the war over and slavery abolished, new issues arrive that America must resolve. The South must be rebuilt and [[YouWillBeAssimilated re-integrated]] as part of the nation, without its dependency on slavery. The freed slaves must find their place in the new society, and their rights and legal status must be determined. Violent controversy erupts in the South over how to tackle these issues. Stoneman and the Radical Republicans go to South Carolina to try to influence the votes of Southern blacks. The Ku Klux Klan is formed in response, who hunt down and lynch a murderous former slave, rescue the Cameron family from an attack by a black militia, and effectively disenfranchise the black voters. The people depicted throughout the film as the "true enemy," though, are mulattoes-- those of mixed white and blaack black ancestry, who will stop at nothing to bring the white man down.
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The second part depicts the Reconstruction era. With the war over and slavery abolished, new issues arrive that America must resolve. The South must be rebuilt and [[YouWillBeAssimilated re-integrated]] as part of the nation, without its dependency on slavery. The freed slaves must find their place in the new society, and their rights and legal status must be determined. Violent controversy erupts in the South over how to tackle these issues. Stoneman and the Radical Republicans go to South Carolina to try to influence the votes of Southern blacks. The Ku Klux Klan is formed in response, who hunt down and lynch a murderous former slave, rescue the Cameron family from an attack by a black militia, and effectively disenfranchise the black voters. The people depicted throughout the film as the "true enemy," though, are mulattoes-- those of mixed white and negro ancestry, who will stop at nothing to bring the white man down.
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The second part depicts the Reconstruction era. With the war over and slavery abolished, new issues arrive that America must resolve. The South must be rebuilt and [[YouWillBeAssimilated re-integrated]] as part of the nation, without its dependency on slavery. The freed slaves must find their place in the new society, and their rights and legal status must be determined. Violent controversy erupts in the South over how to tackle these issues. Stoneman and the Radical Republicans go to South Carolina to try to influence the votes of Southern blacks. The Ku Klux Klan is formed in response, who hunt down and lynch a murderous former slave, rescue the Cameron family from an attack by a black militia, and effectively disenfranchise the black voters. The people depicted throughout the film as the "true enemy," though, are mulattoes-- those of mixed white and negro blaack ancestry, who will stop at nothing to bring the white man down.
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come on, the least we can do is not use words like that!
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The second part depicts the Reconstruction era. With the war over and slavery abolished, new issues arrive that America must resolve. The South must be rebuilt and [[YouWillBeAssimilated re-integrated]] as part of the nation, without its dependency on slavery. The freed slaves must find their place in the new society, and their rights and legal status must be determined. Violent controversy erupts in the South over how to tackle these issues. Stoneman and the Radical Republicans go to South Carolina to try to influence the votes of Southern blacks. The Ku Klux Klan is formed in response, who hunt down and lynch a murderous former slave, rescue the Cameron family from an attack by a negro militia, and effectively disenfranchise the black voters. The people depicted throughout the film as the "true enemy," though, are mulattoes-- those of mixed white and negro ancestry, who will stop at nothing to bring the white man down.
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The second part depicts the Reconstruction era. With the war over and slavery abolished, new issues arrive that America must resolve. The South must be rebuilt and [[YouWillBeAssimilated re-integrated]] as part of the nation, without its dependency on slavery. The freed slaves must find their place in the new society, and their rights and legal status must be determined. Violent controversy erupts in the South over how to tackle these issues. Stoneman and the Radical Republicans go to South Carolina to try to influence the votes of Southern blacks. The Ku Klux Klan is formed in response, who hunt down and lynch a murderous former slave, rescue the Cameron family from an attack by a negro black militia, and effectively disenfranchise the black voters. The people depicted throughout the film as the "true enemy," though, are mulattoes-- those of mixed white and negro ancestry, who will stop at nothing to bring the white man down.
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''The Birth of a Nation'' is a 1915 silent movie and white nationalist propaganda piece directed by Creator/DWGriffith, starring famous silent film actress Creator/LillianGish, and one of Hollywood's first great "epic" films. Based on the 1905 novel ''The Clansman'' by Thomas Dixon.
The plot of ''The Birth of a Nation'' is a two-part chronicle of American history, with considerable neo-Confederate liberties. The first part depicts the nation before, during, and after UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, from the perspective of two juxtaposed families-- the Northern Stonemans, who are abolitionists and federalists, and the Southern Camerons, who are secessionists. When war breaks out, the houses must send their sons off to their respective opposing armies. The Camerons suffer many hardships in the war torn and depleted South, and must deal with hunger, ransackers, looters, and rapists. Eventually, the Union army crushes the Confederacy, ending the war. President Abraham Lincoln promises to rebuild the South, in spite of protests from vengeful Northern politicians who would execute its leaders and treat the land as conquered territory. But Abraham Lincoln is assassinated at Ford's Theater, allowing the Radical Republicans, led by Austin Stoneman, to gain strength and support for inflicting punitive measures on the South for their rebellion.
The plot of ''The Birth of a Nation'' is a two-part chronicle of American history, with considerable neo-Confederate liberties. The first part depicts the nation before, during, and after UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, from the perspective of two juxtaposed families-- the Northern Stonemans, who are abolitionists and federalists, and the Southern Camerons, who are secessionists. When war breaks out, the houses must send their sons off to their respective opposing armies. The Camerons suffer many hardships in the war torn and depleted South, and must deal with hunger, ransackers, looters, and rapists. Eventually, the Union army crushes the Confederacy, ending the war. President Abraham Lincoln promises to rebuild the South, in spite of protests from vengeful Northern politicians who would execute its leaders and treat the land as conquered territory. But Abraham Lincoln is assassinated at Ford's Theater, allowing the Radical Republicans, led by Austin Stoneman, to gain strength and support for inflicting punitive measures on the South for their rebellion.
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''The Birth of a Nation'' is a 1915 silent movie film and white nationalist propaganda piece directed by Creator/DWGriffith, starring famous silent film actress Creator/LillianGish, and one of Hollywood's first great "epic" films. films.
Based on the 1905 novel ''The Clansman'' by ThomasDixon.
The plotDixon, the premise of ''The Birth of a Nation'' is a two-part chronicle of American history, with considerable neo-Confederate liberties. The first part depicts the nation before, during, and after UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, from the perspective of two juxtaposed families-- the Northern Stonemans, who are abolitionists and federalists, and the Southern Camerons, who are secessionists. When war breaks out, the houses must send their sons off to their respective opposing armies. The Camerons suffer many hardships in the war torn and depleted South, and must deal with hunger, ransackers, looters, and rapists. Eventually, the Union army crushes the Confederacy, ending the war. President Abraham Lincoln promises to rebuild the South, in spite of protests from vengeful Northern politicians who would execute its leaders and treat the land as conquered territory. But Abraham Lincoln is assassinated at Ford's Theater, allowing the Radical Republicans, led by Austin Stoneman, to gain strength and support for inflicting punitive measures on the South for their rebellion.
Based on the 1905 novel ''The Clansman'' by Thomas
The plot
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Being one of the first feature films ever, ''The Birth of a Nation'' introduced, refined, and popularized too many tropes to count, and is considered one of the most groundbreaking films ever. It was a massive hit, grossing somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty million dollars when movie tickets cost a dime. However, it was also extremely controversial even when it was released, as its view of Reconstruction is one that promotes white supremacy, loathsomely demonizes black Americans (especially [[MixedAncestry biracial black-white people]]), and glorifies the KKK. In fact, the KKK had a ''huge'' revival in the years after this was released (it numbered around 6 million members at its peak around 1925), and many people credit this movie as one of the reasons why.
This was the first feature-length movie to be screened at the White House. The President was UsefulNotes/WoodrowWilson, who used to teach at Princeton University and Thomas Dixon was one of his former students. It is widely told that, after seeing the picture, Wilson said "It is like writing history with lightning. And my only regret is that it is all so terribly true." The truth is that he probably never said anything like that; the quote appears to have been fabricated by Dixon.
This film is in the public domain and can be viewed in its entirety on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3kmVgQHIEY YouTube]] or even [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation its article]] on [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]]. Many people who would become important to early cinema worked on or appeared in this film. Creator/JohnFord is a Klansman, Creator/ErichVonStroheim was one of Griffith's assistants, and Creator/RaoulWalsh plays John Wilkes Booth.
This was the first feature-length movie to be screened at the White House. The President was UsefulNotes/WoodrowWilson, who used to teach at Princeton University and Thomas Dixon was one of his former students. It is widely told that, after seeing the picture, Wilson said "It is like writing history with lightning. And my only regret is that it is all so terribly true." The truth is that he probably never said anything like that; the quote appears to have been fabricated by Dixon.
This film is in the public domain and can be viewed in its entirety on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3kmVgQHIEY YouTube]] or even [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation its article]] on [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]]. Many people who would become important to early cinema worked on or appeared in this film. Creator/JohnFord is a Klansman, Creator/ErichVonStroheim was one of Griffith's assistants, and Creator/RaoulWalsh plays John Wilkes Booth.
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Being one of the first feature films ever, ''The Birth of a Nation'' introduced, refined, and popularized too many tropes to count, and is considered one of the most groundbreaking films ever. It was a massive hit, grossing somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty between $50–100 million dollars when movie tickets cost a dime. However, it was also extremely controversial even when it was released, as its view of Reconstruction is one that promotes white supremacy, loathsomely demonizes black Americans (especially [[MixedAncestry biracial black-white people]]), and glorifies the KKK. In fact, the KKK had a ''huge'' revival in the years after this was released (it (membership numbered around 6 six million members at its peak around 1925), and many people credit this movie ''Birth'' as one of the reasons why.
This was the first feature-lengthmovie film to be screened at the White House. The President was UsefulNotes/WoodrowWilson, who used to teach at Princeton University and Thomas Dixon was one of his former students. It is widely told that, after seeing the picture, Wilson said "It is like writing history with lightning. And my only regret is that it is all so terribly true." The truth is that he probably never said anything like that; the quote appears to have been fabricated by Dixon.
This film It is in the public domain and can be viewed in its entirety on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3kmVgQHIEY YouTube]] or even [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation its article]] on [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]]. Many people who would become important to early cinema pioneers worked on or appeared in this film. the film: Creator/JohnFord is a Klansman, Creator/ErichVonStroheim was one of Griffith's assistants, and Creator/RaoulWalsh plays [[UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln John Wilkes Booth.
Booth]].
This was the first feature-length
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Compare ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill'', a similarly influential white nationalist propaganda piece from 20 years later, made in UsefulNotes/NaziGermany.
to:
Compare ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill'', a similarly influential white nationalist propaganda piece from made 20 years later, made later in UsefulNotes/NaziGermany.
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''The Birth of a Nation'' is a 1915 silent movie directed by Creator/DWGriffith, starring famous silent film actress Creator/LillianGish, and one of Hollywood's first great "epic" films. Based on the 1905 novel ''The Clansman'' by Thomas Dixon.
The plot of ''The Birth of a Nation'' is a two-part chronicle of American history. The first part depicts the nation before, during, and after UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, from the perspective of two juxtaposed families - the Northern Stonemans, who are abolitionists and federalists, and the Southern Camerons, who are secessionists. When war breaks out, the houses must send their sons off to their respective opposing armies. The Camerons suffer many hardships in the war torn and depleted South, and must deal with hunger, ransackers, looters, and rapists. Eventually, the Union army crushes the Confederacy, ending the war. President Abraham Lincoln promises to rebuild the South, in spite of protests from vengeful Northern politicians who would execute its leaders and treat the land as conquered territory. But Abraham Lincoln is assassinated at Ford's Theater, allowing the Radical Republicans, led by Austin Stoneman, to gain strength and support for inflicting punitive measures on the South for their rebellion.
The second part depicts the Reconstruction era. With the war over and slavery abolished, new issues arrive that America must resolve. The South must be rebuilt and [[YouWillBeAssimilated re-integrated]] as part of the nation, without its dependency on slavery. The freed slaves must find their place in the new society, and their rights and legal status must be determined. Violent controversy erupts in the South over how to tackle these issues. Stoneman and the Radical Republicans go to South Carolina to try to influence the votes of Southern blacks. The Ku Klux Klan is formed in response, who hunt down and lynch a murderous former slave, rescue the Cameron family from an attack by a negro militia, and effectively disenfranchise the black voters. The people depicted throughout the film as the "true enemy," though, are mulattoes -- those of mixed white and negro ancestry, who will stop at nothing to bring the white man down.
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. It was a massive hit, grossing somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty million dollars when movie tickets cost a dime. However, it was also extremely controversial even when it was released, as its view of Reconstruction is one that promotes white supremacy, loathsomely demonizes black Americans (especially [[MixedAncestry biracial black-white people]]), and glorifies the KKK. In fact, the KKK had a ''huge'' revival in the years after this was released (it numbered around 6 million members at its peak around 1925), and many people credit this movie as one of the reasons why.
The plot of ''The Birth of a Nation'' is a two-part chronicle of American history. The first part depicts the nation before, during, and after UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, from the perspective of two juxtaposed families - the Northern Stonemans, who are abolitionists and federalists, and the Southern Camerons, who are secessionists. When war breaks out, the houses must send their sons off to their respective opposing armies. The Camerons suffer many hardships in the war torn and depleted South, and must deal with hunger, ransackers, looters, and rapists. Eventually, the Union army crushes the Confederacy, ending the war. President Abraham Lincoln promises to rebuild the South, in spite of protests from vengeful Northern politicians who would execute its leaders and treat the land as conquered territory. But Abraham Lincoln is assassinated at Ford's Theater, allowing the Radical Republicans, led by Austin Stoneman, to gain strength and support for inflicting punitive measures on the South for their rebellion.
The second part depicts the Reconstruction era. With the war over and slavery abolished, new issues arrive that America must resolve. The South must be rebuilt and [[YouWillBeAssimilated re-integrated]] as part of the nation, without its dependency on slavery. The freed slaves must find their place in the new society, and their rights and legal status must be determined. Violent controversy erupts in the South over how to tackle these issues. Stoneman and the Radical Republicans go to South Carolina to try to influence the votes of Southern blacks. The Ku Klux Klan is formed in response, who hunt down and lynch a murderous former slave, rescue the Cameron family from an attack by a negro militia, and effectively disenfranchise the black voters. The people depicted throughout the film as the "true enemy," though, are mulattoes -- those of mixed white and negro ancestry, who will stop at nothing to bring the white man down.
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. It was a massive hit, grossing somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty million dollars when movie tickets cost a dime. However, it was also extremely controversial even when it was released, as its view of Reconstruction is one that promotes white supremacy, loathsomely demonizes black Americans (especially [[MixedAncestry biracial black-white people]]), and glorifies the KKK. In fact, the KKK had a ''huge'' revival in the years after this was released (it numbered around 6 million members at its peak around 1925), and many people credit this movie as one of the reasons why.
to:
''The Birth of a Nation'' is a 1915 silent movie and white nationalist propaganda piece directed by Creator/DWGriffith, starring famous silent film actress Creator/LillianGish, and one of Hollywood's first great "epic" films. Based on the 1905 novel ''The Clansman'' by Thomas Dixon.
The plot of ''The Birth of a Nation'' is a two-part chronicle of Americanhistory. history, with considerable neo-Confederate liberties. The first part depicts the nation before, during, and after UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, from the perspective of two juxtaposed families - families-- the Northern Stonemans, who are abolitionists and federalists, and the Southern Camerons, who are secessionists. When war breaks out, the houses must send their sons off to their respective opposing armies. The Camerons suffer many hardships in the war torn and depleted South, and must deal with hunger, ransackers, looters, and rapists. Eventually, the Union army crushes the Confederacy, ending the war. President Abraham Lincoln promises to rebuild the South, in spite of protests from vengeful Northern politicians who would execute its leaders and treat the land as conquered territory. But Abraham Lincoln is assassinated at Ford's Theater, allowing the Radical Republicans, led by Austin Stoneman, to gain strength and support for inflicting punitive measures on the South for their rebellion.
The second part depicts the Reconstruction era. With the war over and slavery abolished, new issues arrive that America must resolve. The South must be rebuilt and [[YouWillBeAssimilated re-integrated]] as part of the nation, without its dependency on slavery. The freed slaves must find their place in the new society, and their rights and legal status must be determined. Violent controversy erupts in the South over how to tackle these issues. Stoneman and the Radical Republicans go to South Carolina to try to influence the votes of Southern blacks. The Ku Klux Klan is formed in response, who hunt down and lynch a murderous former slave, rescue the Cameron family from an attack by a negro militia, and effectively disenfranchise the black voters. The people depicted throughout the film as the "true enemy," though, aremulattoes -- mulattoes-- those of mixed white and negro ancestry, who will stop at nothing to bring the white man down.
Being one of the first feature films ever, ''The Birth of a Nation'' introduced, refined, and popularizedzillions of tropes, too many tropes to count, and is considered one of the most groundbreaking films ever. It was a massive hit, grossing somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty million dollars when movie tickets cost a dime. However, it was also extremely controversial even when it was released, as its view of Reconstruction is one that promotes white supremacy, loathsomely demonizes black Americans (especially [[MixedAncestry biracial black-white people]]), and glorifies the KKK. In fact, the KKK had a ''huge'' revival in the years after this was released (it numbered around 6 million members at its peak around 1925), and many people credit this movie as one of the reasons why.
why.
The plot of ''The Birth of a Nation'' is a two-part chronicle of American
The second part depicts the Reconstruction era. With the war over and slavery abolished, new issues arrive that America must resolve. The South must be rebuilt and [[YouWillBeAssimilated re-integrated]] as part of the nation, without its dependency on slavery. The freed slaves must find their place in the new society, and their rights and legal status must be determined. Violent controversy erupts in the South over how to tackle these issues. Stoneman and the Radical Republicans go to South Carolina to try to influence the votes of Southern blacks. The Ku Klux Klan is formed in response, who hunt down and lynch a murderous former slave, rescue the Cameron family from an attack by a negro militia, and effectively disenfranchise the black voters. The people depicted throughout the film as the "true enemy," though, are
Being one of the first feature films ever, ''The Birth of a Nation'' introduced, refined, and popularized
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In 2016, over a century after the original film's release, a film with the same name was released. The 2016 film was against racism and slavery, [[SpiritualAntithesis unlike its namesake]]. Info for that film can be found [[Film/TheBirthOfANation2016 here]].
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In 2016, over a century after the original film's release, a film with the same name was released. The Unlike the pro-Klan overtones of the 1915 film, the 2016 film one was against racism and slavery, [[SpiritualAntithesis unlike its namesake]]. Info the exact opposite]], being openly ''against'' racism and slavery; info for that film can be found [[Film/TheBirthOfANation2016 here]].
here]].
Compare ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill'', a similarly influential white nationalist propaganda piece from 20 years later, made in UsefulNotes/NaziGermany.
Compare ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill'', a similarly influential white nationalist propaganda piece from 20 years later, made in UsefulNotes/NaziGermany.
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* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The whole entire film is a HUGE example of this. Though at the time, Griffith believed he was being true to history, since the vision of the American Civil War and Reconstruction was more or less the academic consensus in both the North and the South at the time of the film's release; the Lost Cause historiography and the Dunning thesis. Today it's discredited and racist DatedHistory but it was common enough that it underlined almost any film about the South until the 60s, including ''Film/GoneWithTheWind''. Griffith made many attempts to prove his point by putting in quotations from historical books in the intertitles, which more or less prove if nothing else that the views presented in the film were shared by many educated academics, as well as President Woodrow Wilson. (Wilson may have been misquoted regarding this film as noted above, but he was definitely super-racist.)
** Besides being racist, the early scene where a "Negro" militia raids the town is, historically, straight nonsense. The first black Union troops weren't raised in South Carolina, they were of course raised in the North. And no Union troops were raiding South Carolina in 1863. Except for a couple of spots on the coast South Carolina was untouched by the war until Sherman's men came rampaging through in early 1865, and even then Sherman did not visit the Piedmont, instead marching through the center of the state and burning Columbia.
** Besides being racist, the early scene where a "Negro" militia raids the town is, historically, straight nonsense. The first black Union troops weren't raised in South Carolina, they were of course raised in the North. And no Union troops were raiding South Carolina in 1863. Except for a couple of spots on the coast South Carolina was untouched by the war until Sherman's men came rampaging through in early 1865, and even then Sherman did not visit the Piedmont, instead marching through the center of the state and burning Columbia.
to:
* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The whole entire In general, the film is supports a HUGE example of this. Though at the time, Griffith believed he was being true to history, since the vision racist reading of the American Civil War and Reconstruction was more or less Reconstruction, including that put forth by the academic consensus in both the North and the South at the time of the film's release; the Lost Cause historiography and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning_School Dunning thesis. Today it's School]], that has since been discredited and racist DatedHistory but it was common enough that it underlined almost any by modern scholars. The film about the South until the 60s, including ''Film/GoneWithTheWind''. Griffith made many attempts to prove his point by putting in quotations from historical books in the intertitles, which more or less prove if nothing else that the views presented in the film were shared by many educated academics, also gets specifics wrong, such as well as President Woodrow Wilson. (Wilson may have been misquoted regarding this film as noted above, but he was definitely super-racist.)
** Besides being racist, the early scene whereportraying a "Negro" black militia raids the town is, historically, straight nonsense. The first black Union troops weren't raised in raiding South Carolina, they were of course raised in the North. And no Union troops were raiding South Carolina in 1863. Except for a couple of spots on the coast South Carolina was untouched by the war until Sherman's men came rampaging through in early 1865, and even then Sherman did not visit the Piedmont, instead marching through the center of the state and burning Columbia.which never happened.
** Besides being racist, the early scene where
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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. It was a massive hit, grossing somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty million dollars when movie tickets cost a dime. However, it was also extremely controversial even when it was released, as its view of Reconstruction is one that promotes white supremacy, loathsomely demonizes black Americans (especially [[MixedAncestry biracial black-white people]]), and glorifies the KKK. In fact, the KKK had a ''huge'' revival in the years after this was released (it numbered around '''6 million members''' at its peak around 1925), and many people credit this movie as one of the reasons why.
to:
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. It was a massive hit, grossing somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty million dollars when movie tickets cost a dime. However, it was also extremely controversial even when it was released, as its view of Reconstruction is one that promotes white supremacy, loathsomely demonizes black Americans (especially [[MixedAncestry biracial black-white people]]), and glorifies the KKK. In fact, the KKK had a ''huge'' revival in the years after this was released (it numbered around '''6 6 million members''' members at its peak around 1925), and many people credit this movie as one of the reasons why.
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* ContinuityEditing: D.W. Griffith practically '''defined''' continuity editing with movies like this.
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* ContinuityEditing: D.W. Griffith practically '''defined''' ''defined'' continuity editing with movies like this.
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* SpiritualAntithesis: Thomas Dixon Jr. described ''The Clansman'', the novel this film was based on, as "a sequel" to ''Literature/UncleTomsCabin'' by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Whereas that book was Stowe's denunciation of the un-Christian evil and barbarism of slavery, ''The Clansman'' was Dixon railing against the disaster that he saw in the ''end'' of slavery, with the Ku Klux Klan presented as heroes doing their best to restore what they could of the old order. Gus has often been described as a dark mirror of Uncle Tom; whereas Uncle Tom is a paragon of Christian morality who dies a martyr by refusing to give away the whereabouts of two slaves he helped escape, Gus is a violent rapist who gets what he has coming through a VigilanteExecution courtesy of the Klan.
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In 2016, the year of the film's 101st anniversary, a film with the same name was released. The 2016 film was against racism and slavery, [[SpiritualAntithesis unlike its namesake]]. Info for that film can be found [[Film/TheBirthOfANation2016 here]].
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In 2016, over a century after the year of the original film's 101st anniversary, release, a film with the same name was released. The 2016 film was against racism and slavery, [[SpiritualAntithesis unlike its namesake]]. Info for that film can be found [[Film/TheBirthOfANation2016 here]].
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* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The fate of Silas Lynch is not shown after he is captured by the Klan and Elsie is freed. Of course, it isn't hard to guess.
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This was the first feature-length movie to be screened at the White House. The President was UsefulNotes/WoodrowWilson, who used to teach at Princeton University and Thomas Dixon was one of his former students. It is widely told that, after seeing the picture, Wilson said "It is like writing history with lightning. And my only regret is that it is all so terribly true." The truth is that he probably never said anything like that. Dixon and Griffith were so intent on making the movie a hit that they pretty much made up lies about celebrities and politicians endorsing it, including both Wilson and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and at one point Dixon even claimed the movie was "federally endorsed." In fact, that quote did not show up in print until after Wilson's death. Wilson actually had no idea what the movie was about before it was shown, and a few days later he released a press statement saying that he did not approve of the "unfortunate production." Though, for the record, part of the reason why the story is believed by so many people is that Wilson was [[ValuesDissonance racist even by his own time's standard]].
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This was the first feature-length movie to be screened at the White House. The President was UsefulNotes/WoodrowWilson, who used to teach at Princeton University and Thomas Dixon was one of his former students. It is widely told that, after seeing the picture, Wilson said "It is like writing history with lightning. And my only regret is that it is all so terribly true." The truth is that he probably never said anything like that. Dixon and Griffith were so intent on making that; the movie a hit that they pretty much made up lies about celebrities and politicians endorsing it, including both Wilson and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and at one point Dixon even claimed the movie was "federally endorsed." In fact, that quote did not show up in print until after Wilson's death. Wilson actually had no idea what the movie was about before it was shown, and a few days later he released a press statement saying that he did not approve of the "unfortunate production." Though, for the record, part of the reason why the story is believed appears to have been fabricated by so many people is that Wilson was [[ValuesDissonance racist even by his own time's standard]].
Dixon.
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* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The whole entire film is a HUGE example of this. Though at the time, Griffith believed he was being true to history, since the vision of the American Civil War and Reconstruction was more or less the academic consensus in both the North and the South at the time of the film's release; the Lost Cause historiography and the Dunning thesis. Today it's discredited and racist DatedHistory but it was common enough that it underlined almost any film about the South until the 60s, including Film/GoneWithTheWind. Griffith made many attempts to prove his point by putting in quotations from historical books in the intertitles, which more or less prove if nothing else that the views presented in the film were shared by many educated academics (and President Woodrow Wilson[[note]]Who may or may not have been misquoted about his feelings towards Birth of a Nation, but a book he wrote on the Civil War, and the Lost Cause is most definitely quoted by Griffith in these intertitles[[/note]]).
to:
* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The whole entire film is a HUGE example of this. Though at the time, Griffith believed he was being true to history, since the vision of the American Civil War and Reconstruction was more or less the academic consensus in both the North and the South at the time of the film's release; the Lost Cause historiography and the Dunning thesis. Today it's discredited and racist DatedHistory but it was common enough that it underlined almost any film about the South until the 60s, including Film/GoneWithTheWind. ''Film/GoneWithTheWind''. Griffith made many attempts to prove his point by putting in quotations from historical books in the intertitles, which more or less prove if nothing else that the views presented in the film were shared by many educated academics (and academics, as well as President Woodrow Wilson[[note]]Who Wilson. (Wilson may or may not have been misquoted about his feelings towards Birth of a Nation, regarding this film as noted above, but a book he wrote on the Civil War, and the Lost Cause is most was definitely quoted by Griffith in these intertitles[[/note]]).super-racist.)
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* AttemptedRape: Gus tries to rape Flora Cameron.
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* AttemptedRape: Gus tries to rape Flora Cameron. She jumps to her death instead.
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* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Flora Cameron jumps off a cliff rather than be raped --sort of, see below-- by a freed slave
* BigBad: Silas Lynch.
* BigBad: Silas Lynch.
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* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Flora Cameron jumps off a cliff rather than be raped --sort of, see below-- by a freed slave
slave.
* BigBad: SilasLynch.Lynch, who seeks to manipulate Austin Stoneman and use the black troops in the South to form a "Black Empire".
* BigBad: Silas
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* BindleStick: Justified. Carpetbaggers really did carry these.
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* {{Blackface}}: Unsurprisingly, there were few black actors who played the black roles in this film. The rest were filled in by white actors wearing ''glaringly'' obvious makeup. (Even in its racist heyday, blackface makeup was supposed to create a clownish caricature that no one would believe was a real black person; Griffith must not have thought much of his audience's powers of perception.)
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* {{Blackface}}: {{Blackface}}:
** Unsurprisingly, there were few black actors who played the black roles in this film. The rest were filled in by white actors wearing ''glaringly'' obvious makeup. (Even in its racist heyday, blackface makeup was supposed to create a clownish caricature that no one would believe was a real black person; Griffith must not have thought much of his audience's powers of perception.))
** InUniverse, "white spies disguised" infiltrate the mob of black soldiers rampaging through the town at the end.
** Unsurprisingly, there were few black actors who played the black roles in this film. The rest were filled in by white actors wearing ''glaringly'' obvious makeup. (Even in its racist heyday, blackface makeup was supposed to create a clownish caricature that no one would believe was a real black person; Griffith must not have thought much of his audience's powers of perception.
** InUniverse, "white spies disguised" infiltrate the mob of black soldiers rampaging through the town at the end.
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* CategoryTraitor: The Radical Republicans are implied to have betrayed the white race, especially with Stoneman himself having an extramarital affair with a black woman - leading him to give power to the evil mulatto who later try to rape his daughter.
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* CategoryTraitor: The Radical Republicans are implied to have betrayed the white race, especially with Stoneman himself having an extramarital affair with a black woman - leading him to give power to the evil mulatto who later try tries to rape his daughter.daughter. There's also a "scalawag" white captain who leads the black soldiers.
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%%* ChangedMyMindKid
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* DamselInDistress: Flora Cameron and later, Elsie Stoneman. In the book, Marion Lenoir and her mother, Jeanine.
to:
* DamselInDistress: Flora Cameron and later, Elsie Stoneman. In the book, Marion Lenoir and her mother, Jeanine. Flora commits suicide rather than be raped, while Elsie is saved from marrying Silas Lynch by TheCavalry.
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* DoubleInLawMarriage: Ends with a double wedding in which siblings Elsie and Phil Stoneman marry, respectively, siblings Ben and Margaret Cameron.
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* DoubleInLawMarriage: Ends with a double wedding in which honeymoon after siblings Elsie and Phil Stoneman marry, respectively, siblings Ben and Margaret Cameron.
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* EvilCripple: Austin Stoneman.
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* EvilCripple: Austin Stoneman.Stoneman, who hobbles around on a cane.
* HasTwoMommies: It doesn't have much significance to the larger narrative but the "two Union veterans", whose cabin Phil Stoneman and the Camerons hide in, have a little girl with them.
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* HollywoodDarkness: Via use of tints (standard for silent films before colour).
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* HollywoodDarkness: Via use of tints (standard for silent films before colour).color). The night fighting during the Petersburg sequence is tinted.
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%%* InUniverseCamera
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* LightIsGood: The KKK from the film's perspective.
* LightIsNotGood: The KKK from the viewer's perspective. (Even, again, viewers at the time!)
* LightIsNotGood: The KKK from the viewer's perspective. (Even, again, viewers at the time!)
to:
* LightIsGood: The KKK from the film's perspective.
* LightIsNotGood: The KKKperspective, heroes that save the white race from the viewer's perspective. (Even, again, viewers at the time!)subjugation.
* LightIsNotGood: The KKK
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* MilkingTheGiantCow: Flora makes the stereotypical cow-milking gesture right before she commits suicide.
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* MilkingTheGiantCow: MilkingTheGiantCow:
** Flora makes the stereotypical cow-milking gesture right before she commitssuicide.suicide.
** Elsie does this a couple of times when Silas drops the bomb about wanting to marry her, right before she resorts to the other silent-movie emotion trope, fainting.
** Flora makes the stereotypical cow-milking gesture right before she commits
** Elsie does this a couple of times when Silas drops the bomb about wanting to marry her, right before she resorts to the other silent-movie emotion trope, fainting.
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** Austin Stoneman is a stand-in for Thaddeus Stevens, the leader of the Radical Republicans.
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** Austin Stoneman is a stand-in for Thaddeus Stevens, the leader of the Radical Republicans. And "Lydia Brown" is a stand-in for Stevens' RealLife biracial common-law wife, Lydia Hamilton Smith.
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* PoirotSpeak: "Dem free-niggers f'um de N'of um so' crazy".
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* PoirotSpeak: "Dem free-niggers f'um de N'of um so' crazy". So says "Mammy" when she meets Stoneman's servant.
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%%* ThePollyanna: Flora Cameron, during the Civil War half.
%%* RapeAsDrama
%%* RapeAsDrama
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* ScaryBlackMan: Gus, who stalks and apparently tries to rape Florida. And an even scarier biracial, Silas Lynch.
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* ScaryBlackMan: Gus, who stalks and apparently tries to rape Florida.Flora. And an even scarier biracial, Silas Lynch.
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* SplitScreen: One of the first (but not the first) uses of this trope. A diagonal split shows two scenes from Sherman's March to the Sea in 1864; the lower left portion shows Union soldiers torching a single farmhouse, while the upper right shows Atlanta burning.
to:
* SplitScreen: SplitScreen:
** One of the first (but not the first) uses of this trope. A diagonal split shows two scenes from Sherman's March to the Sea in 1864; the lower left portion shows Union soldiers torching a single farmhouse, while the upper right shows Atlantaburning.burning.
** Used again in the very last shot, as Ben and Elsie look off over the edge of the cliff, while the other half of the screen is a shot of the symbolic New Jerusalem of peace and brotherhood. (For white people anyway.)
** One of the first (but not the first) uses of this trope. A diagonal split shows two scenes from Sherman's March to the Sea in 1864; the lower left portion shows Union soldiers torching a single farmhouse, while the upper right shows Atlanta
** Used again in the very last shot, as Ben and Elsie look off over the edge of the cliff, while the other half of the screen is a shot of the symbolic New Jerusalem of peace and brotherhood. (For white people anyway.)
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** Sort of. Both Silas Lynch and Gus want White women but the women don't exactly return their feelings.
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** Sort of. Both Silas Lynch and Gus want White white women but the women don't exactly return their feelings.
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%%* WhiteMansBurden: Played to some extent really horribly, with Austin Stoneman's [[ScaryBlackMan mulatto protégé Silas]].
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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. However, it was also extremely controversial even when it was released, as its view of Reconstruction is one that promotes white supremacy, loathsomely demonizes black Americans (especially [[MixedAncestry biracial black-white people]]), and glorifies the KKK. In fact, the KKK had a ''huge'' revival in the years after this was released (it numbered around '''6 million members''' at its peak around 1925), and many people credit this movie as one of the reasons why.
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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. It was a massive hit, grossing somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty million dollars when movie tickets cost a dime. However, it was also extremely controversial even when it was released, as its view of Reconstruction is one that promotes white supremacy, loathsomely demonizes black Americans (especially [[MixedAncestry biracial black-white people]]), and glorifies the KKK. In fact, the KKK had a ''huge'' revival in the years after this was released (it numbered around '''6 million members''' at its peak around 1925), and many people credit this movie as one of the reasons why.
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* MaleGaze: A Union hospital guard takes a long look at Gish after she passes by him to visit her convalescing boyfriend.
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* MaleGaze: A Union hospital guard takes a long look at Gish Elsie after she passes by him to visit her a convalescing boyfriend.Ben.
* {{Mammy}}: The Camerons' cook is actually called "Mammy", and she fits the trope exactly, being overweight, and sassy but loyal to her masters. By her very weight she manages to pin down two soldiers long enough to free Dr. Cameron.
* {{Mammy}}: The Camerons' cook is actually called "Mammy", and she fits the trope exactly, being overweight, and sassy but loyal to her masters. By her very weight she manages to pin down two soldiers long enough to free Dr. Cameron.
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* PleaseSpareHimMyLiege: Mother Cameron to Abraham Lincoln, on Ben's behalf.
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* PleaseSpareHimMyLiege: Mother Cameron to Abraham Lincoln, on Ben's behalf. And Lincoln, whom the movie calls "the great heart", does.
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The North was not "inclined to let the South go peacefully".
* DeadGuyOnDisplay: After the Klan murders Gus, they dump his body on the front steps of Silas Lynch's house.
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%%* FramedSubject
* HiddenInPlainSight: Ben's Klan robe is folded up into a white pillow and left on the living room couch. This works well enough until a black soldier peeping through the door sees Margaret Cameron folding the robe up.
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** The Klan killed about 3,000 people over the course of its existence. This is quite a lot, but it's not nearly as many as Gettysburg (which the movie claims; for reference, approximately 7800 soldiers died there).
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** The Klan killed about 3,000 people over the course of its existence. This is quite a lot, but it's not nearly as many as Gettysburg (which as the movie claims; for reference, approximately 7800 soldiers died there).there.
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* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: The Klan; and, indeed, the CSA, which picked a fight when the North was inclined to let them go peacefully, and which committed war crimes over the course of the war (especially giving no quarter against black US troops, and selling free black [=POWs=] into slavery).
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* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: The Klan; and, indeed, the CSA, which picked Confederate States of America, a fight when treasonous rebellion for the North was inclined to let them go peacefully, and which committed war crimes over the course preservation of the war (especially giving no quarter against black US troops, and selling free black [=POWs=] into slavery).slavery.
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* ScaryBlackMan: Gus. And an even scarier biracial, Silas Lynch.
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* ScaryBlackMan: Gus.Gus, who stalks and apparently tries to rape Florida. And an even scarier biracial, Silas Lynch.
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* {{Defictionalization}}: The burning cross so associated with the KKK actually was not used by the 19th century Klan. It was invented by Thomas Dixon for his novel, popularized by this film, and then adopted by the new Klan that was founded in response to this movie.
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* BloodFromTheMouth: Seen from the mouth of a dying Flora after she flings herself off the cliff.
* MilkingTheGiantCow: Flora makes the stereotypical cow-milking gesture right before she commits suicide.
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* MyEyesAreUpHere: Some of the KKK robes have a pair of large circles with crosses in them at chest height.
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** Ben Cameron as an ex-Confederate soldier who forms the Klan to protect Southern virtue is one for Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
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** Ben Cameron as an ex-Confederate soldier who forms the Klan to protect Southern virtue is one for Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. (This is a looser example. Forrest was a cavalry general, while Ben Cameron is an infantry colonel.)