The Birth of a Nation

The Birth of a Nation was a groundbreaking 1915 silent film. Directed by D. W. Griffith (1875–1948), the film is set during the American Civil War (1861–65) and Reconstruction period (1865–1877). The Birth of a Nation depicts the era through the fictional stories of two white families caught up in the conflict, the Stonemans from the North and the slaveowning Camerons from the South. The film popularized the acting careers of Lillian Gish (1893–1993; see entry in 1910s—Film and Theater in volume 1) and her younger sister, Dorothy (1898–1968). The sisters became two of the most familiar stars of the silent movie (see entry under 1900s—Film and Theater in volume 1) era. The Birth of a Nation introduced many technical and artistic advances in the new medium of film. The film remains controversial to this day because of its interpretation of the historical events it portrayed.

Based on The Clansman, a 1905 play by Thomas Dixon Jr. (1864–1946), The Birth of a Nation sympathized with defeated Southern slaveholders. It portrayed the Confederacy and the Ku Klux Klan (see entry under 1910s—The Way We Lived in volume 1) in a generally favorable light, while painting a negative picture of Southern blacks during the period. The film depicted the Cameron plantation before the war as a happy place where slaves and masters lived together in harmony until Northern abolitionists disturbed the balance. After the war, Austin Stone-man sends a friend of mixed race, Silas Lynch, to encourage the emancipated slaves to vote and run for public office, provoking a horrified Ben Cameron to organize the Ku Klux Klan as an organ of white resistance. The narrative is personalized when romantic attachments develop between members of the two families, but these scenes are overshadowed by unflattering depictions of black characters, who are portrayed as uncouth and violence prone. Not surprisingly, protests greeted The Birth of a Nation when the film opened in many cities in the spring of 1915. Among those criticizing the film were the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and prominent African American educators Booker T. Washington (1856–1915) and W. E. B. DuBois (1868–1963).

Despite these controversies, The Birth of a Nation remains a milestone in the history of the early film industry. It was heavily promoted and advertised nationally, making it the prototype of the modern "blockbuster." In the nickelodeon (see entry under 1900s—Film and Theater in volume 1) era, The Birth of a Nation was the first film for which a two-dollar admission was charged, proving that mass audiences would support serious movies. It also pioneered a number of production techniques still used by filmmakers. These techniques include the use of creative camera angles, such as closeups and panoramic shots, and of artificial lighting for filming at night. Writer and film critic James Agee (1909–1955) declared that The Birth of a Nation was full of "tremendous magical images" that could be compared to Abraham Lincoln's speeches, Walt Whitman's poems, and Mathew Brady's photographs in evoking the Civil War era.

—Edward Moran

For More Information

Barry, Iris. D. W. Griffith: American Film Master. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1965.

Gish, Lillian, with Ann Pinchot. The Movies, Mr. Griffith, and Me. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1969.

Silva, Fred, ed. Focus on "The Birth of a Nation." Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1971.

Sarris, Andrew. "Birth of a Nation or White Power Back When." Village Voice (July 17 and July 24, 1969).