N
NAACP
Spearheaded an unsuccessful campaign to ban the film, citing its role in inflaming racial tensions and potential to incite violence.
Two families, abolitionist Northerners the Stonemans and Southern landowners the Camerons, intertwine. When Confederate colonel Ben Cameron is captured in battle, nurse Elsie Stoneman petitions for his pardon. In Reconstruction-era South Carolina, Cameron founds the Ku Klux Klan, battling Elsie's congressman father and his African-American protégé, Silas Lynch.
Directed byD.W. Griffith
Written byFrank E. Woods, D.W. Griffith, Thomas F. Dixon Jr.
Budgetapproximately $110,000
Critical Consensus
6.1
IMDb
6.0
TMDB
The Birth of a Nation was a commercially successful and technically innovative film that profoundly influenced American cinema. Despite being lauded for its craft, it was widely denounced for its racist depictions, sparking protests and significant controversy that continues to define its legacy.
The Cast
Lillian Gish
Stoneman's Daughter Elsie
Mae Marsh
Flora Cameron
Henry B. Walthall
Col. Ben Cameron
Miriam Cooper
Margaret Cameron
Mary Alden
Stoneman's Housekeeper Lydia
Ralph Lewis
Leader of the House Hon. Austin Stoneman
George Siegmann
Lieut. Governor Silas Lynch
Walter Long
Gus
Robert Harron
Tod
Wallace Reid
Jeff, the Blacksmith
Trivia
It was the first non-serial American 12-reel film ever made.
It was the first motion picture to be screened inside the White House, where it was watched by President Woodrow Wilson.
Adjusted for inflation, the film remains one of the highest-grossing films ever made.
It was the first American-made film to have a musical score for an orchestra.
The film has been acknowledged as an inspiration for the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan, which took place only a few months after its release.
D.W. Griffith agreed to pay $10,000 for the rights to the play 'The Clansman' but, due to lack of funds, offered a 25% interest in the film instead, which made the author Thomas Dixon immensely wealthy.
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Critics
LC
Library of Congress
Deemed 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant' and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
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