The old films always represent a challenge to anyone trying to review them from modern perspectives. The challenge is even greater if such films are truly old and weren’t made with CGI and other wonders of modern technology, but also deny the audience such banal things that are today taken for granted, like colour or sound. And even more challenges come when such films, being made in the past world indescribably alien to our present, represent certain mindset and values many of us would find unacceptable. Yet, some of such films played important role in the history of cinema and some of them are considered and will always be considered undisputed classic of the Seventh Art, whether we like it or not. Probably none film can serve as an example of such contradictions as The Birth of a Nation, 1915 historic epic directed by D. W. Griffith, which, more than a century after its production holds the title as one of the most controversial films ever made.
The film is based on The Clansman, 1905 novel by Thomas Dixon Jr. and the eponymous play which became big hit in American theatres. Plot begins in 1860 when two American families maintain their friendship despite regional and political differences that would soon tear country apart. Dr. Cameron (played by Spottiswoode Aitken) is owner of cotton plantation in Piedmont, South Carolina, while Austin Stoneman (played by Ralph Lewis) is Northern politician from Pennsylvania who also happens to be leader of US House of Representatives. Families meet in Piedmont soon before election of Abraham Lincoln (played by Joseph Henabery) to US Presidency, which would spark secession of Southern states and subsequent civil war. Both families have sons that would serve and die in Union and Confederate armies. The eldest of the Camerons, Benjamin (played by Henry B. Walthall), serves with distinction during Siege of Petersburg, when is wounded and captured. His life is saved thanks to Elsie Stoneman (played by Lilian Gish), who nurses him back to health and intervenes on his behalf as nurse in military hospital. “Little Colonel” returns home after the end of hostilities, but the real nightmare for his family begins after Lincoln’s assassination. While the slain President favoured magnanimous treatment of defeated South, Radical Republicans demand harsh punishment of former rebels and Austin Stoneman takes their cause. Blacks in South Carolina are not only freed from slavery, but also given right to vote which they, with the help of Northern “carpetbaggers” use to establish political hegemony over whites. New regime, embodied in ambitious mulatto Lieutenant Governor Sylas Lynch (played by George Siegmann), begins to humiliate and harass the white population. When Gus (played by Walter Long), former black slave, attempts to rape Ben’s sister Flora (played by Mae Marsh), resulting in her death, Ben decides to set up Ku Klux Klan, secret organisation that would use violence to defeat Lynch and his supporters. The organisation gradually get support even from Union veterans, like Stoneman’s son Phil (played by Elmer Clifton), who has fallen in love with Ben’s sister Margaret (played by Miriam Cooper).
If someone tries to watch films like The Birth of a Nation in order to ascertain its artistic value, entertainment qualities or historical importance, it is essential to do so in its proper historic context. In other words, not from perspective of today’s viewers, but from perspective of someone who had seen this film in 1915. And that someone by all criteria had the good reasons to be impressed. When he started working on this film, Griffith had in relatively short span of six years made large number of short films during which he improvised and experimented with various genres, techniques and styles in ultimately paved the way for which would soon become the norm for live action films not only in Hollywood, but the rest of world cinema. Griffith, who was by that time one of the most prolific and influential film makers in the world, used the rich experience with short film to employ his innovations in The Birth of Nation, a film that would prove to be groundbreaking in the history of Seventh Art. While the acting in the film might look hammy from today’s standards (mostly due to actors having to compensate lack of sound with enhanced gestures and display of emotions), it looked much more natural to audiences in 1915 due to Griffith’s use of close ups. Griffith also effectively used editing, making the film dynamic despite almost all shots (with few exceptions near dramatic finale) being completely static. While not the first feature film in the world (it was preceded by few lesser known European productions) or even in Griffith’s filmography (lesser known Judith of Bethulia was made few months earlier), it was the first feature film with epic running time of more than three hours. It was also the first major Hollywood production with music written specifically for film (authored by film music pioneer Joseph Carl Breil, later performed by orchestras or single piano players during regular showings). And, in doing so, Griffith also provided audience with clear story and plenty of strong emotions, suspense and melodrama. Thus he established the pattern every film maker after him will follow.
Today’s audience also must try to see the film from 1915 perspective in order to properly understand some of its content. The Birth of a Nation is for the last century or so often described as vile racist propaganda and everyone who sees it today is likely to agree with that description. Dixon, the author of the original novel was Southerner and not only unhappy over defeat of his side during Civil War and subscribed to the Lost Cause mythology, but also an unapologetic white supremacist. The Clansman was originally written as rebuttal of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel that had condemned slavery in antebellum South and give humanity to its black inhabitants. Dixon took the opposite route and depicted former slaves not only as mentally or morally inferior to whites, but unable to handle freedom that was given after the war. Blacks in the novel, as well as in the film, are portrayed according to the worst racist stereotypes – they drink, steal and have uncontrollable lust towards white women; the only thing that can put them in place is white supremacy, either in form of pre-war “peculiar institution” of slavery or Jim Crow laws that were enforced during Dixon’s time. Reconstruction, a relatively short post-war period when blacks were given equal rights under protection of victorious Federal government, is portrayed as an era of tragedy and oppression, which was ended by the actions of Ku Klux Klan, whose members in the novel are portrayed as heroic protectors and liberators of their people instead of masked thugs.
Griffith was also a Southerner and, as such, shared most of Dixon’s views. And, as such, he is often considered responsible for some of his film’s consequences in real life. The Birth of a Nation was greatest theatrical hit of its time and, although due to different standards of accounting it is impossible to establish real numbers, it is all but certain that it was film with the most impressive box office results until Gone with the Wind, a film with which it shares similar subject and controversies about content. Its popularity and controversies that almost immediately erupted led to protests, riots and some apocriphal stories even claim that lynchings of black men were directly inspired by it. But the most damning effect of its film is resurrection of Ku Klux Klan, racist terrorist organisation that have disappeared in the South since the end of Reconstruction only to be brought back to life only few months after the film. New Klan was more vicious, more violent, more racist and it had much more power, attracting legions of racist not only in South but in North and thus having great and mostly negative effect on the state of civil rights in USA for next few decades.
It could be argued that Griffith was responsible for all that, but the director at least have put some effort to distance himself from what would have been the most extreme forms of racism. The author in the inter titles claims (rather unconvincingly in light of what can be seen in most scenes) that his film is not hostile towards any particular race. He also tries to deflect criticism by quoting historical books of then-current US President Woodrow Wilson (who was also a Southerner and apparently like Griffith’s work, which had been first film to be shown in White House). Some of the black characters (majority played by white actors in blackface) are shown to be loyal to their former white masters and unwilling to follow radicalism of carpetbaggers and radical Republican politicians. President Lincoln is portrayed in surprisingly sympathetic light, called “Big Heart” and his assassination is portrayed as tragedy for both North and South. Griffith is even more nuanced in his portrayal of Civil War. While he all but ignores its causes he sees it not as unsuccessful but just and valiant defence of South, but as nothing short of tragic, needless and fratricidal slaughter. Those pacifist sentiments are in many ways spurned by First World War which erupted few months earlier and which dimensions caused great concern in still neutral USA. Although Griffith for the rest of his life rejected all criticism of The Birth of a Nation, he apparently took some of that criticism seriously. His next film Intolerance and its universalist message of peace and coexistence is often interpreted as his answer to critics. And in his 1919 film Broken Blossoms he even broke an important taboo of portraying interracial romance in sympathetic way, thus directly contradicting the views explicitly stated in this film.
The content of The Birth of a Nation can be viewed as unacceptable, but all those who appreciate the art of cinema are likely to continue to appreciate its lofty place in history.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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