The Birth of a Nation

D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation was the longest and most ambitious American feature film ever made upon its release in 1915, and went on to become a blockbuster and a landmark. Griffith, who spent years experimenting with storytelling techniques, brought his considerable narrative ingenuity to this drama of the Civil War and Reconstruction, captured through the eyes of two families—the Stonemans of the North and the Camerons of the South—whose members are intertwined through various relationships. Much of what was highly sophisticated at the time looks quaint now, but the film's tintype aura (modeled on the photographs of Matthew Brady and including epic battle scenes) still impresses, as does Griffith's poetic handling of intimate moments, and the performances are graceful, especially Lillian Gish's turn as young Elsie Stoneman, the daughter of an abolitionist Congressman. But The Birth of the Nation is also highly controversial because of its rampant racism, demeaning caricatures of African-American characters (all played by actors in blackface), grotesque distortions of history, and portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan as the savior of white culture in the face of emancipation. Although plagued by these contradictions between aesthetics and ethics, the film is an essential part of American cinema history, re-released on DVD and bowing on Blu-ray in definitive editions. Presented here in a newly remastered version from archival 35mm elements, extras include the earlier 1993 restoration edition, seven Civil War shorts directed by Griffith, and a “making-of” featurette. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)