Analysis Of The Birth Of A Nation

The famous film The Birth of a Nation (1915) is considered a landmark and the most extraordinary achievement in the history of American Cinema. The film was directed by D.W Griffith, and it presents a distorted depiction of the South after the Civil War, it praises the Ku Klux Klan as a courageous troop, and it belittles blacks in a very hateful way. Such an influential, and controversial film had everyone speculating about it, and until today, as one critic put it, “the film brings all different types of emotions before peoples’ eyes” (Green, 179). While many people were in favor of the film, “the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) attempted to mount boycott of the film , but it failed to stir significant white

The mastery of his film industry used techniques of film-making, motivated shot, and motion pictures. In response to critics of the “New York Globe” Griffith affirms that his film was “a production which was brought forth to reveal the beautiful possibilities of the art of motion pictures and to tell a story which is based upon truth in every detail” (Griffith, 168). Griffith’s work made history when his film was released. People had not seen anything like this before and the fact that they could relate to the story being told made the film more exiting and meaningful. Until present times, his film is very popular in American culture and a critic stated in 2004 that “Griffith set a new standard for film aesthetic by synthesizing new types of shots and cutting techniques, improving production quality and fidelity to historical sources, integrating music into film more comprehensively” (Salter, No. 2, October 2004). The Birth of a Nation is very significant because with its innovative techniques it made history. This is where the idea that the film makes history while it tells history comes into play. Griffith used his skills to tell a story and his skills became