The inspirational story of how the KKK saved the south,

Rating: 7/10 (8 February 2005)

or how sore losers stain the birth of a nation. Putting aside the controversy for a moment, this is an overly long early exercise in what movies could be. Important in that it accomplished many firsts in filmdom, this movie deserves respect. It may be the first epic. The sad fact is that it has not aged as well as it could have. It is boring and melodramatic in places. There is even an obvious use of the same piece of footage several times during a battle. If this movie was remade shot for shot today, it would not be very critically or commercially successful, although it is not a bad movie. The story is OK, the acting, primitive as it is, is good, and the entire production has credibility. The major flaw is making the KKK the protagonist. Their ideals, their methods, and their actions are repugnant. The KKK made a stain on the south and the nation as a whole that remains today. Nobody, except those in the KKK, will feel anything for them. It is important however to remember that not every southerner is in KKK and that this movie should not be condemned for using them in it's story.