Amazing Filmaking Wasted on Bigoted Themes

Rating: 7/10 (15 December 2010)

The Birth of a Nation was the highest grossing production of the silent film era. It was revered for its groundbreaking camera techniques and narrative achievements but also explicitly racist and controversial. It was based on a play by Reverend Thomas Dixon Jr. called The Clansman. Although there were many black characters in the film only the minor roles were actually played by blacks, all of the major roles were played by whites in blackface. It was also very controversial because of its glorification of the activities of the Ku Klux Klan and its portrayal of the African American people as stereotypical and animalistic. It was voted as one of the top 100 American films by the The American Film Institute in 1998 a decision that was immediate criticized by the NAACP. Two scenes were subsequently cut from the film. Riots broke out in major cities including Chicago and Philadelphia after its screening and it was banned from being shown in eight states. For years after its release, screenings of the film were picketed and many lawsuits were filed. The most chilling result of the release of this film was an increase in Ku Klux Klan membership in the decades following its release and it is still used today as a recruitment tool for the racist organization.