Revisionist Propaganda

Rating: 5/10 (19 January 2015)

D. W. Griffith's silent era flick is almost 100 years old now. At the time, the Civil War had been over for about 50 years. This film starts in the throws of that war, but the bulk of the plot involves the US Reconstruction of the south.
The film is lauded for its technical achievements. Many of what modern filmmakers use as the basic formation of shot compositions and tracking scenes et. al. were established and pioneered in this movie. Including what I'd bet is film's first ever bar fight scene. And that's all fine and academic, but unless you're a film student, you're probably not going to be awed by the wonderment of something filmed in 1914. Especially at three hours long.
So what you'd be watching for is an interesting narrative. Unfortunately that's where Nation gets problematic. While the film was being praised for its grandeur upon it's release, it was at the same time reviled for it's revisionist history, abhorrent racism and the manipulation of using this medium as a means for propaganda.
Because within this reconstruction, black leaders are seen to oppress the white population of a southern town, including suppressing the white voters in an election. One famous scene has a newly empowered black congress holding session in a statehouse as they remove their shoes an rest bare feet on the desks while drinking liquor and eating chicken legs. Later, as whites continue to be harassed, imprisoned and killed, the Ku Klux Klan is shown as heroes. Liberators of the southern whites to maintain justice and their Aryan birthright. It is believed that this film was the catalyst for the new rise of the KKK in the early 20th century.
With such ridiculous hateful plot elements at the helm of the production, it's hard to take the film any other way. Filmmaking achievements aside, it couldn't possibly still stand the test of time for greatness, even if it will for controversy. But, if you're curious, the entire film is on youtube.