A classic in every sense of the word.

Rating: 8/10 (17 October 2016)

To understand and speak about this film, one must first understand the context in which the movie was released. It was early 1915, the mindset of the people was very different to what it is today, the state of the film industry was also completely different. This is important to remember when reading the following review.
The Birth of a Nation is undoubtedly one of the most impactful films ever released. Anybody who has done even the slightest bit of research into this film will understand that. However, it is also one of if not the most controversial films ever made. The film cut deep into the hearts of the African Americans particularly, and, after watching this, it's easy to understand why.
The racism present in the movie is excruciatingly obvious and in your face. What makes matters worse is that it is also evident that the film-makers weren't trying to make it so, in order to arouse feelings of anger and frustration within us, oh no. Instead, the racism is filmed in a way that proves that it was the norm of that time to think this way about African people. This -frustratingly fundamental- part of the film is what has been the cause for more than a century of controversy.
I will say that as a young guy in his twenties - who has grown up in a world that is all about equality of rights of all human beings, no matter what may separate them from ourselves - it was very difficult to sit through the second half of the movie. What is shown is both infuriating and disturbing. However, that's not to take away from the truly spectacular first-half.
The first-half of the film really is something to behold. From the brilliant depiction of the events surrounding the Civil War, and that of the war itself, as well as the brilliantly acted romance story that is thrown in between, this movie is thoroughly engaging. The first half of the movie(90 minutes on the 3 hour version that I watched) is expertly crafted and pulled off with a style that was not the norm in the film industry at the time. I can't begin to explain the beauty of Liilan Giths performance in this movie, for my first Gith film, she completely and utterly blew me away. Henry B Walthall is also very impressive as the "hero" of the film.
The cinematic techniques used by all-star director D.W. Griffith were groundbreaking at the time. The ambition and scope of the movie even more so. This was the first time a director had attempted to tell such a big and significant story with so much style and class.
My enjoyment of the first half of this movie was more than enough to convince me and win me over to the quality of classic cinema. The racist and sometimes pointless second half did take away from the experience though. If you have an interest in film history and would like to see something that is a deep foundation of the birth of Hollywood, I would most definitely recommend this brilliant, albeit dated cinematic experience.