The Magnitude Of This Film Is Nothing Short Of Incredible, For Better And Worse

Rating: 5/10 (14 January 2017)

How can one properly review this film? It single handedly changed the world, something you can't say for many movies, but in some very negative ways as well as positive ones. It features some amazing set pieces, and totally altered the standard to how films should be made. It also featured a re-writing of history and appropriated extreme racism.
The Birth of a Nation is a silent film, and if unaccustomed to it, it can be extremely tedious and confusing. This film suffered from this, even for more seasoned viewers of silent movies, perhaps because of its three hour runtime, or maybe because of its complex story that was impaired by the lack of any dialogue and clear editing. The acting was surprisingly more natural then most from this time era, but this also may have affected the overall film, because with no dialogue, it felt sometimes felt slow with little reason.
D. W. Griffith directed this historical triumph, which changed Hollywood, the film industry and, along with some issues in the South involving violent black people and wrongly executed white people, brought back the Klu Klux Klan, which continues to have lasting effects to this day. Although portrayed as a historical film, the 'history' is completely fake, even though some people try to use this as an example of truth.
So how do you review this film? It is best to average it out. In terms of actual filmmaking and historical relevance in the film history canon, this is a ten star movie. In terms of the problems this movie caused due to its unabashed racism, it's a solid zero. The film in terms of quality is about a five anyway, so it evens out. It is an interesting and rewarding watch, but not entirely entertaining. But no matter your favourite film, it has this one to thank.
2.5 / 5