That's a negative

Rating: 1/10 (29 July 2004)

I bought this movie because it was a deal. $4.99 for a DVD? What's to lose, right? Wrong. That is $4.99 that I'll never get back. I sat down hoping to watch the whole movie, only slight deterred at the fact that it was three hours long. To my dismay, I was physically unable to sit through the whole thing and had to take breaks here and there in order to make it through the plot, which was stretched beyond breaking point. (That is to say that some of the scenes were extended too long, resulting in extreme boredom and the occasional nap.)
Many of the scenes included in this movie were irrelevant to the rest of the plot. Although I understand that making silent movies is an art that is less than understood by today's standards, I have seen several others ("The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," for example) that have far surpassed my expectations. This film, on the other hand, was disappointing in every way from the confusing family tree to the ending that was so racist I almost retched.
While I am glad that I watched "The Birth of a Nation," to get an idea of our country's early history, and to see the first full-length feature film, I must say that I wouldn't recommend to anyone who is looking for an early cinematic masterpiece. You wouldn't be satisfied.