Hateful History

Rating: 1/10 (22 July 2005)

My opinion of this film is a hateful piece of propaganda. I've studied film and while so many people say it's important because it's place in film history, that's secondary to the impact. This film helped the formation of the second wave of the Ku Klux Klan. These people lynched and terrorized Blacks and Jews and many of the US's prominent politicians, including former President Woodrow Wilson were members and supporters of the Klan. The film was screened at the White House and Wilson (who segregated the Federal government) lent his support to the film. The racism in this film isn't a joke, it's an advertisement for White supremacy and it had a horrible and deadly effect on many people's lives. The stereotypes in this film have affected Black actors ever since. I had to watch this film for a class on racial stereotypes. The depictions are disgusting and it's worse that films like this went all over the world- taking this image of Black Americans to the world, when all of the main Black characters were played by whites in blackface makeup. Placing this film in the proper context is difficult if you are unwilling to acknowledge this film contributed to violence against nonwhite American citizens. When supposed art becomes a recruiting tool for hate it ceases to be art. The glowing praise this film continues to receive is baffling to me.