well-filmed one sided history and apparently interracial marriage created KKK

Rating: 5/10 (23 December 2014)

The Stonemans are a northern family headed by the abolitionist Congressman Austin Stoneman. His two sons visit their friend Ben Cameron in Piedmont, South Carolina. Ben is the eldest son of the Camerons who run the friendly quaint family plantation with happy slaves. The Stonemans are enamored with the elder daughter Margaret Cameron. Ben falls immediately for Elsie Stoneman with just her picture. The North's new president Lincoln enforce its rule with volunteers which leads to the Civil War. A black militia attacks Piedmont only to be rescued by Confederate troops in the nick of time. The heroic Ben is so gallant that he's cheered by the Federal troops. He is injured and brought to a Washington hospital where he meets Elsie working as a nurse. He is falsely charged to be executed and Elsie brings momma Cameron to Lincoln who pardons him. Ben returns to find the plantation in ruins. Austin Stoneman wants the south to be ruled as conquered provinces but Lincoln resists. Then Lincoln is killed in that fateful night. Stoneman takes over as the true power of the country with his mulatto protégé Silas Lynch. Lynch is sent south to lead the carpetbaggers to organize the black vote. The newly freed blacks are rude. Lynch is elected Lieutenant Governor in a rigged election. A renegade black Gus is eyeing white women and Ben is pushed to start the KKK. Elsie breaks off her engagement to Ben when she finds out. Ben's sister goes to the spring by herself and is attacked by Gus. She falls over a cliff to her death. The KKK goes to track down Gus for a fair trial and then an execution.
This is well filmed but poorly written. It's not only the one sided history. It's not even the bad English coming from only the black characters. There is the happy slaves in the gentile plantation. The use of blackfaced white actors should be a big clue. Forget about the twisting of the political history, there are some really outlandish unnecessary stupid things in here. Ben is cheered on by the Federals in the middle of a battle. I don't know why that's even necessary. What inspiration did Ben get from watching the white kids hiding under the white sheets? Is it suppose to be a cloak of invisibility against black people? D. W. Griffith shows that he's a master filmmaker but this one-sided history isn't even well written. It is fascinating to see that the passage of inter-racial marriage is such a horrible thing in Griffith's mind and the true cause of all the trouble is a fight over white women.