Birth of a sick nation

Rating: Null/10 (29 August 2001)

I'm taking a film studies class because I like movies, but after seeing Birth of a Nation today and knowing that it is this movie that all movies today owe their existence to, I don't think I'll be able to fully enjoy a movie ever again. If Birth of a Nation were never made at all, I would feel better about being an American, even if it meant no movies were ever made again!
Actually, I don't think Birth of a Nation deserves as much credit as people give it. DW Griffith made plenty of short films before it that contained those oh so innovative techniques, and they weren't disgusting 3 hour long racist pieces of trash.
Another point, don't you think we would have eventually gotten there without Griffith? The Russians or French filmmakers or somebody would have figured out how to make a decent film sooner or later anyway!

The point I'm getting at is this: this movie is as disgusting as it is long, and anyone out there who would defend its artistic and technical brilliance by choosing to "look past the racism" needs to reevaluate their entire outlook on this. Why don't you sit down with someone whose father or loved one was killed because of the racial hatred Birth of a Nation inspired? Tell them their dad died for the sake of American cinema.