Birth of a Nation: The South's Tale

Rating: 8/10 (26 January 2010)

Despite the racism and criticism that has been associated with this film, it still remains to this day one of the greatest films in the history of the American cinema. It's length can be considered in itself a stepping stone in film-making. Being around three hours is quite an accomplishment for a film even by today's standards. The hand-tinting in the movie, particularly in the scenes of the home and the burning of Atlanta, the colors used (in this case, red and yellow) really heightened the dramatic feeling of that particular scene. The assassination of President Lincoln conveyed such a sense of realism (notice the term realism, not reality) that one would think that the whole event was real, and that there was a camera there at the time (sadly though, there was no camera to record the event). Overall, the movie is still a remarkable testament to the ability of the film crew and production company.