James Agee Lost His Mind

Rating: Null/10 (15 December 2008)

While he was a film critic for "The Nation" James Agee wrote a critique on D.W. Griffith explaining why, in his opinion, he was one of the greatest filmmakers to ever live. He talked mostly about his technical expertise, as well as Griffith's ability to manipulate his audience like any great filmmaker could. However, at one point he defends Griffith's political stance on both the American Civil War and Slavery. Agee goes on to claim that Griffith takes a neutral stance in "The Birth of a Nation" and depicts the slaves as any southerner would...
Look, Griffith may have depicted black America as any southerner would...as a racist, but shame on Mr. Agee for arriving at the ignorant and disgusting argument that Griffith depicted both sides equally. At no point in this film is there an equal depiction of the former slaves versus their masters. At the end of the film he shows "crazed" African Americans busting through a shed door trying to get to the innocent, and pure, white ladies. No one can save these maidens of the south except for...the KKK!!! Hurray, the KKK is here...
Pardon my French, but screw that, Mr. Agee. "The Birth of a Nation" is studied for it's technical achievements and for Griffith's mastery of editing, not for historical accuracy, of which there is none. It doesn't matter if Agee wrote that critique at the end of the 1940's, it is still racist and ignorant and anyone with any sense can see that Griffith's film is just that. It's time that someone questioned James Agee's expertise on this matter as well. Just because Agee is considered one of the premier film critics in American history doesn't mean his word right, let alone the divine word of God. Good lord, he called "The Birth of a Nation" a fair and equal look at two lifestyles.
It is time now, in the 21st century to stop clinging to these old critics and look at things for ourselves, starting with this film. "The Birth of a Nation" may very well be a milestone for technical innovation in film, but it's racist, ignorant and it inspired more racists for years to come. This film was shown to hoards of Klan members throughout the 20th century, and indeed no other film has been shown to more people in the history of cinema. In the history of American film, a Racist movie has been seen by more people than anything else. It crafted a mythology about the Klan that endured well into the 1960's, and in some places in America it still exists. Why is it that we continue to glorify this film? There are plenty of other films that use these same techniques without being completely ignorant.
It's the 21st century and it's time to move on.