I Am Not a Racist!

Rating: 10/10 (26 August 2012)

No I'm not! But I give this film ten out of ten. Why? Because it's a sickening masterpiece. The racism and stereotyping in this film is utterly obscene, there were a few moments in the film where I thought I would puke. I found myself thinking of my friends who are black, and some of my heroes (Dr. King, Nelson Mandela) and felt even worse. I couldn't believe a society could be so sick that it would turn out an ARTIST warped enough to create The Birth of a Nation. And yet. I am something of a film buff and consider my knowledge of early cinema slightly above average, and this is the greatest silent film I've seen. I barely stirred for three silent hours. The film is the most artistically advanced I've ever seen. It's absolutely riveting and absolutely horrifying. In the words of Roger Ebert "'The Birth of a Nation' is not a bad film because it argues for evil. Like Riefenstahl's 'The Triumph of the Will,' it is a great film that argues for evil. To understand how it does so is to learn a great deal about film, and even something about evil." I couldn't agree more. Is it wrong to love this film? I don't think so. I think it's important to see this as the great film it is, and even love it; you don't need to be a Klan nut to think it's incredible.