Within its context, it is a timeless landmark.

Rating: Null/10 (6 July 2009)

Anyone that is interested in classic film or film history must watch at least once The Birth of a Nation, perhaps the most important film ever made because it was the first true film; put together piece by piece, scene by scene, it tells a story. And this isn't just a one-reel, 10-minute story. This is a 3-hour plus epic that begins before the Civil War and follows through into the Reconstruction.
There is a lot going on here, perhaps more than needed. Despite this, The Birth of a Nation remains a historic landmark, something that will always need to be dealt with. The fact that this was all shot with one camera, one cameraman, and without a script but visually set up in director DW Griffith's head makes this even more astounding of an achievement. However, it will always be remembered for its severe racism, especially in today's society which treats this idea in entertainment as pure evil. As a matter of fact, there is hardly any racist content until the third act, if you don't count the use of white actors in blackface. Griffith spends 2/3 of the movie setting up the story, showing through the Northern Stonemans and the Southern Camerons the immense differences in our nation at the time and how the war brought the two sides closer and then farther.
That is to see it from a historical view. From a cinematic view, you have to stop and really think about what you are seeing. As someone who has grown up in the technological-savvy era of the 1990s, I have no idea what it would be like to live in the early 20th century and see for the first time an account of an important event on a big wall. It must have been truly remarkable, perhaps so much that most people didn't notice the racist content. Indeed, Griffith pioneered innumerable techniques that are so common today, we don't even think about how they are done. The idea of parallel editing between the Klan riding and people defending in a cabin shocks us today because of how the Klan is portrayed. Back then, it was a mind-blowing experience that seemed impossible to understand. Yet, Griffith did it and it is because we are so used to moving images that many, if any, people see this today they will automatically disregard it as pure racist garbage.
There are only two rules to keep when deciding to view The Birth of a Nation. First, understand that it is the single-most important production because it is the blueprint for every other movie, TV show and other images on a camera done since. Second, understand the sheer racism of it and have some sympathy for DW Griffith. I believe that he was blinded to the impact this would have. Not even he could have surmised that this would stir up hatred, reinstate the Klan, and cause blacks to respond in their own version. These facts alone point to something greater than the offensive material: Griffith has and always will be the Father of Cinema.