Directed by: D.W. Griffith
Starring: Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall, Miriam Cooper, Mary Alden, Ralph Lewis
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, the Hendersonville Film Society has given over the month of September to screening two very long movies (each split in two) dealing with the war and its aftermath. (I guess they decided that firing on Fort Sumter would be too much.) The first is D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation (1915), a film of tremendous historical significance, which is often thought of as the moment American cinema grew up—at least in terms of what film was capable of doing. (It very often attempts more than it can actually accomplish.) Based on (and originally titled) The Clansman by Thomas F. Dixon Jr., this is a film that has been plagued by controversy since the very start—the title should give you a clue why, if you don’t already know. The first half of the film—detailing the war itself—is reasonably level-headed, but the second half, which deals with reconstruction and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan is another matter altogether. Griffith thought he was presenting a fair picture of the era, but it was a picture badly skewed by his own racism, spawned by his background. And it’s impossible to deny that the film itself is racist in turn. That, however, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be seen. On the contrary, it should be seen—not just because it’s historically significant filmmaking, but because it’s important to be reminded of this mindset, which is a dangerous thing to forget or pretend never existed. This does not, however, keep the film from being difficult to watch on occasion.
The Hendersonville Film Society will show part one of The Birth of a Nation at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 4, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas), 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.
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Bob Dole was asked a few elections ago what his favorite movie was- yep,it was “Birth of a Nation”. |
 Aug 30, 2011 at 12:15 PM |
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That’s a pretty peculiar answer however you look at it. You have to be pretty serious about movies to have even seen it. I remember Jimmy Carter once saying that Michael Winner’s 1978 The Big Sleep was his favorite. |
Aug 30, 2011 |
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I remember Jimmy Carter once saying that Michael Winner’s 1978 The Big Sleep was his favorite. That seems strangely appropriate, although I’ve always thought it was more of a Gerald Ford. Which President would be the Altman THE LONG GOODBYE, I wonder? |
 Aug 30, 2011 at 4:43 PM |
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Which President would be the Altman THE LONG GOODBYE, I wonder? Starting in 1980, I can think of three I couldn’t wait to see leave office. |
Aug 31, 2011 |
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Griffith thought he was presenting a fair picture of the era, but it was a picture badly skewed by his own racism, spawned by his background. Is it wrong that I’m amused at Griffith’s painfully earnest attempts to prove that he was definitely not racist with Broken Blossoms? |
Sep 01, 2011 |
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Not wrong, but not entirely fair perhaps. In the context of its time—1919—it’s fairly forward thinking. In the confines of Griffith’s 19th century thinking and background, it’s even more so. It would be interesting to see the lost The Greatest Thing in Life (1918) for more on this. |
Sep 02, 2011 |
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The screening of BIRTH OF A NATION has been cancelled. Instead the Hendersonville Film Society will screen the 1913 Thomas Ince short THE DRUMMER OF THE 8th followed by John Huston’s 1951 film of THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE with Audie Murphy. |
 Sep 03, 2011 at 3:28 PM |
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What is next weekend then? |
Sep 03, 2011 |
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Probably Buster Keaton’s THE GENERAL. |
Sep 03, 2011 at 4:35 PM |
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Cancelled? How come? |
Lew Powell Sep 04, 2011 |
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I’m not in the loop on that. |
Sep 04, 2011 |
