Birth of a Nation

However, the film comes off as a joke back in the U.S. due to the hurried filming and the lack of a proper story and narration. Before we find that out, first let me give you a brief history on the two parties--Mexican revolutionary hero Pancho Villa and the Mutual Film Corporation--that were involved in a highly unusual deal brokered at the turn of the last century. ... Full Review

In filming 'The Birth of a Nation,' I gave my best knowledge to the proven facts, and presented the known truth, about the Reconstruction period in the American South. Nevertheless, the film's racist caricatures of African-Americans and its glorification of the Ku Klux Klan is there to be seen on the screen, and did much to revive the moribund Klan. ... Full Review

The most successful and artistically advanced film of its time, The Birth of a Nation has also sparked protests, riots, and divisiveness since its first release. ... Full Review

Surprisingly, as a visual spectacle this very old film stands up well. And perhaps the best reason to watch Griffith's films is the opportunity to see where Hollywood came from and to see modern camera angles and devices used for the first time. ... Full Review

Ever since the 1915 silent film "Birth of a Nation," Hollywood has been a player in the political debate, but during an election year, the onscreen battle of ideologies is like an Olympic event. ... Full Article

This is the second Great Movies book, but the titles in it are not the second team. I do not believe in rankings and lists, and refuse all invitations to reveal my "ten all-time favorite musicals," etc., on the grounds... ... Full Article

Soon after Christmas in 2002, the Manhattan-based film critic Godfrey Cheshire, a North Carolina native, learned that his cousins in Raleigh were moving. Not earth-shattering news at first glance, except that his relatives, Charlie and Dena Silver, lived in the... ... Full Article

As we celebrate the birth of the nation, it's worth noting that The Birth of a Nation included an appearance by Abraham Lincoln. Or an actor playing him, at least. It was the first use of a president as a ... Full Article

No matter how many "courageous" speeches Barack Obama gives, America will never be a "Let's talk about race" kind of place. It'll always be a "Let's talk about how we can't talk about race" kind of place. I'm all for doing my ... Full Article

Can movies or television really teach us anything useful about African American history? It's a reasonable question to ask as we begin Black History Month. Certainly, the legacy of such famous films as "The Birth of a Nation" (1915) and ... Full Article