I was NOT looking forward to watching this movie. A three-hour silent film about the Ku Klux Klan just did not appeal to me. I tried to appreciate it for its artistic merits - and when I say "artistic merits," I mean the technical achievements it made in filmmaking history. It was still pretty rough to get through.
The movie begins before the Civil War, explaining the introduction of slavery to America before the battles start. Two families are introduced, the northern Stonemans and the southern Camerons. I had a hard time keeping all the characters straight. I had to give them names like "moustache guy #1" and "crazy little sister." The story is told through these two families and often their servants, who epitomize the worst racial stereotypes. As the nation is torn apart by war, the slaves and their abolitionist supporters are portrayed as the destructive force behind it all.
The second half of the movie gets even more racist as we see the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, the picture's would-be heroes. (Oh, and I forgot to mention that there's a love story thrown into the mix here. Rolls eyes.) The film seems to be saying that only the Ku Klux Klan can maintain the unity of the nation. It's no wonder that even in 1915 the film was met with outrage, protested by the NAACP and insighted riots in several different cities. D.W. Griffith was later forced to answer criticisms with his next film, Intolerance, which I will be watching soon. But, the most disturbing thing about this movie is that it's based on historical facts.
I tried really hard to disconnect myself from the subject matter and watch this as a piece of film history. This was the first real "epic" film, proving that even in the silent era audiences were willing to sit through a three-hour drama. Griffith essentially created contemporary film language by introducing techniques such as dramatic close-ups, tracking shots, cross-cut editiing and even the first orchestral score. It's a shame that all these groundbreaking elements are attached to such a disturbing part of our nation's history.
I give this 2 out of 5 stars.
Credits:
U.S. 190m Silent B&W
Director: D.W. Griffith
Producer: D.W. Griffith
Screenplay: Frank E. Woods, D.W. Griffith, from the novel and play The Clansman by Thomas Dixon
Photography: G.W. Bitzer
Music: Joseph Carl Breil, D.W. Griffith
Cast: Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall, Miriam Cooper, Mary Alden, Ralph Lewis, George Siegmann, Walter Long, Robert Harron, Wallace Reid, Joseph Henabery, Elmer Clifton, Josephine Crowell, Spottiswoode Aitken, George Beranger
The movie begins before the Civil War, explaining the introduction of slavery to America before the battles start. Two families are introduced, the northern Stonemans and the southern Camerons. I had a hard time keeping all the characters straight. I had to give them names like "moustache guy #1" and "crazy little sister." The story is told through these two families and often their servants, who epitomize the worst racial stereotypes. As the nation is torn apart by war, the slaves and their abolitionist supporters are portrayed as the destructive force behind it all.
The second half of the movie gets even more racist as we see the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, the picture's would-be heroes. (Oh, and I forgot to mention that there's a love story thrown into the mix here. Rolls eyes.) The film seems to be saying that only the Ku Klux Klan can maintain the unity of the nation. It's no wonder that even in 1915 the film was met with outrage, protested by the NAACP and insighted riots in several different cities. D.W. Griffith was later forced to answer criticisms with his next film, Intolerance, which I will be watching soon. But, the most disturbing thing about this movie is that it's based on historical facts.
I tried really hard to disconnect myself from the subject matter and watch this as a piece of film history. This was the first real "epic" film, proving that even in the silent era audiences were willing to sit through a three-hour drama. Griffith essentially created contemporary film language by introducing techniques such as dramatic close-ups, tracking shots, cross-cut editiing and even the first orchestral score. It's a shame that all these groundbreaking elements are attached to such a disturbing part of our nation's history.
I give this 2 out of 5 stars.
Credits:
U.S. 190m Silent B&W
Director: D.W. Griffith
Producer: D.W. Griffith
Screenplay: Frank E. Woods, D.W. Griffith, from the novel and play The Clansman by Thomas Dixon
Photography: G.W. Bitzer
Music: Joseph Carl Breil, D.W. Griffith
Cast: Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall, Miriam Cooper, Mary Alden, Ralph Lewis, George Siegmann, Walter Long, Robert Harron, Wallace Reid, Joseph Henabery, Elmer Clifton, Josephine Crowell, Spottiswoode Aitken, George Beranger
