The Birth of a Nation: The Review

The Birth of a Nation
Starring: Lillian Gish, Henry B. Walthall, 80 other peopleDirected by: D.W Griffith
Scenario: D.W. Griffith, Frank E WoodsAdapted from: The Clansman by Thomas F. Dixon Jr.Released: February 8th, 1915
DVD Status: Released several times, see section below for crucial details on purchasing a copyMy rating (out of 5 stars): 3

A whole mess of things...

This is a hell of a film! Not only is it in and of itself a good film, but its so damn mind boggling that not just one little thing can be said of it. One moment its fine, the other its so racist-ly bad a modern person cringes. The political and racial themes of this film have been analyzed over and over again...with very good reason. One can not just declare 'D.W. Griffith was a dirty racist' even by seeing this film...in fact though not exactly an enlightened view towards African Americans I'd say the people who should most be offended would be those of a mixed race. That was the real sticking point at least to my eyes.

That being said my overall verdict is there is no reason to ban this film of vilify Griffith over it. Americans are too caught up being politically correct. There are 3 films in American history by 3 great men that have racial stickiness. This is one, "Jazz Singer" with Al Jolson is another, and "Song of the South" by Walt Disney is the third. All 3 deal with racial themes (Griffith would take the cake followed by Disney, Jolson barely qualifies) involving blacks and slavery times. All have one thing that may make it cringe worthy; but overall all 3 films aren't going to make a normal person go riot in the streets and start lynching non whites. Ironically of the 3 films (yes I have seen them all) I find Disney's the worst. Blacks and slavery figure in for all of 10 minutes but the happy singing slaves made me seriously cringe. Birth of a Nation wasn't even that bad (though they had happy dancing slaves...)!

Of the 3 men 2 have been completely obliterated because of this stickiness; and only Disney, who had most of his success during talkies, survived mainly because he had a major corporation who worships him like a God and can make sure his copyrighted film is not released unless they want it to. No one cared about Griffith or Jolson after the 50s let alone 60s (Jolie had a brief comeback in the 50s but by the Civil rights movement he was dead and taboo).

So let's get down to it...you might just be surprised about the truth of this film, since most people make it out like watching it will turn you into a Klan member.

Things to remember before we begin

*The Klan wasn't always as it is now or was during the 30s-70s. The time period portrayed they were briefly glorified before being ignored and hated by their own kind. Click here for more information.

*Interracial Relationships were extremely taboo and illegal for the longest time. In fact it was not legal for a non white to marry a white until 1967 in the US. To this day only about 4% of marriages are between a black and a white spouse in the US. Click here for more information.

*Southerners weren't keen on being equal with blacks, and segregation was in order until the 1960s and 1970s. 'Coloreds' were forced to use separate restrooms, restaurants, hotels, etc...by law. Click here for more information.

*D.W. Griffith wasn't the only one to see reconstruction as a failure and blame it on Northerners. To this day most scholars agree, and during Griffith's day the viewpoint portrayed in Birth of a Nation was actually standard...though inaccurate. It was called the Dunning School of thought. Click here and here for more information.

*Certain Southerners still hold some of these viewpoints; albeit secretly. Of course some not so secretly (ex: Bob Jones University, the Confederate flag, etc). Click here for more information.

Plot

The first title cards plea that no harm is meant, and that the overall message is peace should reign over war and that war is bad mmkay.

Part 1 starts out in the pre war South. It's quite idyllic, and the Northern family the Stonemans, are visiting the Southern family the Camerons. The Camerons have 3 sons and 2 daughters. The Stonemans have 2 sons and a daughter Elsie (Lillian Gish). Austin Stoneman (Ralph Lewis), the father, is a weak Northern congressman who seems 'ignorant' towards all things race and south...too trusting of the suspicious 'mulattoes' including his maid (not slave, maid) Lydia Brown (Mary Alden) and some guy I have no clue why they are friends the mulatto Silas Lynch (George Siegmann).

The boys horse around, and one of them, the youngest Cameron named Ben (Henry B. Walthall) falls in love with a picture of Elsie, who he has never met. As everyone continues to have a good time the Civil War breaks out, and both sets of sons go off to fight for their respective sides: the Union and the Confederate. Their families proudly wave them off to war.

One Stoneman brother dies, while the two eldest Camerons also perish. As the war rages on a black militia (led by a whitey) comes to the Southern town where the Camerons live, and break in and ransack their home. It’s implied they try to rape the women, but I didn't get that from the film on my own viewing. The Confederate soldiers come just in a nick of time, and save the town and the Stonemans.

The war rages on, and several heroic confederate tales are recounted (including saving a food shipment; which is actually based off a story about Griffith's father) but eventually those damn Yankees win. But before they do, Ben is injured and taken to a vet hospital, where just by chance Elsie works as a nurse. She tends to him and he proclaims his love upon recognizing her. She thinks he’s crazy till she sees the pic, and they spend time together and fall in love. One day Ben's mother goes the distance to visit her remaining son, and fights her way in. After seeing him she is told he'll be hanged for treason or something like it. Elsie suggests they go see someone who might help...Ol Abe Lincoln.

Lincoln grants a pardon for Ben, and his life is saved. The war ends with the South surrendering, and Ben returns home. The South begins to rebuild 'under Lincoln's wise hand' and the family seems to be doing well. One night Elsie and Ben go to attend a performance of "Our American Cousin"...where Lincoln just happens to get offed in front of their very eyes. The Camerons sit and read of the news, with Daddy Cameron (Spottiswoode Aitken) declaring 'we have lost our only friend'.

Thus ends part one.

Next starts part 2: The Reconstruction

Now our title card tells us what we're about to see does not represent current race folk, just 'history' and its important history be told or so the card goes...

Here we see with the South has gone to hell and the dirty evil black folk have taken over. Black people are given the freedom, 40 acres and a mule, and they seem to not know what to do with it. They tend to be dancin and gettin drunk.

An election is held in which the black folk are allowed to vote and they take great glee in this. Not only do they TERRORIZE the whiteys from voting, they vote in that dirty mulatto Silas Lynch. See in the previous act it was greatly alluded to us that he and Lydia were evil conniving folk, and much like Disney villains they take this job with glee...somehow he’s hooked up with her by this point.

Not only did Silas get elected, but now over 75% of the South Carolina congress is apparently black (I cant remember the numbers given, but the poor whites were way out numbered). This is by far one of the most racist scenes in the whole film. Congress is run amok with a bunch of drinking, dancing, chompin down on grub, bare foot, uneducated blacks up to no good. And what do they do after their first declaration (which is shoes should be worn at all times)? Vote interracial marriage as legal! The whites look on in horror as the blacks get all excited over the prospect.

Next we see how the blacks are taking over, terrorizing white folk on the street and supposedly abusing their new power. The whites meet to lament the situation and tell how black folk are letting black criminals go because all black juries vote them innocent. Ben declares something must be done, but he isn't sure what. Until he sees some white children playing and scaring black children by wearing a sheet (the implication being all black people are so afraid of ghosts they believe white sheets are real ghosts). This gives him an idea.

The whiteys dress themselves and their horses like ghosts and set out to get some justice against 2 blacks who apparently were thieves of something I cant fully remember. I think their bigger sin was owning property. The blacks are indeed scared (and seem to believe these are real ghosts) and the handsome triumphant men gallop off; like some kind of battle has begun and they are the good guys.

The scared blacks run and tell Silas, who in turn runs and tells Austin and Elsie who being weak bellied northerners are still friendly and proud of him. Silas tells Elsie that her boyfriend (see he has a crush on her; OOO naughty) is part of the clan crowd, and throws the robe down to prove his point. Of course Silas made it out like these heroes were out of line and mistreating these bad black folk; which they weren't (or so we're told); so Elsie runs to confront Ben.

She shows him the costume and declares she cant betray her father like that and their engagement is off. She throws the costume down and declares she won’t tell his secret, but they are through. Next we're told that 40,000 Southern women kept the clan secret and sewed the costumes because, they were implied to be proud of the Clan's work.

Racial tensions grow, and Ben warns his obnoxious little sister Flora not to go out alone. Well she’s a dumbass (seriously this kid is so obnoxious I'm glad she died) and goes anyways...where a murderous black (taught by the whites he had rights or so the title cards go) named Gus (Walter Long doing one of his worst racial impressions) sees Flora and starts following her.

Flora continues to make me want to kill her for 5 minutes, before Gus finally shows himself. She talks to him a minute hesitantly, until he declares he wants to make her his wife 'because he’s a colonel' now. She refuses and starts to run in such an over dramatic fashion that Lillian Gish must be jealous. Gus starts to follow, and a chase ensues until she goes to the top of a cliff. She declares she'd rather jump than be his bride, which she does. Meanwhile Ben had been searching for her but finds her too late, as she coughs up blood (and I evilly am glad). This is supposed to be a rape scene; but I don't see it.

Ben returns the dead sister home, where the family mourns. Ben rounds up the Clan, and they murder Gus and lay his body at Governor Silas' doorstep, with a note pinned to his shirt saying KKK. They ride off and the next morning Silas discovers the body and orders all clan members arrested and I believe killed (it’s a long movie forgive me). Daddy Cameron is mistakenly rounded up (likely as revenge) and taken away accused of being a clan member (though he was not...or at least to anything I caught).

Elsie's remaining brother shoots a black man to try and save him, but he still gets carted away. Elsie goes to Silas' to plea for help in the matter (still unaware he wants a piece of her white booty) which he grants...before proposing marriage to her. As this goes on Daddy Cameron is taken to a Union Vets cabin...where the Union vets free him 'in defense of their race' and try to hold off the black folk.

Back in town racial riots break out, and its implied the blacks have taken over (seriously crowding the streets) and the poor whites fear for their lives in their home. We see the Clan rounding up somewhere, but they aren't rallied yet. Meanwhile Elsie is still being accosted, and she refuses Silas' marriage proposal. She tells him he could be whipped for such insolence (racist Northerner!) and he laughs at her, pointing outside the window to the army of Blacks in the street. He says he and his race are trying to create a 'black nation' and he will be King and she could be his Queen. She still refuses and he shouts to his henchmen (including evil mulatto woman) to make preparations for a forced marriage. Elsie freaks and a major room chase scene ensues, which ends with her fainting and being hidden by the evil mulatto women; right before her father arrives to speak with Silas.

He and Silas seem to get along and when Silas says he wants to marry a white woman Austin is happy for him; until he admits its Elsie. Austin freaks and tells him no. More chaos and fighting ensue. Meanwhile the White vets and Daddy Cameron are hold up fighting to keep the blacks at bay outside their little cabin. In the Governor's house both Austin and Elsie are fighting for their freedom as well, while outside the blacks are terrorizing whites.

That is...until the CLAN ARRIVES! Oh so heroic! Or so we're told. They save Daddy Cameron and the vets, disarm the black army (who were scared of the ghosts and literally drop their guns and run like hell), and then save Elsie and Austin...Ben lifting up his mask and kissing Elsie heroically.

After this we see peace restored, the whites are happy and back in power. We see the next election, where the Klan line the polling place and intimidate the blacks into not voting (only more dignified than the blacks terrorized the whites in the first election). A parade in the Klan's honor is held and everything is back 'right'. Yay!

Then we see a 'double honeymoon' with Elsie and Ben happily married and peace apparently being the other honeymoon. We're told peace should reign and we should all get along (but not breed with other races)...the end.

What is Lillian Gish's appeal?

Before we get to the racial scrutinizing let's just take the movie as a movie...which is so rarely done anymore.

I'm not a smart technical person. So a film student could analyze this way better than I could but I can tell you as an outsider that even I can see this film forming SOMETHING. Part 1 seems like an extended Griffith short; but part 2 seems more like a real feature. This wasn't the first feature or even first Griffith feature (the first for both was 1914's Judith of Bethulia). However Judith was 66 minutes, while Birth is 180-190 minutes at best cut. However it was the first feature to prove viable, and set the tone for all future features.

There is very little dialogue in the movie, especially in the first half (literally maybe 3 sentences take place in the last 10 minutes of it). There couldn't have been more than 10 cards worth of dialogue...which given how long it is might explain how odd that is, even for a Griffith film. However the cross cutting, close ups, and other technical bits were amazing. The battle scenes (both war and Clan) were spectacular, and the Lincoln assassination scene was awe inspiring. Some amazing directing I tell ya what.

As for acting a lot of these actors just were no good. Mae Marsh (Flora) was dreadful. Everyone else was forgettable. Miriam Cooper was fantastic. Spottiswoode Aitken was as well...and you know who he reminds me of? Josef Swickard, particularly in "Four Horsemen". Oddly enough Spottiswoode would play Valentino's father in The Eagle. Weird. I wonder if Josef's character was based off Daddy Cameron? The physical costumes are remarkably similar. Though if that is the case one must wonder what June Mathis thought of Birth.

Despite the flamingly controversial topic I'm taking on here; I fear only one thing: the sin I'm about to admit. Most silent folk would hang more for this but I just...don't see Lillian Gish's appeal. She's held to high esteem; as one of the greatest actresses ever let alone in Silents. And obviously Griffith idolized her. I think she’s overrated. Mary Pickford is #1, she'd be #2 at best. Mary does dramatic better, and has wider range. She's also prettier (Lillian’s face reminds me of a goat...I think it’s the light eyes...its distracting really). That being said I'm not saying Lillian DIDN'T have talent. But as I sat watching La Boheme last week it dawned on me how annoying she is. As her career progressed her characters got weaker and weaker. By 1920 let alone 1925 she looked like she was about to be beaten to death at any given point during her films; even during happy scenes. And for the sad scenes she seemed to overact to me, that is until a huge climax (such as her constantly brutal and sudden deaths) occur. Don't get me wrong I was bawling by the end of La Boheme, but half the movie I just wanted her to stand up straight and eat a burger.

The reason I'm ranting on all this here is because Lillian's performance here surprised me. She looked healthy, happy, and less goat like. She wasn't overacting and didn't look like she was about to be beaten to death during every God damned scene. I liked her in Birth. What went wrong after 1915? I'd like to know.

Now to dip into race, the black face wasn't as bad as feared at least until the movie just ran off course with full blown racism. I found the 'mulatto' make up and portrayals the worst. Mary Arden should be shot. Whoever thought she looked mixed race should be shot as well. Both Ralph Lewis and Walter Long were DREADFUL in their portrayals and the racist blame should be put on their performances over the material. More disturbingly Ralph Lewis looked like an evil version of Fred Flintstone...thus traumatizing me for life.

Overall the movie wasn't too bad (on its own non racial merits alone) and definitely was an interesting watch for historical purposes. Given it was the first of its kind I still find it incredibly watchable, which speaks to Griffith's talent more than anything.

Racial Themes

Okay to the meat of the post! Like one could just end it without touching this topic? First off my overall opinion that though it has its moments, this film isn't so bad, is based on this one fact alone: if you changed the races/time period...it wouldn't be maligned at all. Turns the Southerners into French and the Blacks into Germans...this film would be shown ALL the time. Or if you really want to right a wrong: turn the blacks into whites and the whites into blacks...that would make it close to historically accurate.

I guess my point is that though there are cringey moments this movie (and Griffith's legacy) has been maligned by the PC police and a generation of Americans who want to pretend nothing like this ever happened (the real story or the movie story). If we forget our history (both kinds) than we will NEVER learn from it. Or to sum it up even clearer: it seems okay for any old films mocking non Asians and non Blacks...but not films that overly stereotype those two groups. No one would protest a showing of "To Hell with the Kaiser" or a WW2 movie depicting Germans as monsters. Yes Birth can make a modern American squirm and uncomfortable; but there is no reason to forget it or be forced to decry it less one be called a racist.

I found it ironic the first title card plead for no censorship; implying a story should be allowed to be told. Though I quite obviously don’t agree with the history presented in the film; I don’t think it should be censored. I hate censorship. If we start here there is no end. And do I need to repeat my 'learn from the past' statement here? Anyone watching this film (especially any adult) will not run out and lynch a black person. Anyone who watches this film and it inspires 'hate' in them likely already had that hate brewing. Racists will always find an excuse to do what they do; this movie or not they'd hate black folk if they wanted to. No medium is powerful enough to MAKE someone hate something because it portrays a story.

THAT being said here’s another point which many people who are against the film wont say: most of the film has nothing to do with black folk, the Clan, or those issues for that matter. Any site or book speaking of the film likes to show all the raciest (pardon the pun) of scenes; but your not sitting through 180 minutes of evil black folk propaganda. In fact the first part of the film has precisely 3 scenes involving slaves (and not in any really offensive form) for all of 2 seconds. That’s it. The first half of the movie mainly focuses on the love/family stories and the war. Almost Shakespearian! You could cut that part out, give it a new title, and market it as an entirely different movie that no one would protest.

It’s the second half where these issues enter. And only a few scenes (the voting, the congress, and then the epic racial battle) are that bad. They don’t last that long either (the longest being the obvious film climax). Yeah you can’t ignore them, but its not constant indoctrination. The Klan is barely seen as well, maybe 2 scenes until the final battle and parade. That’s it.

THAT being said one would think this film just tells you to go join the Clan and lynch black people. It doesn’t. To my little eyes it had 3 messages that one could be offended by: Northerners are evil and stupid, Interracial marriage and people are bad and the worst offense of all, and the pure blacks and pure whites should be separated. In fact the first two were a toss up for enemy in the movie. I'd take a rough guess and say it was actually the Northerners that were portrayed the worst. They were conniving evil people who turned on the South, and also indoctrinated the interracials to do what they did. But they don’t get off lightly either. The first extended color folk we see are Silas and Lydia...both acting cartoon-y evil. In fact let's break it down...

Northerners

The Northerners and Abolitionists are shown to be the root of all evil. In the beginning they've already given rights to the mulattoes and hire them to do drudgery work...thus being slightly hypocritical (I'll give ya that). Lydia seems to be in love with Austin at first, showing us hints that even Northerners find interracial love evil (though they wont admit it until it involves themselves or someone they know).

Oddly Lincoln is shown as a hero, a friend to the South. But it’s the Northerners who take over afterwards that are shown as bad. Their shown as giving power, money, and land to 'child like' blacks or 'conniving' mulattos who shouldn’t have it. The northerners are to blame its implied. Later the Northerners are shown to almost be evil as they are on the wrong side of the Clan war.

Oddly it’s implied their too PC which is kinda funny given the debate over the film now. Their also shown to be hypocritical and wanting the same thing Southern whites want: superiority and separation from blacks.

Mulattos and Interracial Love

Pure blacks in the film are shown to be child like and not evil, but not 'capable' of handling themselves. In fact several times the pure blacks go in defense of the whites who are being terrorized by mulattos or power crazed blacks. This is obviously horribly offensive; but 1) it was a common belief around the time period of the film and 2) they got off easy compared to mulattos.

From the first moment onward it was quite obvious this was to be the 'evil' preached against. The main villain Silas was mixed race and out for revenge on the whites who he felt didn’t respect or treat him right (ironically he wasn’t really wrong on that but he's shown as BEING wrong for wanting it). The first thing the mainly black congress does is legalize mixed marriages; which is implied to be an ultimate sin. Later obnoxious Flora throws herself off a cliff rather than marry/be raped by a black man (the title cards telling us how honorable she was), and even the liberal Elsie can not fathom a mixed race marriage...though in fairness Silas has been nothing but kind to her.

We're then shown the hypocrisy of the north when Austin congratulates Silas on his wanting to marry a white woman (while a racial war goes on outside no less!) but is horrified and fights him when its his own daughter. He basically mentored this guy and always believed in him; but oh my he will not let him be with his daughter! Whether this was intended to be shown this way or not lord knows; but I have a feeling it was (but not for the righteous reasons it should have been).

As much as one can lambaste this film they can not fault it for this portrayal. The saddest fact is it was illegal until almost 1970 for an interracial couple to marry in all states. And think about it: when did it really become okay to be an interracial child or couple? On both sides of the race (be it black, asian, white, whatever is mixing) usually someone (or several people) object on both sides. It must have come somewhere near acceptable in the 80s (though I still wouldn’t recommend it in the South) and think: when did interracial children finally become accepted? My guess: in the 90s when it was revealed Mariah Carey was mixed. Think even to this day most interracial children tell of feeling like they don’t belong, and when a celebrity is known for being beautiful but not quite 'pinnable' as a certain race its some big question until its 'quietly' announced (think Jessica Alba last year, or the Rock before her).

So...we can roughly say it took until the 1990s for acceptance of mixing races...and even to this day you surely will find people opposed to the idea no matter how quietly they protest. Lampoon Birth all you want; but see what lessons haven’t been learned from it?

DVD Purchasing

Outside a Klan meeting its hard to see a screening of Birth these days. But you can buy it on DVD. Now here's the hard part: what one? Several DVD's contain edited version of the film, leaving it somewhere between 100-160 minutes. What is edited out I don’t know but others say it’s crucial to the plot. The film should run near 190 minutes. So far only one DVD does that: Image Entertainment's 1998 release. Click here to purchase.

Here's the bitch of that though: THE MUSIC AHHH!!! I don’t know about other releases but this being an antique DVD it’s almost funny. They advertise on the cover: a digital orchestra score. Umm? Who in the hell scored this? An angry Klan member? It’s horrible. Not Mary Pickford Collection horrible but horrible still. It doesn’t SEEM looped as it changes up and oddly is in time enough with actions. But if someone really wrote out this score they should be shot alongside Mary Alden.

Its the weirdest thing...its all score like but then every now and then, usually at the weirdest moments, it breaks into public domain tunes. The most INAPPROPRIATE ones ever: Silent Night, Oh Christmas Tree, and several others I have forgotten but those 2 stick out (there are no Xmas scenes). For instance O Christmas tree starts as the mansion burns and later during a lynching. Combined with the Fred Flintstone thing earlier this is enough to traumatize one hardcore. My suggestion: mute it and put your own tunes on.

Overall

Not bad. Not as bad you would think. Probably even more acceptable if your a European or were not raised in America. Definitely worth a watch, especially if you'd like to see the birth of modern film as we know it.