Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Landmark American film is both troubling and illuminating.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Birth of a Nation
What's the Story?
In THE BIRTH OF A NATION, when the American Civil War strikes, two families find themselves on opposite sides. The Stonemans -- including protagonist Elsie (Lillian Gish) -- believe in the Union, while the Camerons choose the ideals of the South. After the war, the new Southern legislature, made up of Black politicians portrayed as carpetbaggers who drink and kick off their shoes while in session, creates anarchy. So Ben Cameron (Henry B. Walthall) is inspired to organize the Ku Klux Klan, a "heroic" vigilante group. When a formerly enslaved Black man attacks and chases Ben's younger sister, Flora (Mae Marsh), she plunges to her death, inciting Klan revenge. Will the South ever be the same again?
Is It Any Good?
D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation is as much a part of film history as the Civil War is a part of American history. It was one of a handful of productions of the time that, alongside the Italian film Cabiria (1914), experimented with long-form storytelling. It also advanced the medium in more technical ways, such as Griffith's invention of flashbacks as a narrative device and cinematographer Billy Bitzer's use of nighttime photography. But this presents a dilemma: How can we claim it as a "great" movie when it is so deeply racist?
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the movie's racism. Is this movie a great work of art, or an offensive work of hatred? Can it be both at the same time?
What is the movie's most violent sequence? Is it the battle footage, or something involving individual characters? Why is this?
What would be another way to tell this story of American history? What other viewpoints are there?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 3, 1915
- On DVD or streaming : November 22, 2011
- Cast : Henry B. Walthall , Lillian Gish , Mae Marsh
- Director : D.W. Griffith
- Studio : Kino
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 192 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : April 26, 2024
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