The Birth of a Nation (1915)
75%RT Audience Score: 55%
Awards & Nominations: NA
The Birth of a Nation is a film that has been both celebrated and vilified, and for good reason. While it may be considered a seminal work of narrative filmmaking, it cannot be ignored that it perpetuates racist and harmful stereotypes. D.W. Griffith’s technical and artistic achievements cannot be denied, but it is important to acknowledge the harm that this film has caused and to continue to work towards a more inclusive and equitable film industry. As a society, we must grapple with the complicated legacy of this film and strive to create a better future for all.
The Birth of a Nation is like that one ex you can’t seem to shake off – you know it’s problematic and controversial, but it keeps popping up in your life. Sure, it’s a groundbreaking work of art that paved the way for modern cinema, but it’s also a racist propaganda piece that glorifies the KKK. It’s a mixed bag, to say the least. But hey, at least it’s not as bad as your ex, right?
Production Company(ies)
Melodrama Pictures,
Distributor
Hollywood Classics, Reel Media International [us], Republic Pictures, Image Entertainment Inc., Lumivision, Allied Artists Pictures, Continental Home Vídeo [br], Kino Video, Joseph Brenner Associates Inc. [us]
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Calexico, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
TV-PG
Year of Release
1915
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Silent
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Aspect ratio:1.33 : 1
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Runtime:3h 10m
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Language(s):None
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 3, 1915 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 16, 1999
Genre(s)
War
Keyword(s)
War, Civil War, Ku Klux Klan, racism, historical drama, D.W Griffith, Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B Walthall, Miriam Cooper, Mary Alden, Ralph Lewis, George Siegmann, Thomas F Dixon Jr., Frank E Woods, Hollywood Classics, Reel Media International, Republic Pictures, Image Entertainment Inc., Lumivision, Allied Artists Pictures, Continental Home Vídeo, Kino Video, Joseph Brenner Associates Inc., Flat (1.37:1), 1915, 3h 10m, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Richard Brody, Derek Malcolm, David Parkinson, Variety Staff, Dave Kehr, Steven D Greydanus, Matt Brunson, Mike Massie, Pamela Hutchinson, Mattie Lucas, Jeffrey M Anderson, Artistic, technical, cultural, seminal, commercial spectacle, cinematic realism, epic, landscapes, fictional love stories, anti-war message, manipulative, racist, morally reprehensible, engaging, inventive, impressive, production designs, cinematography, score, expressive performances, self-righteousness, substance depth, classic revolutionary cinema
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Mae Marsh – Flora Cameron
Henry B. Walthall – Col. Ben Cameron
Miriam Cooper – Margaret Cameron
Mary Alden – Lydia Brown
Ralph Lewis – Austin Stoneman
Directed by D.W. Griffith
Produced by D.W. Griffith
Written by Thomas F. Dixon Jr., D.W. Griffith, Frank E. Woods, Thomas F. Dixon Jr.
Director(s)
D.W. Griffith
Writer(s)
Thomas F. Dixon Jr., Thomas F. Dixon Jr., D.W. Griffith, Frank E. Woods, Thomas F. Dixon Jr.
Producer(s)
D.W. Griffith
Film Festivals
Sundance, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (44) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (3)
Problematically, Birth of a Nation wasn’t just a seminal commercial spectacle but also a decisively original work of art — in effect, the founding work of cinematic realism, albeit a work that was developed to pass lies off as reality.
August 19, 2013
Richard Brody
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
The quasi-Victorian Griffith was in so many respects way ahead of his time even if his philosophy and mind-set could often be said to be behind it.
August 19, 2013
Derek Malcolm
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
The Birth of a Nation has become a staple of any film studies course, for its excellent performances, thrilling action sequences and epic landscapes. However it’s subject matter is much more controversial now.
August 19, 2013 | Rating: 3/5
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Birth of a Nation is a great epoch in picture making; it’s great for pictures and it’s great for the name and fame of David Wark Griffith. When a man like Griffith in a new field can do what he has done, he may as well be hailed while he is living.
February 6, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Griffith’s later films are unquestionably superior. But here, in a very real sense, is where the movies began, both as an art and as a business.
February 6, 2008
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Artistically, technically, and culturally, the importance of Griffith’s celebrated, villified, deeply troubling Civil War masterpiece cannot be overstated.
August 22, 2004 | Rating: B+
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films
TOP CRITIC
As a work of art, it is unforgettable; as a social document, it is unforgivable. Quality of Movie: 4 stars. Content of Movie: 1 star.
August 10, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
More prominent than the adventuresome Civil War reenactments or the educational historical retellings (the ones based on actual records) are the fictional love stories.
July 24, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
D.W. Griffith made many other films with old-fashioned, sentimental storylines — but his best work moves the audience, because it is based on an emotional truth. That emotional truth is missing in this film.
March 27, 2020
Pamela Hutchinson
Silent London
A film that deserves, no demands, to be acknowledged, if for no other reason than to come to terms with the racist history it represents.
June 3, 2019 | Rating: 4/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
While it’s clear that D.W. Griffith’s The Birth Of A Nation is a seminal work of narrative filmmaking and will forever live in infamy as a result (being seen by new eyes generation after generation) that doesn’t mean one can’t wish it were never made.
November 1, 2018
Ed Travis
Cinapse
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.
September 21, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Common Sense Media…
Plot
Two brothers, Phil and Ted Stoneman, visit their friends in Piedmont, South Carolina: the family Cameron. This friendship is affected by the Civil War, as the Stonemans and the Camerons must join up opposite armies. The consequences of the War in their lives are shown in connection to major historical events, like the development of the Civil War itself, Lincoln’s assassination, and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast includes Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, and Henry B. Walthall.
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