It’s been called the most racist movie in US history – D.W. Griffith’s black and white silent film, The Birth of a Nation. The movie was released on February 8, 1915, and more than a century later, it’s regarded as a landmark in cinema history, not because of its content, but because of its technical virtuosity. The film took the public from 1- or 2-reel Vaudeville skits to a full length 12-reel movie with a plot. It was the first non-serial American film, first with an intermission, first to have a musical score, first to be screened inside the White House (Woodrow Wilson famously declared it was “like history written with lightning”), and a pioneer of closeups, tracking shots, crosscutting, color tinting (for dramatic purposes), and fadeouts. Still, it has been called “the most controversial film ever made in the United States” and “the most reprehensibly racist film in Hollywood history”. To modern viewers, the film is stunning in its cruelty and blatant racism.
D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation
D.W. Griffith, whose father was a veteran of the Civil War, tells the story from an angle that portrays the South as a repressed victim. The film was based on a stage play which the Reverend Thomas F. Dixon Jr. (yes, he was a minister) had adapted from two of his novels, “The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan” and “The Leopard’s Spots.” Griffith was aided by Frank E. Woods who “arranged” the story. There was little script involved. Grifith was notorious for his spontaneity and would often revise and improvised as he worked with the actors on location. Thus, much of Griffith’s beliefs bleed into the film’s narrative.
A summary of The Birth of a Nation plot
The Birth of a Nation tells the story of two families – the Stonemans from the North and the Camerons from the South. There is of course, an obligatory love story between conflicting North/South characters and tension-building discord between brothers fighting on opposite sides of the Civil War.
The film takes us through the events leading to the Civil War and through the war itself. The first half of The Birth of a Nation ends with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in Ford’s Theatre. After the intermission, the movie portrays a fictionalized account of the Reconstruction period, a fairy tale version of events where a repressed South is aided by the Ku Klux Klan to free themselves from rule by oppressive black citizens. It is at this point in the film, that overt racism takes center stage.
How was The Birth of a Nation received by the public?
Although The Birth of a Nation premiered to audiences of a different time with dramatically different viewpoints, the racism in The Birth of a Nation was so blatant, even some audiences of yesterday were offended by the film. To modern-day viewers, the plot is surprisingly illogical and so grossly exaggerated that it is difficult to even take seriously. Still, while Northern states of old found the movie offensive, some Southern states saw the movie as reconciliation for their humiliating Civil War defeat.
| March 31, 1915 | New Yorkers ask Mayor to stop screening of film. |
|---|---|
| May 17, 1915 | Pressure from black voters causes the Mayor of Chicago to ban screenings of the film. |
| December 4, 1915 | An African American newspaper in Denver argues against film coming to town. |
| February 15, 1916 | Group of ministers in Iowa passes resolution denouncing film. |
| March 4, 1916 | Birth of a Nation banned in Ohio. |
| March 27, 1916 | Utah newspaper praises film, writing it has depicted “authentic history… without fear or favor.” |
| April 28, 1916 | Oregon newspaper declares the film history- making in itself and praises its depiction of “white-robed saviors of a race.” |
| April 30, 1916 | D.C. columnist defends the film against her readers who have condemned it. |
| May 12, 1916 | Mississippi newspaper hails film as masterpiece and criticizes scenes depicting black education as being concessions for Northern audiences. |
| June 16, 1917 | After the state of Kansas loses its case to stop showing the film, it plays in the state to little reaction. |
| December 21, 1917 | Given its popularity, the film returns to South Carolina. |
In general, Northern audiences were offended, while Southern audiences cheered. In some southern theaters, ushers dressed in white Ku Klux Klan robes. Massive Klan parties were thrown. Merchandisers sold KKK hats and Klan kitchen aprons.
New Jersey Reverend Charles Parkhurst argued that the film was not racist, saying that it “was exactly true to history” by depicting freedmen as they were and, therefore, it was a “compliment to the black man” by showing how far black people had “advanced” since Reconstruction.
Critic Dolly Dalrymple wrote that, “when I saw it, it was far from silent … incessant murmurs of approval, roars of laughter, gasps of anxiety, and outbursts of applause greeted every new picture on the screen”.
One man viewing the film was so moved by the scene where Flora Cameron flees Gus to avoid being raped that he took out his handgun and began firing at the screen in an effort to help her.
Katharine DuPre Lumpkin recalled watching the film as an 18-year-old in 1915 in her 1947 autobiography The Making of a Southerner: “Here was the black figure—and the fear of the white girl—though the scene blanked out just in time. Here were the sinister men the South scorned and the noble men the South revered. And through it all the Klan rode. All around me people sighed and shivered, and now and then shouted or wept, in their intensity.”
Despite the controversy, the film was unlike anything American audiences had seen before. It took film from novelty to a serious form of entertainment. Thus, it was widely viewed by audiences around the country.
A visual guide to The Birth of a Nation
Blacks given the right to vote
The story, as told through title cards gloriously monogrammed with D.G. Griffith’s name, is one of repression – of whites. Viewers are shown the horrors to be expected when blacks are given their freedom. It begins with the black citizen’s right to vote. A black man is shown sneaking an extra vote into the ballot box.
A black State House is portrayed as caricatures
Once black people are given the right to vote, they take over the State House of Representatives. The Birth of a Nation shows the black Congress in a variety of offensive caricatures including alcohol consumption on the House floor, placing bare feet on the desks, sleeping during the congressional session, and eating chicken.
Meanwhile, the white State House members are shown as dignified
Meanwhile, the minority white congressmen are shown sitting calmly and in control.
A ploy by the North to crush the South
It is revealed that the power shift from white people to black people in the South is driven by the North who proclaim they will “crush the white South under the heel of the black South”.
The threat to white women
Oppressed white people are portrayed as victims. For instance, a white woman is shown bound and gagged at the hands of a threatening black man, pining the black man as a villain.
A comically strong white man
Meanwhile, white people are shown as superior in mind and physical strength. For instance, a white man is shown to singlehandedly fight off nearly a dozen black men.
The Ku Klux Klan rescues the South
The oppression of white people at the hands of black citizens leads to the film’s namesake (it was originally titled The Clansmen). The Ku Klux Klan sweeps in to rescue the white South. A large part of the film footage shows the KKK in action sequences, mostly riding horses around.
The Birth of a Nation portrays the murder of a black man by the KKK
One of the most disturbing scenes was the killing of a black man and the dumping of his body on the South Carolina governor’s front porch. The scene was not graphic, bloody, or violent but rather, a sad commentary of the era, a time when a scene such as this could be openly cheered by audiences.
The Ku Klux Klan rescues the South
Of course, the heroic Ku Klux Klan ultimately disarms the black people of the South and puts them back under the yoke of oppression.
Free at last?
A jubilant white South celebrates their freedom from the black oppressors.
Jesus looking over a newly freed South
In one of the silliest scenes, a jubilant white South is shown being under the protection of Jesus.
The End
And of course, the best part of the entire movie is proudly proclaimed with one final title card.
Additional information about The Birth of a Nation
The advice sheet given to theater owners with instructions
This “Advice Sheet” flyer was distributed with D. W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation to theaters when the film was released in 1915. Significantly, the distributors are adamant that “NEGROES MUST NOT BE ADMITTED . . . under any circumstance.
An earlier version of The Birth of a Nation – The Clansman
There was an uncompleted, now lost, 1911 version of The Birth of a Nation, titled The Clansman. It was directed by early silent film director William F. Haddock and was based on the Thomas Dixon play of the same name. The movie failed when theater owners were unable to purchase the equipment to show it.
Griffith agreed to pay Thomas Dixon $10,000 (equivalent to $270,532 in 2021) for the rights to his play The Clansman. Since he ran out of money and could afford only $2,500 of the original option, Griffith offered Dixon 25 percent interest in the picture. Dixon reluctantly agreed, and the unprecedented success of the film made him rich.
Filming of The Birth of a Nation
The Birth of a Nation was filmed at various locations near Hollywood. Some filming took place at Big Bear Lake, but much was believed to have been filmed at Griffith Ranch in San Fernando Valley. The Petersburg scenes being shot at what is today, Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
As told by Griffith himself, he purposely used white actors wearing blackface to ensure no black people were among the principal actors. The black extras were housed in segregated quarters on the sets.
Color tinting in The Birth of a Nation and other silent films of the era
Although The Birth of a Nation is classified as a “black and white film”, it utilized a process called “color tinting and toning” for dramatic effect. The colors used included amber, blue, lavender, and red. The process was not new (although Griffith later invented a new color system that used flashing lights). In fact, as far back as 1895, more than 80 percent of silent films were somewhat colored with dyes, stencils, color baths, and tints. This was done using a chemical process while the film was developed or by using pre-dyed film stock.
The Birth of a Nation had its most racist scenes cut from the final product
Shockingly, much of the most racist content was cut from the final film. This was done at the instance of New York Mayor John Purroy Mitchel before the film’s release in New York City (a major market). Scenes cut included a female abolitionist activist recoiling from the body odor of a black boy, black men violently seizing white women on the streets of Piedmont, and deportations of blacks with the title “Lincoln’s Solution”. It was also long rumored that the original film included a graphic rape scene between Gus and Flora before her suicide.
Was The Birth of a Nation a box-office success?
The box office gross of The Birth of a Nation is not known and has been the subject of exaggeration. When the film opened, the tickets were sold at premium prices. The film held the mantle of the highest-grossing film until it was overtaken by Gone with the Wind (1939). By 1940, Time magazine estimated the film’s cumulative gross rental (the distributor’s earnings) at approximately $15 million. It is not known for sure how much the film has earned in total, but modern estimates put the total at an equivalent of $1.8 billion adjusted for inflation. This milestone was not broken until 1997’s Titanic film.
Tinting silent films could either be literal (blue for night, amber for daylight, gold for candlelight, red for flames, etc.) or more abstract (green or lavender for eeriness, pink and blue for magic). The Birth of a Nation used blue for night scenes, red for scenes with fire or flames, and amber for emotional scenes.
Image Credits
In-Article Image Credits
The Birth of a Nation: The Ku Klux Klan rides via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915The Birth of a Nation: KKK Riding via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: The Ku Klux Klan rides via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: KKK leader via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: The Ku Klux Klan rides via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: The Ku Klux Klan rides via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: title card - passage of bill allowing intermarriage of blacks and whites via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
A black man is shown sneaking an extra vote into the ballot box via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: Black man with foot on desk during session in Congress via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: Black man with foot on desk while another eats chicken via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: black man sneaking drink of whiskey during Congress via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: black man trying to get another black man to share his peanuts with him during Congress via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915\
The Birth of a Nation: arrows pointing to black people misbehaving in Congree via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: the white people in Congress appear calm and collected via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: North proclaims they will "crush the white South under the heel of the black South". via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: White woman bound and gagged while being threatened by black man and women (in blackface) via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: Strong white man defeats an entire room full of black men via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: White man facing off against a room of black men via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: Black man killed by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) dumped on the governor's front porch via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: Ku Klux Klan leaving the body of a black man on the steps of the Governor's house via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: Ku Klux Klan killing a black man (a white man wearing blackface) via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: Whites driving black people out of their town via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: The Ku Klux Klan rides via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: After white victory over black people, Jesus blesses the white people via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: the best part of the entire movie is proudly proclaimed with one final title card via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation with usage type - Public Domain. February 8, 1915
The Birth of a Nation: This "Advice Sheet" flyer was distributed with D. W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation to theaters via D.W. Grifith's The Birth of a Nation. February 8, 1915
Featured Image Credit
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