#46: The Birth of a Nation (1915)

I mostly watched this for it's historic technical contributions to the art of filmmaking. Unfortunately the story it tells makes the time spent watching it worthless. It depicts the Northerners (viewed as carpetbaggers) as buffoons, the KKK as valiant heroes, and blacks... ay yi yi... where to begin. Black people are given every stereotype you can imagine. There is a scene depicting former slaves turned state representatives in the state capital at their benches laid back barefoot, eating fried chicken, and drinking alcohol. That was probably the most kind depiction. There is another scene where a random black man (really a white man in blackface) stalks, attempts to rape, and ultimately kills a young white girl in the woods. The film acts as though the institution of slavery was the only thing keeping black folks from acting like crazed animals. It's beyond racist and insulting. Not to mention that it's crazy long for a silent film. There's a title card that pops up right before the story dives into the mud that tries to explain away the horrendous nature of the rest of film. The version I saw also contains an interview (with sound!) of someone whom I assume is D.W. Griffith talking about how the movie does not reflect his opinions or the opinions of all white people. Clearly that mess was added some time after its initial release when people protested. Whatever.