Genre Analysis
Intermediate Comp
Erin Minix
One of the most talked about films of all time, The Birth of A Nation, has
proved horrifically effective at sparking debates relating to controversial topics. The
producer/director D.W. Griffith bases his film on The Clansman, a novel written by a
former North Carolina Baptist minister, Rev. Thomas Dixon. The Birth of a Nation
follows two white families- one from the North; The Stoneman’s and one in the
South; the Cameron’s. The film presents itself in a distorted manner falsifying facts
relating to the Civil War, making it appear that blacks were the cause of the war and
showing glorification towards the Ku Klux Klan. The film aired in Los Angeles on
February 8, 1915. It ran for more than 3 hours and aesthetically, the film introduced
many new cinematic innovations including technical effects and artistic
advancements like color, contrast, iris, superimposition and the use of typage and
costume design. After the one hundred year anniversary of the film, The Birth of a
Nation still has the power to move and shake people’s core, to both enthrall and to
appall. DW Griffiths mission was to awaken humanity back to the societal norm that
blacks and whites were separate and different for good reason. The Birth of a
Nation suggests that American society only functioned properly through the
subjection of its black population. This film tries to portray its innocence, but
instead portrays black people as some kind of lower life form. It is too late to save
this film from becoming the insane reality that it did, but it allows us as viewers to
analyze and educate people about why DW Griffith’s viewpoints on slavery were
wrong and distasteful.
The Birth of a Nation does not fall short of examples displaying racism. The
film is inescapable when it comes to these types of scenes. Ellen Scott, an author of
the just-published Cinema Civil Rights says, “The film is one of the most racist films
ever made. Maybe the most racist film ever made.” (BBC, The Birth of a Nation: The
most racist movie ever made?) The underlying storyline is deeply flawed and
lacking evidence. The film throughout continuously argues about how giving black
people rights was the most horrendous act in history and how it has destroyed
mankind and the order of society, all while the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is admired and
looked at to being this wonderful savior that saved America. Griffith also tries to
show that the North and South would have always gotten along if it weren’t for the
blacks messing up their relationship. This all couldn’t be more wrong.
The National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) tried
to make early attempts to censor the movie in the US at the time of its release, but
was not very successful. Sex and Morality in films were seen as more of a problem
than racism at the time of the films release.
There are many scenes throughout the film that convey the films powerful
depictions of racism. Griffith does an amazing job at glossing over the beatings and
lynching associated with the slaves. He is very careful as to keep it clean without
scars or beatings for the sake of his argument. Showing the dark side of slavery is
something Griffith completely avoided. What makes The Birth of a Nation so
offensive is that Griffith’s depiction of black characters was done through the
performance of white actors in blackface. He depicts defeated Southerners being
terrorized under the influence of white Northern carpetbaggers.
A major theme in The Birth of a Nation that was super rattling was the
supposed dangers that hyper sexualized black men posed to white women. There is
an apparent scene in the film devoted to a former slave chasing his former white
mistress after she turns down his proposal of marriage. The white mistress runs
frantically trying to escape the supposed horror that the slave is trying to rape her.
She has no other conclusion to escape the situation than to jump off the cliff to her
death than rather risk being caught. After the white woman’s death the outraged
brother founds the “Klan” to bring him to “justice”.
Mulatto is a now offensive term used to describe a mixed-race person. This
term is used many times throughout the film and is used in a derogatory fashion.
Another example of the racist qualities this film possesses is the main black
character named Silas Lynch. He is termed as a mulatto and lives in the North. Lynch
becomes a lieutenant governor of South Carolina with the help of his mentor; an
abolitionist by the last name of Stoneman. Stoneman is utterly horrified though after
he finds out Lynch wants to marry his daughter; a white, timeless beauty named
Elsie Stoneman. The scene shows Elsie moving frantically around, scared and
helpless. Elsie repeatedly passes out due to Lynch’s “inappropriate” moves on her.
This scene is told through the eyes of Griffith’s evil point of view on Mulatto’s. In the
end of the scene the Klan finally rescues the abolitionist and his daughter from
harms way.