HW 3/12

The Birth of a Nation(Wikipedia). This entry talks about how the silent film was made in 1915, and about the book and play it is based off of( The Clansmen). The way this entry was written makes the film seem to be very important and historical. It says, “The Birth of a Nation is a landmark of film history”. This entry goes into great detail, lifting this movie onto a pedestal. It was the first 12-reel film made and it also was the longest at that time(three hours). The movie is about the Assasination of Lincoln and the relationship betwen two opposing families in the Civil Wra era and the Reconstruction era. The entry says that this movie was the most complex movie at the time. It also was the first movie to have a orchestra for the movie soundtrack. However, it then talks about the negatives of this movie. This movie has been called the most controversial movie ever made in the United States. Lincoln was portyayed very positivley. African Americans were portrayed as not intelligent and sexually agressive with white women. And the KKK was portrayed as heros. There were many black protests against this movie, and the NAACP tried to ban it. This movie is seen as an inspiration for the rebirth of the KKK months later. The Library of Congress has preserved this film and put it on the National Film Registry. This movie shows the state of the United States in the early 1900’s.