The Birth of a Nation
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"The Birth of a Nation was a highly controversial film, glorifying the Ku Klux Klan and a lost idyll ("the Old South") and White supremacy."--Sholem Stein "Director D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation glorified the original Klan. The film was based on the book and play The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan, as well as the book The Leopard's Spots, both by Thomas Dixon Jr. Much of the modern Klan's iconography is derived from it, including the standardized white costume and the lighted cross. Its imagery was based on Dixon's romanticized concept of old England and Scotland, as portrayed in the novels and poetry of Sir Walter Scott. The film's influence was enhanced by a false claim of endorsement by President Woodrow Wilson. Dixon was an old friend of Wilson's and, before its release, there was a private showing of the film at the White House. A publicist claimed that Wilson said, "It is like writing history with lightning, and my only regret is that it is all so terribly true." Wilson strongly disliked the film and felt he had been tricked by Dixon. The White House issued a denial of the "lightning" quote, saying that he was entirely unaware of the nature of the film and at no time had expressed his approbation of it."--Sholem Stein "The Klan also believed in the idea of America's exceptionalism; they took that myth and turned it into something frightening; and violent,; and they used it to protect themselves against; the perceived threat of a growing black population.; The model for this dark and hateful version came from a feature film; made in 1915 called The Birth of a Nation; it was an epic that caused a sensation; reaching a wider audience than any film had ever done; The director, D. W. Griffith, had based the film; on a novel called The Clansman. The image of the clansman in both the book and in the film was of white-robed figures with burning crosses; these had nothing to do with anything real in America's past; instead, the novelist had invented them; from a romantic vision of an old Scotland and Scottish clans; that were portrayed in the novels of Sir Walter Scott...; ..which Scott himself had just made up."--Can't Get You Out of My Head (TV series) |
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The Birth of a Nation, originally called The Clansman, is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and play The Clansman. Griffith co-wrote the screenplay with Frank E. Woods and produced the film with Harry Aitken.
Lincoln is portrayed positively, a friend of the South, unusual for a narrative that promotes the Lost Cause ideology. The film has been denounced for its racist depiction of black Americans. The film portrays African Americans (many of whom are played by white actors in blackface) as stupid and sexually aggressive toward white women. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is portrayed as a heroic force, necessary to preserve American values, protect the women, and maintain white supremacy.
In response to the film's depictions of black people and Civil War history, African Americans across the United States organized and participated in protests against The Birth of a Nation. In places such as in Boston where thousands of white people viewed the film, black leaders tried to have it banned on the basis that it inflamed racial tensions and could incite violence. The NAACP spearheaded an unsuccessful campaign to ban the film. Griffith's indignation at efforts to censor or ban the film motivated him to produce Intolerance the following year.
In spite of its divisiveness, The Birth of a Nation was a huge commercial success and profoundly influenced both the film industry and American culture. The film has been acknowledged as an inspiration for the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan, which took place only a few months after its release. In 1992, the Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Racial stereotypes
Early minstrel shows of the mid-19th century lampooned the supposed stupidity of black people. Even after slavery ended, the intellectual capacity of black people was still frequently questioned. Movies such as Birth of a Nation (1915) questioned whether black people were fit to run for governmental offices or to vote.
There are commonly-held stereotypes that African Americans have an unorthodox appetite for watermelons and love fried chicken. Race and folklore professor Claire Schmidt attributes the latter both to its popularity in Southern cuisine and to a scene from the film Birth of a Nation in which a rowdy African-American man is seen eating fried chicken in a legislative hall.
See also
