Rent The Birth of a Nation (1915)
3.2 of 5 from 98 ratings
3h 10min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Based on a best-selling novel and negrophobic play called 'The Clansman', he produced a three-hour epic that, in 1915, set a new standard for film production and absorbing melodrama. It follows the lives of two white families divided by. and enduring, the American Civil War, and includes elaborate cameos of historical events such as the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Costing the then unprecedented sum of $100,000 to make, it opened in Los Angeles on 8 February 1915 and quickly became the most successful silent film ever made. It grossed over $10 million on its first release. Many denounced its overt racism and wars with the censors were used for publicity with brilliant effect. Social reformers constantly denounced the film's racism and historians protested about its claims to historical accuracy. Wherever it was shown, protests, and sometimes riots, ensued and authorities frequently enforced cuts of the more offensive parts of the film. - Actors:
- Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall, Miriam Cooper, Mary Alden, Ralph Lewis, George Siegmann, Walter Long, Robert Harron, Wallace Reid, Joseph Henabery, Elmer Clifton, Josephine Crowell, Spottiswoode Aitken, George Beranger, Maxfield Stanley, Jennie Lee, Donald Crisp, Howard Gaye, Monte Blue
- Directors:
- D.W. Griffith
- Producers:
- D.W. Griffith
- Writers:
- Thomas Dixon Jr., D.W. Griffith, Frank E. Woods
- Studio:
- Eureka
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama
- Collections:
- 10 Films to Watch if You Like Citizen Kane, 21 Reasons to Love..Modern Westerns, A History of Films about Film: Part 1, A History of Soviet Silent Cinema, A History of US Presidents in Cinema, All You Need to Know About Dump Month Movies, Cinema Paradiso's 2023 Centenary Club: Part 1, Instant Expert's Guide to John Huston, Romantic Film Pairings for Valentine's Day, The Instant Expert's Guide to Jean Renoir, The Instant Expert's Guide to Spike Lee, Top 10 Films of 1948, Top 10 French-Language Remakes, Topping the Music Hall Bill
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 23/11/2015
- Run Time:
- 191 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English LPCM Stereo, Silent
- Subtitles:
- None
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- 1930 sound reissue prologue (1930,6 mins), 1930 sound reissue intermission and introduction to Act 2 (1930,2 mins): D W Griffith in conversation with Walter Huston
- Outtakes and original camera tests
- Meivyn Stokes on The Clansman, DW Griffith and The Birth of a Nation (2015,20 mins): newly filmed interview
- The Greatest Mother of Them All: Kate Bruce (1920,1 min): short newsreel on the Griffith actress
- The Coward (Reginald Barker, Thomas H Ince, 1911,69 mins): a faint-hearted soldier in the American Civil War regains his courage
- The Rose of Kentucky (D W Griffith, 1911,17 mins): rural romance set in Griffith's home state • Stolen Glory (Mack Sennett, 1912,14 mins): comedy set during a parade of Union Civil War veterans
- The Drummer of the 8th (Thomas H Ince, 1913,29 mins): poignant Civil War drama presented in two cuts
- The Rebel Yell (1932,9 mins): archival film in which reunited Confederate veterans recite the famous battle cry of the South
- Stills and Collections Gallery (2015,13 mins)
- The Birth of a Nation at 100 (2015,32 mins): roundtable discussion filmed at the BFI Southbank Birth of a Nation score recording sessions
- D W Griffith on Lux Radio Theatre with Cecil B DeMille (1936,6 mins): the two legends reminisce
- Disc 1:
- This disc includes the main feature
- Special Features - Disc 2:
- This disc includes special features
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Reviews (1) of The Birth of a Nation
An extraordinary film: challenging, powerful and a landmark in cinema with deeply troubling morals - The Birth of a Nation review by tm
this film is worrying in that I suspect it could feed the prejudices of the far right, encourage bigotry and promote racism.
all true. but unlike so much other propaganda, (and much of this is based on a frankly racist polemic promoting the Klu Klux Klan), it is executed with style, artistry and and great originality.
it is hard to deal with the truth that this is a masterpiece by a nasty or deeply misguided man.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.