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Answer: “Birth of a Nation”—D. W. Griffith’s disgustingly racist yet titanically original 1915 feature—back to the fore. The movie, set mainly in a South Carolina town before and after the Civil War, depicts slavery in a halcyon light, presents blacks as good for little but subservient labor, and shows them, during Reconstruction, to have been goaded by the Radical Republicans into asserting an abusive dominion over Southern whites. It depicts freedmen as interested, above all, in intermarriage, indulging in legally sanctioned excess and vengeful violence mainly to coerce white women into sexual relations. It shows Southern whites forming the Ku Klux Klan to defend themselves against such abominations and to spur the “Aryan” cause overall. The movie asserts that the white-sheet-clad death squad served justice summarily and that, by denying blacks the right to vote and keeping them generally apart and subordinate, it restored order and civilization to the South.
“Birth of a Nation,” which runs more than three hours, was sold as a sensation and became one; it was shown at gala screenings, with expensive tickets. It was also the subject of protest by civil-rights organizations and critiques by clergymen and editorialists, and for good reason: “Birth of a Nation” proved horrifically effective at sparking violence against blacks in many cities. Given these circumstances, it’s hard to understand why Griffith’s film merits anything but a place in the dustbin of history, as an abomination worthy solely of autopsy in the study of social and aesthetic pathology.
Why is the movie Birth of a Nation was so controversial?
The Birth of a Nation, originally called The Clansman is a 1915 American silent epic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. The movie, set mainly in a South Carolina town before and after the Civil War talks about slavery.
The Birth of a Nation is a landmark of film history, lauded for its technical skill. It was the first American 12-reel film ever made and, at three hours, also the longest up to that point. This film was also the subject of protest by civil-rights organizations and critiques by clergymen and editorialists, and “Birth of a Nation” was proved horrifically effective at sparking violence against blacks in many cities.
'Birth of a Nation' film was controversial even before its release and it has remained so ever since. It has been called "the most controversial film ever made in the United States" and "the most reprehensibly racist film in Hollywood history".
Lincoln is portrayed positively a friend of the South, atypical of a narrative that promotes the Lost Cause ideology. The film has been denounced for its racist depiction of African Americans. The film portrays blacks (many of whom are played by white actors in blackface) as unintelligent and aggressive toward white women. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is portrayed as a heroic force, necessary to preserve American values, protect white women, and maintain white supremacy.[
Popular among white audiences nationwide, the film’s success was both a consequence of and a contributor to racial segregation throughout the U.S. In response to the film's depictions of black people and Civil War history, African Americans across the U.S. organized and protested.
In spite of its divisiveness, The Birth of a Nation was a huge commercial success across the nation, grossing more than any previous motion picture and it profoundly influenced both the film industry and American culture.
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