Birth Of A Nation Film Analysis

Hollywood’s great influence enables films to cause a positive or a negative impact on society. An example of this is D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation. Upon its release in 1915, the filmed created disputes due the way that it portrayed African Americans. The film caused race riots and uproars from African American communities who were enraged by their community’s portrayal. For the first time in film history, a motion picture was screened at the White House, where President Woodrow Wilson said, “It is like writing history with lightning.” (Everett Carter, Three) Because of its controversial background, Birth of a Nation helped to shed a light on American racism to President Wilson and is still controversial today. Though it was known as the most racist film to be seen, the film was a technological masterpiece compared to earlier films and was the first of its kind. Film techniques that had never been used before, captured a nationwide audience. Griffith continued to voice that Birth of a Nation was not a racial film; however, it has been interpreted in a different light and has caused racial tension since its premier. Birth of …show more content…
Throughout the picture, Griffith portrays African American men as animalistic beasts possessed by a desire to have relations with white women. The film displays what happens to an African American for trying to lust after a white woman in the early 1900’s. Since interracial relationships were illegal during this time period, the man is castrated and lynched when he attempts to break this law. White actors, in blackface, played the main characters, which sparked debate. However, Griffith would have had a hard time finding willing African Americans to play the parts due to the film’s portrayal of racial stereotypes. Birth of a Nation, “initiated a serious discussion in the black community over white control of blacks imagery in film” (Lecture Notes February 22,