The Birth of a Nation - Full Movie - (1915) HD - The Masterpiece of Racist Cinema
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- Опубліковано 31 лип 2015
- Ultimately, the Civil War was about States Rights. In this case, the State's right to own people and treat them as less than human. Which is why the Confederate flag evokes so much fear for minorities, which were the frequent target of murder (lynching) that was fully permitted by said States. I generally am for "State's Rights" as a concept, but crazy ideas like that are not tolerable. The shockwaves emancipation sent through the south left lingering tensions. Like the Nazi film "Triumph of the Will", D. W. Griffith has created a work of art that ultimately... openly... promotes evil. This film is one of the reasons for the "lazy, criminal rapist black men" stereotypes that still pervade American popular culture to some degree today. Let's use this as a learning tool to improve racial harmony. Get to the root of the myth.
However, this video is one I am posting in recognition of emancipation day. Upper Canada ended slavery in 1810, this becoming a haven for runaway slaves from the American colonies. Windsor Ontario (the Canadian city south of Detroit) has been celebrating Emancipation day since the 1930's. Known as "The Greatest Freedom Show on Earth".
Learn more!
visitwindsoressex.com/twepi_ev...
www.windsor-communities.com/af...
The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 ended slavery in the British Empire on August 1, 1834, and thus also in Canada. However, the first colony in the British Empire to abolish slavery was Upper Canada, now Ontario. John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (1791-1796), passed an Act Against Slavery in 1793, which led to the abolition of slavery in Upper Canada by 1810. It was superseded by the Slavery Abolition Act 1833.
The Birth of a Nation (originally called The Clansman) is a 1915 American silent epic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and based on the novel and play The Clansman, both by Thomas Dixon, Jr. Griffith co-wrote the screenplay (with Frank E. Woods), and co-produced the film (with Harry Aitken). It was released on February 8, 1915.
The film chronicles the relationship of two families in the American Civil War and Reconstruction era: the pro-Union Northern Stonemans and the pro-Confederacy Southern Camerons over the course of several years. The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth is dramatized.
The film was a commercial success, though it was highly controversial owing to its portrayal of black men (some played by white actors in blackface) as unintelligent and sexually aggressive towards white women, and the portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan (whose original founding is dramatized) as a heroic force. There were widespread African-American protests against The Birth of a Nation, such as in Boston, while thousands of white Bostonians flocked to see the film. 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.
The film is also credited as one of the events that inspired the formation of the "second era" Ku Klux Klan at Stone Mountain, Georgia, in the same year. The Birth of a Nation was used as a recruiting tool for the KKK. Under President Woodrow Wilson it was the first American motion picture to be screened at the White House, although in 1914 the Italian film Cabiria had been shown on the White House lawn.
Griffith's innovative techniques and storytelling power have made The Birth of a Nation one of the landmarks of film history.
For The Birth of a Nation, composer Joseph Carl Breil created a three-hour-long musical score that combined all three types of music in use at the time: adaptations of existing works by classical composers, new arrangements of well-known melodies, and original composed music. Outside of original compositions, Breil adapted classical music for use in the film, including passages from Der Freischütz by Carl Maria von Weber, Leichte Kavallerie by Franz von Suppé, Symphony No. 6 by Ludwig van Beethoven, and Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner, the latter used as a leitmotif during the ride of the KKK. Breil also arranged several traditional and popular tunes that would have been recognizable to audiences at the time, including many Southern melodies; among these songs were "Maryland, My Maryland", "Dixie", "Old Folks at Home", "The Star-Spangled Banner", "America the Beautiful", "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", "Auld Lang Syne", and "Where Did You Get That Hat?". In his original compositions for the film, Breil wrote numerous leitmotifs to accompany the appearance of specific characters. The principal love theme that was created for the romance between Elsie Stoneman and Ben Cameron was published as "The Perfect Song" and is regarded as the first marketed "theme song" from a film; it was later even used as the theme song for the popular radio and television sitcom Amos 'n' Andy. - Фільми й анімація
![ОРБАН приехал к ПУТИНУ и "отчитался" о поездке в Киев 😁 [Пародия]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_0ukDovOWq8/mqdefault.jpg)
Only 1910s kids will understand
Billy Bob Ironically, it’s probably better understood, at least among those of us who are white and have been taught the “Myth of the Lost Cause”. Blacks have understood the systemic racism far better. They don’t need to see a vile film such as this - many experience it on a daily basis, unfortunately.
This movie is about as subtle as a barbed wire enema. But how many of us who are white are aware of the far more subtle racism in a film like “Gone With The Wind”? It’s far more subtle, and perhaps not even the film makers were aware of it. But GWTW DOES romanticize the planter culture of the antebellum South, and laments its passing. One has to be aware of just how pervasive the Myth of the Lost Cause is.
Resistance to the falsehoods of this created myth (largely perpetrated by the Daughters of the Confederacy - who came from that planter class elite) is finally growing in awareness on the part of many whites in America, which is cause for hope.
This film makes no attempt at subtlety. It’s so overtly racist, that even leading black roles are played by white people wearing blackface.
Also only racist kids like the ones reading your comment Billy Bob will understand you repugnant
It’s a tiktok joke, y’all taking this way too seriously.
@@michaelclark7706 You’re white
@@areunholland552 I’m half-white
Fun fact: this was the first movie played in the White House
I mean, it was Woodrow Wilson. Being racist during that time period was normal but Wilson was something else. The man watched this entire movie and called it historically accurate, went on long rants about black people, and was very vocal about how he opposed civil rights for black Americans. He was a terrible person and the only reason he is known is because he was a "war hero"
Wouldn’t be surprised if Trump screened it on a weekly basis
@@adamk907 I would not be shocked if you watched gay porn on a daily basis lefty
@@adamk907 stupid. Trump supported Jesse Jackson both times Jesse ran for President. Trump also was the first to open up his golf club to Blacks in Florida. Go do some research or read a book.
Still can't believe that the KKK are associated with the democratic party.
Say what you want, but to watch a black and white silent film in 1915 for 3 hours, that’s some dedication
not true this was not that hard I used no food but I did need a break 1 break .
not really films back then were a modern day spectacle they had nothing better to do besides plow the fields and chop firewood so people flocked to cinemas around them to be entertained for a long time and double features were also a lot more common
Yeah especially one that’s racist as heck.
To be fair tf else you gonna do? Go till thr land?
@@estebanvazquez1524 well damn beat me to the comment lol
19 minutes in and i've already graduated college, moved to LA, attended my first movie premiere, got married, and received an Oscar.
How much time passes if you watch the whole film?
@@SuperBigshot99 I’ve watched the whole film, don’t do it. I started watching decades ago. After the first 45 minutes, i was an old bag of bones
@@underdoggy404 good thing I haven't. But honestly the film was pretty good. Took some artistic risks.
@@mladengrozdanovic5515
… *Are you sure about that?*
@@mladengrozdanovic5515 Define human...?
I swear they’ve been leaving for war for 40 minutes now
Fast-paced it's not!
@Eric Lee You’re literally a man
I literally choked reading this comment😂😂😂😂😂😂
🤣😂😂😂😂
😂😂😂
Grabbing my popcorn... hoping to see a family friendly movie which shares the message of love and tolerance for the next 3 hours .
12 mins in and I'm struggling to get through this GD 3 hour PowerPoint slide show
lol
@Huwhite Death Based
Trust me bro it’s fun for the whole family just like Air bud 2: the golden receiver
@@JS-qc1xs 😂
You can not erase history, for it has already been written, but if one refuses to learn from it, sadly one if not all is doomed to repeat it.
Partiality is causality,the correct way of saying it is "health history"
@@michellehouse-hq7mh aw. Look who wants to feel important. Man STFU 😂😂😂
But we're not the ones making decisions. Are we? Or is it just corporations throwing in candidates and buying them?
I disagree. I have heard the claim "you cannot erase history" before. Of course, you can erase history. It has happened many times. History is based on perception and perception can easily be altered.
Not sure I agree. Many ancestors of black American's history of their original homeland and language have been erased as far as direct lineages, but I understand what you mean by this quote.
Pretty fucking hilarious how they canonically decided to make the origin story of the KKK some guy watching some kids play a game of “Boo I’m a Spooky Ghost” with some bed sheets and thought to himself “that’s a marvellous idea”.
That’s the funniest part of the movie. That clip needs to be some sort of meme.
Ironically The Origin of The KKK White Robes is This Movie. The Historical Klan did not Wear the Robes. The Second Klan did. But The Second Clan got Started due to This Movie Inspiring it.
@@skwills1629 Correct and if I’m correct as well, I believe the Klan burning the cross was also originated in this movie and adopted by the second Klan which originally wasn’t even a thought in the original klan.
@@skwills1629 Wait, but then…WHERE THE FUCK DID THE FILMMAKERS GET THE IDEAS!? Someone on set was just like “Hey bro, you know what’d make them look super spooky?”
**whips out bed sheets**
“Duuude! Now we’re talking!”
**puffs on weed blunt**
@@purpleemerald5299 - Basically, Yes.
It’s pretty insane to think that we went from this to Gone With the Wind in just 24 years.
I watched clips of "Gone with the Wind" all because of this comment, and you weren't kidding. Truly a night-and-day difference in the cinematic quality of the two. Gone with the Wind actually seems like you're watching a real professional movie (though it still does show its age) whereas this crap is really unwatchable (I'm mainly talking about the cinematic quality and not just the racial message, though that is very wrong too).
I feel like the progress of this movie to Gone with the Wind seems much much greater than the progress we see in movies from 1998 to now.
There's an endless supply of white men and a limited supply of humans
Chief George
Little Big Man
@@maciekmrakowski wow your comment betrays a stunning ignorance.
racist as hell and clumsy in its storytelling, nevertheless some scenes are about as EPIC in size and scale as ever done in film. And all actual people.
@@maciekmrakowski Gone With The WInd is " actually like a real movie?" LOL!!!
Love how they use black face actors next to real black people and they act like it doesn't look fucking stupid
Guessing its a thing about not getting enough black actors.
Trudeau is a great actor
BLACK PEOPLE ARE REAL??!!
You can't look black and not look stupid.
@@Cheesy_33 unfortunately
This movie is longer than the confederacy lasted.
🤣🤣😂🤣😂
Lol confederacy still exist toda. Laugh more😂
People be like "finally something non-woke"
Lmao
right, the good times lmao
*boomers
Cry
Surely, the Aristotelian "golden mean" should be the next lesson.
104 years old.
104 years old and the same shit
That’s awsome
Mike Carter not really
109 and counting...
Javier, it’s 2019, not 2024.
This film was one of the main reasons the KKK came back.
And KFC
@OK DUDE! You're hilarious and so cool I bet you get so much pussy.
Im pretty sure the kkk are burning in hell fire by the most high God in heaven ! Vengeance is mine say the lord I will repay . God laugh at the wicked cause he knows vengeance will be put on those devils!!
You are wrong.During 1920's so many immingrant came USA from different countries like italy and russia.(especially jews.)First KKK attacked just blacks.But second KKK also attacked catholic,Jews...
That’s because Rutherford Hayes had vacated the south of the last federal troops. Leaving the southern states to discriminate at will.
Imagine how boring 1915 was to sit through 3 hours of this and call it entertainment.
To be fair back then anything moving was interesting
I can’t stop thinking about how long it took for them to make one Scene with all the camera cuts, and have the movie be 3 hours
kids today have 10 second attention spans. in the future people will look back and question how people sat through 5 minute youtube videos
To be fair, movies were a new thing back then, espesually ones like this. This wouldn't have been that boring back then.
@@GS-md3hr And that's the truth...
Thought this was a poorly executed joke. After seeing your channel, it's no surprise that you can't stand something that doesn't give immediate dopamine hits and forces you to focus on the bigger picture.
It's a horrible message, but the existence of this movie should still be known and available. A piece of history no matter how terrible it was. The more we forget..the more we repeat ourselves.
It's actually kind of impressive that their hatred for black people was so high that they made a 3 hour movie about it. Not even 20 mins. but 3 hours. That's some crazy dedication.
Your complimenting racists for their dedication to racism? Nice
@@justinholland6132 no. I'm complimenting them for documenting their racism so now it can never be denied that it happened..basically calling them stupid while also saying the fact that they made a 3hr movie based on their racism was impressive because it takes some dedication to do that. But at the same time I don't think this movie should he available for purchase in stores or online. I don't think any one company should benefit from making money off of this movies racism, but I still think access to it is important from a historical stand point.
@@justinholland6132 it's actually nice
okay then let's make a movie about the true history of the brutilization of negroes by the Caucasian folks and how about including the fact they dwelled in caves as neanderthals and the original europeans were black and taught them structure
I've been hating them for well over 20 years. 3 hours is nothing.
Everyone in this film is dead...
Edit: I know it's obvious they're dead and that D.W. Griffith was racist, my point was that it's crazy watching a real film where all the actors are dead. This is watching real history. I just think that's cool.
Dead!? I didn't even know they were sick.
Ohhhhh. I never knew that ... SUCH A SHOCK OMG I THOUGHT THEY WERE STILL ALIVE AFTER 108 YEARS 😱😱😱.
Long passed away but today their legacy are still felt.
Nick Minadeo oh really? I didn't know that.
The only good thing about this movie
Well...the puppies in the beginning are cute.
What pups
And the kitty too. Around 8:38
Well can’t wait to see great great great great great grandchildren
Those puppies are older than us
That is literally my exact same thought
to all the brave people who actually sat through 3 hours of this and recounted it in the comments, thank you! you made it a lot easier to write my essay!
Lmao literally in the same boat as you right now for my film history class
😂
lmao
Yeah, not watching this disgusting shit
Check this one off my bucket list. For years I have wanted to watch the silent film, "Birth of a Nation." Finding time to focus on a silent movie for nearly three and one-half hours was beyond difficult. I broke it into segments and got through it over about a week. It is a true cinematic masterpiece. With none of the special effects technology in the ensuing decades and certainly no CGI we see today, it is a marvel. The elaborate sets, costumes, and smoky battle scenes are amazing if you think of the resources producer DW Griffith had to work with.
A cinematic masterpiece, yes, but also intense racist gaslighting. The movie is basically broken into two chapters: Civil War and post-war Reconstruction. While the war story culminating with the Lincoln assassination is Confederate-slanted, the story of Reconstruction is flat-out racist. Blacks are represented as corrupt and oppressive to whites.
The heroes? The Ku Klux Klan. They organized, took up arms, and rose up to beat back the black menace. This was heralded throughout America as good and just. The goal was to restore America - especially the South - to its greatness, its old way of life.
Keep in mind this film is distinguished as the first movie to have a White House viewing. This came under the administration of Woodrow Wilson who hosted an elaborate dinner party with choice political leaders and influencers across the country. In addition to that premiere showing at the White House in 1915, the movie was re-released 15 years later at the end of the silent film era in 1930.
I mention this because the film continues to echo a bigoted message today. This is not because a significant number of Americans are watching it, but because the ugly message it carries is a narrative that was passed down through generations. Tens of millions of Americans look at our cultural past through the gauzy lens of nostalgic remembrance of American life. This was true in the 1870s, 1915, 1930, and today. They just deny any attempt to bring our society to face its terrible practices.
This amazing artifact of American media culture should be folded into the lesson plans of university and high school history classes. Break it into segments for homework and then use that to fuel classroom discussion. It should be dissected to understand its historical context and how it contributed to today's behavior. The past never leaves us, it informs us and lives within us. The good, the bad, and the disturbingly hateful.
This film was great even with his greater ideas
Not reading allat
We do learn about it in history class, at least at my high school we did.
@@kommando5562 Do you support the KKK?
@@llidkram Do you?
I have the day off from work today, Sunday, and decided to finally watch this. Thanks for uploading the entire movie instead of a playlist full of clips. That was the only way I could watch it in the past and couldn't get through it.
Was it worth it?
@@NateXVII yeah because now i have knowledge about the shit you would see in the 1910's and the contents of this film
I enjoy the vision of someone who worked hard all week and by Sunday finally said “I’m gonna watch that 1915 film”
This movie ain’t for yer kind
H
It’s so crazy to believe how strongly people can hate another person purely on their skin color, smh
There's more to it than skin color... America had a caste system that put people of certain ethnic backgrounds below others. They did it to insure the dominance or supremacy of their race. It wasn't just out of hate of skin color. I think that's something that a lot of people lose sight of. When you understand what was really going on then, you get a better idea of what's going on today.
They hated the irish and Italians immigrants, too
@@somethingsomething9008 Those immigrants were able to fully assimilate. Many of them changed their names, adopted American culture, changed their accents and or learned English to become "white". Because they look the same as other Western Europeans, race wasn't a distinguishing characteristic for them. So they could truly assimilate into whiteness. Black, Native and Asian people could never assimilate the in same way.
@@somethingsomething9008I hear the Irish argument alot but there was really no real comparison.
@@incubus_the_manwell white man, thanks for white-splaining, but the ‘caste system’ it’s just an excuse for a good old fashion racism.
You have no right to explain “what it’s like“ to those who are on the receiving end of that racism.
Funny thing, the director of this movie went on to make "Intolerance" which explored themes of intolerance in response to this movie, I recommend giving it a watch
"Intolerance" was basically a response to the criticism of this film.
The only segment worth watching in "Intolerance", is the Babylonian one. Rest is a total bore. The film as a whole, was a total bomb, leaving Griffith in debt for years. He cut out the Babylonian part and released it as a separate film...something he should have done from the start. It can be downloaded here on youtube.
Can you believe that this story was written by a church minister ?? What part of Jesus' message of love did he not understand ?
As a Christian, agreed. Sad how some "Christians" act towards their fellow human
@Cardboard Cape lol
@Cardboard Cape gee, I wonder what those people might've done to provoke attacks against them
@Cardboard Cape wow, not like white people had blacks in shackles not too long before this film came out
White American Protestantism preaches bigotry consumerism and prosperity gospel this isn’t a suprise
Getting wasted while watching this movie: drink a shot every time you see a white in blackface
😂😂😂
lol drink a shot of moonshine every time you see the word carpetbagger
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Your poor liver
ur gonna get alcohol poisoning in the first 10 minutes lol
How is this film 3 and a quarter hours long? The first feature-length film was made in 1906. This must have been one of the longest films made at the time.
It was, which is also why it was so popular
THE longest. First 12-reel film ever made.
It was the longest film buddy; which would make people doze
off whilst watching. Great way to manipulate the 'Subconscious'.👍
@jaredjams4267 The Story of the Kelly Gang premiered on Boxing Day, 1906 in Melbourne, Australia
"Feature Length" is a very subjective term. There is no single definition accepted in the industry.
I honestly think the way it was made and the equipment used - it turned out absolutely gorgeous. Notwithstanding the horribly racist aspect. I’m just interested in silent era films
For me when researching my family-i realized that civil war vets were still live around this time. It didn't help with gone with the wind.
What exactly is racist about it? It’s an accurate telling of the tyranny of Reconstruction and backlash it sparked.
The technical feats of this movie are something that deserves admiration. The subject matter excluded.
I saw a great version of Metropolis on VHS back in the 80s, but otherwise have never been a big fan of Silents. Watched Nosferatu six months ago and have been a huge fan of Silents ever since.
@@raycarter8070The last civil war veterans passed in the 1950s.
The first half of this is actually a more or less decent Civil War film with less than subtle pro-Southern bias. The final battle scene at The Siege of Petersburg is truly impressive for it's time. Unfortunately the second half showing Reconstruction, etc. is complete, unhinged nonsense. Too bad it wasn't cut at the 90 min. mark.
what are some of the most glaring inaccuracies? im not too well-read on the reconstruction period of our history
@@Scrimparmy a big one that permeates this movie is how the kkk is shown to be the heroes. Absolutely ridiculous.
It's pretty bizarre how they describe the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in such a bad light.. obviously i can't be surprised considering the type of movie this is, but it's just so strange to see
@@vibesanm nah man don’t get too upset . I’m black and how we portray ourselves in the media today is no worse than this and blacks don’t have a problem with that
The first half is meant to normalise the slave owning family and show how happy it was for everyone, even the slaves who dance and generally just stay in the background until they’re needed. The second half is meant to make you nostalgic for that lifestyle that was supposedly lost when black people got equal rights, so that you support the kkk who are trying to bring it back
Why the hell am I watching this??
Attraction to dumpster fires?
@@KhalbraeReal No offense to your video at all, I just don't know how I ended up here ;-;
@@bvnny1379 UA-cam recommendations? I mean, the film is historically relevant even if it's vile.
@@KhalbraeReal NoPe
XRose Gold just a piece of cinema history, that’s all .🙏🙋♀️
All black faced
Art
@@Alexander-dd4rg art? No just racism
@@starwarshater8178 who cares
@@starwarshater8178 Yep. Good that that was the past and not anymore!
Of course. No black person in the right mind would want to take part of this trash
There's so much hype about this movie that I decided to watch it.
After watching it, all I can say is that it's so wrong in so many levels that I wouldn't know where to begin. I pity the people that would buy into this.
The whole nation bought into it in 1915. White supremacy had a hold on America.
Kkk was formed
Yeah it’s a KKK propaganda film
Wrong in so many levels? Please explain. What levels? production? direction? historical accuracy?
@@tonyscott1658 it’s a kkk propaganda film
The first half of the movie is relatively benign -- there are scenes of families and friendships torn apart by war that are quite moving and powerful. It's the film's second half that has all the controversial stuff showing wholesale endorsement of white supremacy, and scenes that reflect paranoid fantasy of racist whites that have no bearing on real history. 2015 was the film's centenary, and the occasion came and went with little fanfare.
No. The first scenes depict the slaves as stupid people and the whites as superior. This is racist from the beggining till the end!
@@JoseFerreira-vj3lq Those scenes, though unflattering, are relatively benign, as I said; tons of movies in the period and later have such depiction (poor speech, foolish, etc.) Far more incendiary are scenes such as a black man attempting to rape a white woman and she jumping to her death, followed by a title card saying something to the effect of "she upheld her honor." These scenes are what set Birth of a Nation apart, depicting an utterly negrophobic attitude and, as I said, a sweeping "validation" of white supremacy. Many films have depicted blacks poorly, but few have actually called for the destruction of their race and literally showed it.
Because they want this part of American History erased. The President premiered this in the White House so a lot of Americans thought like this.
The amount of cope you had to seethe... damn
That the first part comes across as "benign" is the whole point - it "normalizes" this family and, oh, by the way, the slaves who worked in the fields, danced for the master, served in the home and, in general, who remain in the background until needed. Yes, benign. 100%.
Remember this is a huge factor of history of racism in the 20th century and now.
It’s influence on racism isn’t what it once was. It stopped being used by the Klan for recruitment in the 1970s.
LOL
The fact that these scenes are supposed to be happy is just sickening. However, I think it’s important that ppl have the ability to see how terrible these times truly were.
@Hank Hill Assistant Manager Strickland Propane What you have said did not disprove Fred’s arguments.
@Hank Hill Assistant Manager Strickland Propane It’s not mandatory.
However, it would be interesting to learn about your opposition of Fred’s perspective, that the scenes in Birth of a Nation are sickening and that during this time, it was absolutely horrible.
The same as today²⁰²³
How's this horrible?
I got bored so i decided to just look up the plot on Wikipedia, it turns out that no one has watched this whole thing to do a summary
We are the first generations to be able to watch film from 100 years ago
The film ends with "Liberty and union, one and inseparable now and forever" without a hint of irony. It's sickening to watch this nowadays
Maybe don't judge films with 2022 lenses if they were made a hundred years ago. Maybe don't look for racism in every thing
@@henrybierman8431 🤣🤣🤣
@@henrybierman8431 Bruh
@@henrybierman8431 Yikes
@@henrybierman8431 even for its time this movie was pretty shocking
I could grow a beard watching this
Me too & I'm a woman.😆😆
I see this meme everywhere
@@normahamilton2985 ive seen way better films shorter then this shit for starters shawshank redemption, Mississippi Burning, Winchester, Balto, Lion king, Black Hawk Down, Saving Private ryan, The Longest Day(and that had a all star cast of near 50 or more A-list actors like John Wayne, Sean Connery, Richard Burton, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum just to name a few) Raid on Entebbe, Mulan, hell even the Paranormal Activity movies were shorter then this.
😂😂😂😂
i did grow a beard watching this.. whew!
Watching this at 2x speed because its so damn long. This might be hardest movie to sit through during my 1001 movies to see before you die journey.
this took me 3 days to watch
@@doomeStringsstopp me too!! i started the 1001 movies to watch and this one is soo long- I’m in 2x and i’ve been trying to finish it, it’s been 3 days haha
No consideration for us in a 100 years having to watch this shit
@@doomeStringsi know right!!
@@doomeStrings I want to see that list.
the first half was going alright- perhaps with about as much racism as gone with the wind- but OH MY GOD did the second half go downhill real fast
People seriously overhype Gone With The Wind’s racism especially with the second half of this being way worse.
They should make a movie about John Brown, thats the question. Why hasnt Hollywood made that movie yet? He is awesome!
Have you ever been around live actual black people, go to any major city and tell me what a lovely culture they have. 😂
@@homesteadlife6854 There's no fucking way I just read this 😧
@@homesteadlife6854Yep. Chicago is nice this time of the year. 😅
3 hours long. Even if I was a die hard racist, i wouldn't watch this movie
That’s exactly what a die hard racist would say
I would
🤣
so you just a regular racist?
@@user-cu8xv8hv2rYeah cause you have no life you stupid weeb
2:26:29 me when my Mom doesn’t get me 20 chicken Mcnuggies from McDonald’s
I love the my local McCalorie McBurger joint
Lol
Anyone else watching this at 2x speed and for a class assignment/test?
thank fuck I'm on my own accord here rather than bc of a uni assignment lmao. I didn't know it was 3 hrs long holy shit😭
Why does this film have almost a 100% score on rotten tomatoes.
Because it's influential in terms of technical aspects (new camera angles, use of flashbacks, etc) and being the first film to tell an epic story despite the portrayal of the KKK as a heroic force
Technically sound and at the time revolutionary.
bunch of dweebs trying to look intellectual
Bc people can be racist af
this may sound unrelated, but I wouldn't recommend listening to rotten tomatoes when it comes to seeing how well-received a movie is. The algorithm praises safe mediocrity and actually profound and innovative movies get pushed to the side. For example, if every critic on the site gave a movie a 6/10, it's RT score would be listed as 100%.
I, a black person, watched this. It was epic cinematography for that time. It is also as fiction as stories can be. Just more proof that EVERYONE in this country has been lied to.
@@ansar4454 lol im sure he dose. But the point he made is still valid
@@sandyfordham8172 thanks for understanding what I was saying. I am well aware of the impact this had on the country afterwards. That rebirth mentioned kicked off right here in Stone Mountain, GA. That is what is was intended to do. I was merely speaking to film/movies as a product.
The same with almost every movie ever produced
What the fuck are you talking about? Everybody in this country has been lied to...about what?
Sprax about a lot dude.
Walked in back in good old '15 to watch this film and I'm still watching it in the theatre at this very moment. I'm writing this comment while watching the film
Enjoy it. It must have been nice living in a white culture.
My kind of humour. Let’s be friends!
I think it's safe tot say that this movie won't get a remake.
It’ll definitely get a remake with a twist one day.
It’ll never be an exact remake of course though
Maybe as a parody.
There was another movie with the same title a few years back
@@joewhitehead3 That movie is another defense of a hate filled lynch mob that judged its victims purely on the color of their skin, but they were slaves so apparently it okay. Also Nat Turner was a coward who was depicted as a brave hero, like the cowardly hyenas of the Ku Klux Klan in this film.
@@akirasuzami9847 Didn’t that movie show a more positive outlook on black history?
That blacks who starred in this film must've regretted it. They had no idea what this caused.
The blacks? Also it was all black face
@@jackosland8256 I think there are some actual black people in this in very minor roles like the kids who were playing slaves in the beginning
Jack Osland they are some actual black People in this . The blackface actors are the ones who have role in the movie, the real black People are in the background
What did it cause? Plz answer
@@Axshxaaa lynching
The most racist movie I have ever seen!
You should try The Notebook
Gotta remember this movie came out over 100 years ago. Times were definitely different
Well then I guess you haven’t seen Shrek 2!
@@aeddinlewis5713 the times have not changed one bit we as black ae still struggling we don't own anything of importance no media stations, we are working just help white people the white man already has economic security already first class citizenship, so we wasting our time talking to the white man
@@moalston4203 black men refuse to build protect and provide so ofc you’ll be the white mans buck for good 😐
Fun fact: D.W. Griffith’s ‘Birth of a Nation’ is the third most commercially successful box office film in United States History, trailing ‘Avatar’ and ‘Titanic.’
Psycho.
that's Gone with the Wind
@j-graze3898 -
Good grief - NO IT IS NOT !! The movie Birth of a Nation is not even top 50 in all-time gross box office adjusted for inflation. Amazing that 72 people gave this incorrect comment a thumbs up. I guess those same people would all march in unison right off a cliff.
Are we adjusting for inflation?
After watching this feature film it's time for Django unchained.
Another masterpiece from the 60s
This is way better!
2 Times😑
I hope people dont make this movies dissapear, its like the nonsense of cancelling songs of the south... history did happen, like it or not; You cant cancel 80s movies just because people had mullet hairstyle.... it happened, as horrible as it was. THESE ARE MANKIND DOCUMENTS
That's not the point my guy. This is historical meaning there would be no reason to cancel it but for people to try and say things like the confederate flag only represents heritage and not racism is pure ignorance. This movie was created by someone who was clearly from the south and depicted the KKK as the hero of the movie. How are you gonna see this and still try to defend that flag.
NeverForget so are you up to destroy this film?
Yasgm 77 I literally just said there would be no reason to cancel it
we comparing a mullet to hundreds of years of racism now???
@@iwanttoswimintheswanepoel racism & pure terrorism. If serial killers and al qaida terrorists are not tolerated then the KKK should be treated likewise. They were & are nothing more than Racist Serial killing Terrorist pieces of shit. Special place in hell for them.
Lillian Gish was also in The Muskateers of Pig Alley(1912). That movie also contains importance because it was one of the very first gangster movies ever to be released and shown to the public.
Like the kkk being influenced into burning crosses after seeing this flick,Tupac wanted to do gangster shit for real,Snoop had to turn him down,thanks Lion ✊🏽✊🏿✊🏾✊🏻
Thanks! I love love love! Lilian Gish.
Well, she was also playing some stupid mediocre role on The Love Boat, so that should give us some prespective of how long she lived, lol
Man, I think the thing which shocked people the most back then was the runtime, ain't nobody ever heard of a movie three hours long in 1915.
The quality is better than early 2000s videos….
I’ve been wondering how just a century ago, still within living memory, entire societies accepted and partook in racism, segregation, lynching and so on. It conflicts with what I think I know about humanity and how people naturally love and feel sympathy for one another. Which beliefs that society accepts today will be horrific in the future? Do I hold any of those beliefs? These questions have been troubling me for a while and I hope watching this movie will help me answer some of them
Still happening in many parts of the world. Not even under the radar just under different names and jurisdictions.
Because we are a people with a history and spirit that is distinct from others. If you love your family, you can love your race
Human beings have been violent for as long as we existed. Unfortunately, we are naturally xenophobic and tribalistic that is why we tend to go against those who look and think differently from us. People are capable of loving and sympathy but they are also capable of cruelty and hatred. This is just one of the facts of life we have to accept just like death. We can be better and have a peaceful civilization but that is a process that must be fought with effort and a process that everyone must consent to.
@@ilikepancakes2368 'Human beings have been violent for as long as we existed.' It's easy to say that, but eveyone I know is generally nice and polite. It's hard to imagine a naturally violent or hateful person, much less a whole society of such people. That's why this aspect of history confuses me
Have you ever considered the idea that the "evil" "racist" beliefs your ancestors held were humanity's natural state, and that this "tolerance" is merely an anomaly? Integration literally had to be implemented at gunpoint, and 60 years later racial tensions are still incredibly high.
And one of the most informative on how the Civil War has never really ended, sadly.
“Never really ended” he said in 2021 about a movie in the 1910’s. The civil war ended in the 1860’s the civil rights movement ended in the 1960’s and 70’s.
@@eliaskjrbo8142 still holds up considering how many lies are still believed today about the civil war.
@@eliaskjrbo8142 I don't think the Civil War that got 620,000-750,000 American soldiers killed (plus the undetermined civilian casualties) will get the people to stop talking.
Let's be honest, that war has haunt the US ever since.
Bullets were fired for different reasons and not at one another for a while, sure. Call this an end of war if you wish, I won't argue with you.
The more important question is what went on in the mind of Conservatives during the civil war. And the psychopathology that they utilise to this day.
Its more an example of how a war history could be written by the losers of a war. What i do wonder is... why arent there any northern historians? To compare it. Makes you wonder
For the time, especially since this was before the "silent" era and filmmaking was still a very new thing, this is an extremely well done film.
He had disgusting views about the world but he was a cinematic genius
I agree!
@@itscat7723 I don't see how racism has anything to do with the quality of the film
@@mr.orange8211 I mean, we do judge a lot of films based on their plots and screen writing, so it does kinda make sense
@@Emily-fm7pt plot shouldn't have anything to do with the writing itself. A premise can never be bad, but a screenplay can. In this case, the movie is written very well, but it contains controversial themes.
3:09:33 The fact that this is supposed to be a happy scene.
this is a really happy scene
@@gatsby1962 not really
And at the end of this true historical film, jesus came down and praised his children 😂
1:31:27 Woodrow Wilson
1:21:09 Abraham Lincoln
1:32:56 Horace Stoneman and his secretary
1:38:35 Silas Lynch and other African Americans' portrayal
1:59:29 South Carolina legislature
2:02:30 Ku Klux Klan origin story and portrayal
3:10:45 Double honeymoon/end of the film
Mvp
tysm i needed this for film class 😭
When I see the way the slavers rewrote History as soon as they lost the war to the point of this movie being the accepted national myth by 1900, I remember a quote from Ararat.
"Young man, do you know what still causes so much pain? It's not the people we lost, or the land. It's to know that we could be so hated. Who are these people, who could hate us so much? How can they still deny their hatred? And so hate us... hate us even more?"
“It's like writing history with lightning. My only regret is that it is all so terribly true.”
-Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson didn’t say that. Thomas Dixon Jr said that. He wrote the book it was based on. Seems a little self-serving to me.
Except this movie is close to absolute fiction. Wilson was one of the most vile men to hold the office of president.
This was the KKK recruiting film
The KKK had pretty much been dead, this romanticized the klan, as white knights defending Southern womanhood, which led to the Klan adopting the knight imagery. which was obviously horse shit as one of the higher up's in the klan hierarchy, drugged and brutally raped one of the organizations secretaries.
Endorsed by President Woodrow Willson after his screening in the White House
@@CheekyPseudonym A Democrat, of course. All KKK members were Democrats. The first Black senators were all Republicans.
@@eldesgraciado6690 Yes but they swapped on pretty much every issue. Old democrats are basically modern day republicans.
@@King-fo3kj Hillary and Biden were best friends with Robert Byrd, Exalted Cyclops of the KKK. The Democratic party still has ties to the KKK. You saw the picture of Virginia's Governor, Northam, right?
Thank you for sharing. Kept me up all night. Truly amazing and fascinating
Racist scum
America is still paying the cost for this film.
As an African American who loves silent films, King of kings, The Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, , The Tramp.Nosferatu, The Passion of St. Joan, Metropolis… I had to force my to get through this one. I tried aesthetically view the film. I admit.. I failed. But, even Griffith gave U.S. “Intolerance” immediately after.
Yah it's rough, I get that technically it's supposed to be a landmark in cinema and some of the shots are really impressive but god is it slow and poorly acted and written, and besides all that obviously it's just a bigoted movie that actively exploited black people at the time for the movie's production, it's quite sickening
This is kind of boring for silent film from 1915, when A Trip to the Moon in 1902 is so much more enjoyable.
Woodrow Wilson played this in the white house.
who is he ?
Internet Troll the first rockstar
The US president from 1913 to 1921.
@@VeryProPlayerYesSir1122 Democratic President during the time
@@VeryProPlayerYesSir1122 the devil
The first thing I noticed when watching this film is that all the people look normal and evenly proportioned. No one is suffering from obesity, but there's also none of the perfectly sculpted gym rat bodies that you see in the Hollywood movies today. They look like basic normal body sizes that any plain Jane or average Joe can achieve.
Did you miss the dude carrying the anvil and beat everyone up in the gin bar?
Let’s think about this. There have always been corpulent people in history. Perhaps those people don’t appeal to many human beings and that’s why they’re not in the film.... yes obesity is more prevalent now. Also there have always been brawny men throughout history. We all have a variation in phenotype.
this was time before McDonalds. Imagine an angry Ronald Macdonald chasing them with an axe, asking "WHY DIDNT YOU TRY THE BIG MAC!" Now that would be a movie
yeah cornstarch poisons us, most of the bigger and muscular people were the one who boxed in the ring
I am a biology major and had to watch this for a history assignment. I cant wait to data dump this immediately after I complete my assignment.
But why? I understand filmography or arts, but why were guys watching this for biology?
I cant believe people werent horrified to see that blackface in 1915
Im not its history
I just think it’s funny and unconvincing
In 1915, The Birth of a Nation was the very first motion picture to be screened in the White House. But the movie went on to become most famous for all the wrong reasons. Its aggressive racist propaganda had long lasting effects and became the foundation of the hate directed at the Black community.
Why was slavery bad? Do explain.
@@arminius1670why was it not? Do explain and your answer can’t just be that you don’t like black people.
It became famous because One, it was the first major Hollywood film. Almost every movie prior ran 20 minutes or so.
Two, groundbreaking effects. Epic battle scenes, close-ups, cross-cutting, fade-outs. Nobody had seen that before.
Yes, it's a shame the second half was ridiculous even in 1915. Look on the bright side: nobody is going to remake this.
Thanks to share. I remember sort of seeing this, clips and commentary probably, in my school years.
I must watch this again.
I'm dismayed by the comments to not realise the importance of social commentary that this is.
2022 We still find enemies where there should be none...
People are looking to be SJWs, and I'm saying this as an American liberal. Its almost a form of mental disorder. Martin Luther King would not have wanted this. Imagine people arguing over an ancient idea that is already made fun of even by movies in Hollywood, like The Black Klansman.
As a minority who served this country I will say that the Confederate flag does NOT evoke fear in me WHATSOEVER. wrong word choice .unless he is speaking of a past tense scenario. but to this date I think it promotes more anger than fear.
Which version of the score is this? Does it include Joseph Carl Breil's original composition for it?
It's kinda funny to think that this movie was the first movie ever played at the white House. Also it's crazy to think this was enjoyable for anyone to watch. For over 3 hours wow lol
Ikr
@Sakkra101 that's crazy😆
@Sakkra101 The SOCIALIST Woodrow Wilson? Gee, who could have imagined that?
@@ronslayton5270 Wilson literally ordered Marines to disband the Haitian parliament at gunpoint for failing to pass legislation that allowed U.S. corporations to buy up the country. Yeah--a totally socialist thing to do. Nice try--no one's buying what you're selling. What's next--Hitler's a socialist too?
@@sham8614 Absolute socialist - instituted the Federal Reserve and the Income Tax.
Yes, Hitler WAS a socialist - he adhered to the principals of Marx. Private property was an illusion in Nazi Germany - in name only. It could be confiscated at any time, for any reason. Hitler pandered to capitalists to keep their factories in Germany. That's why many owners of factories fled late in the war. In fact, Hitler was the sneakiest socialist.
My Great Grandfather wrote a few books and one was an autobiography about himself, he was born in and grew up a little bit in Michigan, but then after lending their farm to a friend they moved to Alabama and he said that this was the first “movie” movie that he watched, after a few years they moved back to Michigan
Ok??? Did they move cuz they disliked the racism or..?
@@NateXVII No, and they also moved down to Alabama to work a general store owned by his step sisters husband, they moved back because the friend that was using the farm kinda let it fall apart so they moved back and rebuilt it
What was the book called
@@kilgoretrout4491 The book company unfortunately rejected his book, but I can tell you more about him if you’d like
@@krypticstone5666 Did he like the movie?
I've heard about this movie for decades. Thanks so much for posting the entire thing.
I agree with the comments. Brilliant camerawork and effects but a ridiculous story. And remember this footage is a century old; the original 1915 celluloid prints must've been dazzling to see. It is a little long: DWG shot 36 hours of footage and could've edited it down even more.
Why is Song of the South banned almost worldwide, yet this movie is free to watch on UA-cam?!
Better than any modern day film from Hollywood
Fun fact : only 9 people in this film are still alive
These people must be really old
Nope, all gone. Last person alive died in 2001.
@@Osvie01-uc8go it was probably a little little kid in this movie
The battle scenes are incredible, probably to what the actual battle in Petersburg looked like. No special effects, no AI, more realistic than what you'll see on the glitzy screen today.
I actually found a web site that takes the utter garbage in this film as actual historical fact. Lord help us all
4chan, Twitter, Reddit?
The power of propaganda
@@ammagon4519 historica wiki
@@menecarkawan "this wiki contains pieces of history from real-world history, the Total War video games (the original purpose for this wiki - formerly called "Total War: Alternate Reality Wiki" - which I later decided to expand upon), historical video games such as Assassin's Creed , Crusader Kings II , Victoria 2 , and other games of the type, books, plays, and films, in addition to some personal creations based on these universes or on current events."
"With that said, please enjoy this wiki, the ultimate melting-pot of history, historical fandom, and historical fiction!"
The wiki itself says not to take everything in there as historical fiction.
They call it Facebook I assume-?
One of the greatest movies of American cinema. As a Black man, I say this in a non biased way.
It’s a great movie, one of the best of all time and arguably the greatest film in the silent era, because it‘s one of the most cynically well-done pieces of propaganda in history of mankind. Few movies manage to achieve that in such fashion. Not to mention how it changed cinema forever.
You had me for a second lol
Just like blackfish.
Nacho Libre was pretty good
The Birth of a Nation, originally called The Clansman,[5] is a 1915 American silent epic 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.
The cats and the puppies were the only good things in this film 😩 ugh I dreaded having to watch this for my history class but I know that I can't avoid it..
stop being so emotional and just enjoy the film for what it is. its extremely well made
@@Scrimparmy I'm not saying I didn't appreciate the filming techniques/styles, it's just that the overall themes and message it was trying to convey were very gross and obviously the makings of a delusional/hateful mindset.
@@LolGurrl91 I agree but that almost makes it more fascinating b/c something like this could never be made today. So it’s cool in a taboo way
Virtue signaling for likes?
@@Scrimparmy it could be made if you want to do it. Go ahead.
an incredible piece of cinematic history, but..... HOLY SXXT !!!
If today we look at the color orange as a crime and anyone with orange shall get hanged or mistreated tomorrow we shall grab an orange and reflect. What’s okay today may not be okay tomorrow and we too will be history. Hold the door for the old lady walking with a cane. Give a water bottle to someone sitting in the heat. Say thank you. It’s only two words but two words that symbolizes so much.
the hell r u on about
What is the name of the music around the 2 hour 57 minute mark?
Fun fact: this movie was showed and studied in cinema classes in the 1980 in my Italian university.
crazy to think that we are twice as further in time to them (2023-1915=108) than they are to the civil war itself (1915-1865=50)
Civil War veterans actually attended the premiere of this movie.
I DIDNT KNOW THIS WAS A 3HR LONG MOVIE I HAVE TO SUBMIT A PAPER BY MIDNIGHT
It's been a month. How'd it go, Jane?
@@contendhay647 I know she is a pretty woman, do you even know her?
us bru us 🤝
How’d It Go?
a kindred soul
if you think about it, its like reading a picture book with music in the background. Thats how i got through the movie without getting bored lol
I decided to watch this film after first reading Thomas Dixon's book. I'm only 15 minutes into the movie, but I must say that it appears that Mr. Griffith's film differs significantly from the book. That said, I do find it interesting to catch a glimpse of Piedmont SC "before" the war. In the book we only get to see the Cameron's house after all the curtains had been torn down to make dresses and the rugs and carpets given to the Confederate war effort
If I remember correctly Griffith’s adaptation is faithful to Dixon’s play
I want to read that book. I have an odd fascination with movies that differ greatly from the book. I haven’t read it, but I would think it would be closer to the movie than the Bond movies after Thunderball.
Tough grass nerds
Anyone here from UTRGV Wallaces class ?
I can’t believe I watched this entire movie.
What do you think abt it?
@@reyhbrd It feels surreal
Just finished reading "A Fever in the Heartland" by Timothy Egan. It is a great way to "understand" 1915 in the USA. I'm watching this movie in increments, wondering if the audience talked while they were watching.
They succeed. There were well over 200k Klans in America by the time the grand dragon commited his crimes.
The only thing that really surprises me in this film is that they didn't do any anti catholic or anti jew messages as well
Why would they put anti catholic messages? There was no offensive atheism back then, people were either religious or respected religion.
@@igors1234 because the clan also hanged Jews and Catholics