The Birth of a Nation (1915)

The Stoneman family finds its friendship with the Camerons affected by the Civil War, both fighting in opposite armies. The development of the war in their lives plays through to Lincoln's assassination and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writers:

Thomas Dixon Jr. (adapted from his novel: "The Clansman: An Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan") (as Thomas F. Dixon Jr.), Thomas Dixon Jr. (play) (as Thomas F. Dixon Jr.)

Stars:

Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Henry B. Walthall	...	Colonel Ben Cameron aka The Little Colonel (as Henry Walthall)
Lillian Gish	...	Elsie - Stoneman's Daughter
Mae Marsh	...	Flora Cameron - the Pet Sister
Miriam Cooper	...	Margaret Cameron - the Elder Sister
Mary Alden	...	Lydia Brown - Stoneman's Mulatto Housekeeper
Ralph Lewis	...	Hon. Austin Stoneman - Leader of the House
George Siegmann	...	Silas Lynch - Mulatto Lieut. Governor (as George Seigmann)
Walter Long	...	Gus - A Renegade Negro
Robert Harron	...	Tod - Stoneman's Younger Son
Wallace Reid	...	Jeff - The Blacksmith (as Wallace Reed)
Joseph Henabery	...	Abraham Lincoln (as Jos. Henabery)
Elmer Clifton	...	Phil - Stoneman's Elder Son
Josephine Crowell	...	Mrs. Cameron
Spottiswoode Aitken	...	Dr. Cameron
George Beranger	...	Wade Cameron - the Second Son (as J.A. Beringer)

Storyline

Two brothers, Phil and Ted Stoneman, visit their friends in Piedmont, South Carolina: the family Cameron. This friendship is affected by the Civil War, as the Stonemans and the Camerons must join up opposite armies. The consequences of the War in their lives are shown in connection to major historical events, like the development of the Civil War itself, Lincoln's assassination, and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.

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Plot Keywords:

ku klux klan | civil war | reconstruction era | propaganda | racist | 

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Taglines:

100 people have seen it - have you? (Reissue ad).

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The earliest feature-length film listed in "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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Goofs

When John Wilkes Booth is in the corridor outside the President's box preparing to assassinate Abraham Lincoln, he draws and cocks his handgun then enters the box with the gun in his hand. Yet once inside the box, he reaches into his coat with the same hand (now empty) and draws out the gun again.

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Quotes

John Wilkes Booth: Sic semper tyrannis!

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Crazy Credits

The following was listed in the opening credits: A PLEA FOR THE ART OF THE MOTION PICTURE: We do not fear censorship, for we have no wish to offend with improprieties or obscenities, but we do demand, as a right, the liberty to show the dark side of wrong, that we may illuminate the bright side of virtue - the same liberty that is conceeded to the art of the written word - that art to which we owe the Bible and the works of Shakespeare.

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Alternate Versions

Most versions issued before the 1992 restoration have no color tintings. Early censorship and incorrect projection speeds have created shorter versions.

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Connections

Featured in Fejezetek a film történetéböl: Az amerikai film kezdetei (1989)

User Reviews

show it in my American History classes

I am a Ph.D. candidate in American History. I show BOAN (as does most American history professors) to my undergrads. Not only is it an accurate portrait of the propaganda being written in the 1870s, but it is a primary source document on how people in the 1870s and 1910s saw African Americans. Anyone wonder why the Civil Rights movement happened, or why lynchings happened, or why ML King, Jr.was assassinated? Well, watch BOAN and you'll get an insight into that most American of institutions, racism. Why is there racial hatred today, because of the rhetoric of hate by the people who made BOAN and the people who are depicted in it. If they affect you still, shouldn't know what they said? Especially if you find it abhorrent, watch it. It is also a good reminder of how distorted history can be made to look legitimate on celluloid.

Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

21 March 1915 (USA)

Also Known As:

In the Clutches of the Ku Klux Klan

Filming Locations:

Jungleland, Thousand Oaks, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

David W. Griffith Corp., Epoch Producing Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

195 min 190 min 125 min (video) 187 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1