Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Birth of a Controversy
D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation is considered a landmark American film that ushered in many of the hallmarks of classic Hollywood cinema. It is preserved in the National Film Registry and is listed in the top 100 films of all time by AMC cable channel and the AFI (American Film Institute). Yet it is also a film which advocates white supremacy and lionizes the Klu Klux Klan. Can such a film truly be great? Why or why not? What about other films such the Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will a film that trumpets Nazi ideology and celebrates Adolph Hitler? Do political and moral statements matter in an artwork? Or is it enough to be technically and artistically brilliant? Can an artwork's message trump its style?
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Looking at the degree of racism and how awful groups are idolized, i think that it is not fair to say that Birth of a Nation is not a great film. While i agree that there are lot of problems with the film, i have to argue that it was still one of the greatest movies created because it introduced the world to a new way of cinema. While being a Hawken student, we are told to respect the rights and works of others, so i tend to set aside the reality of the film, and look at it as though it is just a movie. One reason I think that this should be considered one of the greatest movies of all time, is because of the influence it has had on movies to this day. At the end of the scene we watched in class, there was a classic tragedy of someone dying and a family member or lover looking for revenge. I can’t count how many movies follow that same plot today, but a great portion of them surely do. The film was also credited with having moral endings, which set a tone for other filmmakers to try and create a more suspenseful and unfair ending. Birth of a nation is a great film, and it made me think of the Diary of Anne Frank. Now I realize that Frank was the hero of the story, but we idolize the idea of there being hope in the story. I saw this when the president recognized the film itself to be great, but that it was sadly true and he wanted change. I think that Birth of a Nation shouldn’t be shown to children, but I don’t think we should just hate the movie because of history. It was possibly an accurate representation of certain towns, and I do not at all agree with the KKK or anything racist, but it has a painful truth to it.
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ReplyDeleteI believe The Birth of a Nation truly cannot be a great film because of its racist elements. Although The Birth of a Nation can be applauded for its revolutionary film techniques, character development, complex storyline, and the fact that it was the first feature length film, the glorification of the KKK, use of blackface, and dehumanization of blacks hinders the film from being considered a true masterpiece of its time. If one wanted to consider a film such as this as a true masterpiece they would have to ignore the immoral characteristics and just analyze the artistic elements. This is very difficult to do because more often than not, the overarching racists themes are hard to ignore, especially for The Birth of a Nation. This is a why I believe it can never be considered a truly great film.
Films such as Triumph of the Will by Leni Riefenstahl are also hard to interpret. Once again the film techniques and artistic attention given to the film is innovative and brilliant, but it is overshadowed by the morally repugnant Nazi regime. I believe the political and moral messages put forth by art do matter. A painting can be masterpiece when it comes to detail, colors, shadows, and realism but if it depicts an unethical scene or symbol the viewers opinion of the piece will change. On the other hand, I do not believe the political message a piece of art displays to its viewer can make it better in a purely artistic sense, only worse. Yes, political beliefs brought up in an art piece can make the viewer like the piece more but in a true artistic sense it cannot make the piece better, it can only damage its interpretation.
I believe D. W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation can be kind of great, but not truly great. I think the film is artistically brilliant, but the story and message of the movie simply can’t be ignored. The movie is artistically brilliant because the way Griffith used editing and cutting to make the film look better. The acting was also another thing that was very good for its time. The film was just really good for its time, and it still is good today artistically. Despite how good the film is artistically, I don’t think this movie should be praised so much and should be the go-to film to show people what a good film looks like. The film does not give a good message and is really racist which is why the film cannot be truly great. There’s too much wrong in the message of the film for it to receive a ton of praise. The film being artistically good does not justify considering it such a great movie because of the racism and message. I’m pretty sure there a lot of films out there that are done just as well artistically where people can learn about good editing and cutting. But I don’t think this film should be the film people go to watch to learn about editing from. I think this film would be fine to watch in a historical context. Like if someone were to want to learn more about American culture during that time or to watch the film because it is historically famous. But I don’t think the film should be praised as much as it is, especially when a lot of other films are done artistically well.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it is reasonable to argue that Griffith's The Birth of a Nation demonstrated artistic brilliance not yet encountered in the cinema of 1915, it still cannot be honored as one of the greatest movies because it is not as if the things accomplished were unexpected. In addition, to the racist content degrading the value of the film in today's time, there is a degree of inevitability to be considered when looking at the film’s historical impact on cinema. At the time the film industry was young and developing very rapidly. There were roughly two decades between the Lumiere brother’s first forty-six-second film in 1896 and Griffith’s blockbuster, and yet in that time, many new developments in filmmaking were arising. As the idea of filmmaking gained popularity filmmakers began to create and explore new techniques, so it could be expected that eventually, it would evolve into different styles. Hence why there are differences between Hollywood filmmaking and filmmaking elsewhere in the world. What made The Birth of a Nation special was not simply because it did an effective job bringing different techniques together, but also the message in which it conveyed. Unfortunately, many of the racist ideas portrayed reflected the social climate of the time allowing viewers to buy into it more. From a filmmaking standpoint, yes, this film was the first of its kind and the birth of Hollywood movies, but it only became the iconic style of Hollywood because people enjoyed it. When the president of the United enjoys the film and believes it to be accurate along with most of the viewers, the film techniques used are going to be copied by others. Imagine if the film was unsuccessful because it portrayed blacks as the heroes of America, could the movie have still had the impact on American filmmaking as it did. Lastly, an example very similar to this but with a different outcome would be the Wright Brothers first aircrafts. Obviously, these inventions are noted as the first of something amazing receive credit for that, but does anyone really believe there are among the greatest aircrafts of all time. In the same way, Griffith's The Birth of a Nation can be accredited as the first, but most certainly not one of the greatest.
ReplyDeleteI believe that D.W. Griffiths The Birth of a Nation does not deserve a spot on the list of greatest films of all time because of its terribly racist theme. This however does not mean that I think the film should be discarded of and never mentioned again because I do believe that it is important to preserve all parts of history whether they be good or bad. I think this because people should not be able to forget what happened in the past and the struggle that marginalized people had to go through to get where we are now. I believe this film should be used strictly as a learning tool for people who either want to learn about the ideals of the time period to gain greater understanding or cinema history buffs who are studying a film that was artistically the first of its kind. I say it should be used as a learning to rather than considered one of the greatest films of all time because I believe there are many other films with the same level of artistic achievements that aren't basically racist propaganda. The Birth of a Nation for some shows how far we have come as a society in the one hundred years plus since its release in 1915. For others, including myself, the fact that a film that features white actors in black face stalking white women in the woods is still considered to be on the list of the top 100 greatest films of all time in 2018 represents how far we still have to go as a society.
ReplyDeleteD.W Griffiths film 'The Birth of a Nation' was one of the best films of all time when it purely comes down to editing. But with that said, the film contains messages and ideals that are morally wrong. Given that Griffith showed a mastery of film that has never been seen before at the time, his blatantly wrong morals are the reason that The Birth of a Nation cannot be considered one of the greatest films of all time. His style of film paved the way for many other successful film producers. Although Griffith can be viewed as one of greats when considering creativity and innovation in the world of film, his ideals take his films out of the picture for any type of awards for great films. Racism should not be tolerated in the modern society we live in and despite Griffith's artistic brilliance, his poor political views trumped his talent in the entertainment industry. Moral statements are very important when they are being displayed to the public. These moral statements are not only horrible for the messages they display, they allow the viewers to believe that these ideals are acceptable. Honoring this film as a top 100 film of all time gives attention to a film that’s morals should not be preached. No matter the brilliance of the film, I don’t believe that any films with wrongful messages such as Griffiths should be considered a top 100 film of all time.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to a film like Birth of a Nation by D.W. Griffith, it can be very hard to discuss whether this film should be recognized as creative art or racist propaganda. The fact alone that it revolutionized the film industry and history itself is an amazing accomplishment and should be recognized but when there is an added aspect of such intense racism, it has to be observed carefully. While I believe that it is revolutionary and well made, I cannot respect it as an aspect of art because the plot is filled with racism and hate. When I look at a movie, while the production may be on par, there are other elements that make it a great piece of art. I look at the characters, the scenery, the props, and, most importantly, the plot. Unless it can satisfy most of these aspects, it’s hard to respect the film at such a high level. The Birth of a Nation uses it plot to embody the entire movie in an aura that radiates hate and while it may display pride, that method of displaying it cannot be respected today. However, there is use for this film, not in art but in history. When it comes to learning about the intensity of racism and hate in the early 1900s, this could be the perfect way to display how people felt about segregation at this period in time. There is also so much important history behind the screening of this film. Not only did it cause riots but it involved many people and probably impacted on how the Civil Rights movement started. Learning from movies like this is important. While we can respect the craft of the film, it is important to remember that the underlying tone of this film is full of hate and has to be learned from.
ReplyDeleteA film such as a The Birth of Nation can still truly be a great film if recognized solely for its new and unique technique and innovations in regards to creating an emotional connection between the characters and the viewer, using different camera angles, close-ups, long shots, and tunnel vision as well as “parallel editing” to advance the plot line. There are so many great things, technologically wise, that have aided filmmakers in creating more meaningful and emotion provoking films. While the “meaningful” and “emotion provoking” film of the time, The Birth of a Nation, portrays a highly racists and dark moral meaning, it is still an important part of our history. It is important for two reasons, firstly because of all the new filming techniques it brought to the table. Secondly, because it shows people what people thought about blacks and mulattoes in this time period. This is important because it is crucial that we study history and the bad things that have happened in the past and the motives/what lead to those mishaps so as to not repeat our mistakes or run into the same problems later in the future. (And if we do we can also refer to history to understand how to or how not to fix them). Also, while I do think that this film can be considered great, I do not think it should be held to such a high standard that schools are showing the whole film on an annual basis (or at all). I think that if schools (such as ours) want to use this film as an example or piece of history, they should only show small parts that portray the learning aspects that they wish to dive into. That way, students who have moldable minds will not get sucked into the emotions of the film and in turn have a subconscious connection to the ‘heroes” or bad morals that are portrayed in the film. While political and moral statements do matter in an artwork, they matter in a different way than most people think they do. In a piece of art the political or moral statements matter more in a way to understand the point of view of the artist – not necessarily to embrace their viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteBirth of a Nation delivers a racist message that depicts white men as heroes and black men as savage animals. This three-hour film was the first of its kind and considered the start of Hollywood Movies. Its use of special effects and editing were never seen before and raised the standard for modern day filmmaking. Despite the clearly racist theme, should the film be considered great? Yes, the film is great but for its revolutionary editing and new style of cinematography that D. W. Griffith introduced, not its plot. For the reasoning that it contains many moral problems, the film should not be celebrated for its story. For example, at the end of Birth of a Nation, the KKK ride in on horses and save the day. The film portrays this scene as the KKK doing justice. This delivers the message that the KKK are not a hate group with dehumanizing ideology. Other films such as Lei Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will, should be held to the same standard. They should be noted for the film techniques such as framing, editing, and mise-en-scene but frowned upon for the political or moral statements. The political and moral statements play a significant role in how viewers judge artwork, although they are not the sole factor that determines if the artwork is great or not. For a film or other pieces of artworks that contain moral or political issues to be considered great, they must present a new innovative style. Without this radical style, the film’s message will trump it because there are other movies that use the same editing techniques with better messages.
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ReplyDeleteI believe that it is possible to admire a film’s artistic features and elements while simultaneously rejecting its message. Although a film’s message may be reprehensible, that does not mean that, in order to reject its moral implication, one must also ignore its more favorable attributes. It is certainly possible to appreciate a portion, and not the whole. Take the movie Grease for example. The film’s moral message is horrible- suggesting that women change themselves and their beliefs in order to “get the guy”. Despite this, however, this movie is considered an American classic, and has maintained its popularity throughout the years. People love this movie for its upbeat attitude, and fun musical features, despite its message.
ReplyDeleteWith this said, however, I do not believe that Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation is a film that exemplifies this concept. Movies are typically enjoyed for two overarching factors: Message and Effects. A movie’s story-line, morals, and experiences the viewers are exposed to are very important to the overall appreciation of the film. Because the film’s story and moral are extremely offensive and racist, its redeeming quality would be found amongst its artistic and visual elements. Typically details, editing, and effects can take viewers into a particular time or place different than their own- an immersive experience. In this particular case, The Birth of a Nation is known for being historically significant. The film exemplifies the perspective of the “Old South” in America, and their support of segregation and overall white supremacy as they are forced to deal with an increased push for equality between blacks and whites. This is evident in the film’s plot, where a black man is cast as the villain, whereas Ku Klux Klan members are cast as the saviors in the story. This is evidence of the racism that existed in America, and thus is historically significant. It is also significant from a historical perspective because it was the first feature length film that transitioned America into the “Hollywood Style”, with a narrative-style-plot that is based in drama and emotion. In this context, The Birth of a Nation does effectively immerse the viewer in a time (the 1915’s), attitude (white supremacy), and place (Southern United States). Besides this, however, there is nothing particularly astounding or extraordinary about the film’s editing, artwork, or actors that make it any more notable than other films – films that have just as good (if not better) artistic attributes, immersive experiences, and far less offensive messages.
In my opinion, the film is ultimately not noteworthy. Although historically significant, it does not offer any particular editing or style that is superior to other films created since or before that time, and does not have any details that justify its place in the top 100 films of all time. I think that The Birth of a Nation is better suited to be appreciated in the history classroom rather than in film study.
In my opinion I think that such films can be great when you look at the artistic value that they carry. The Birth of a Nation was a first for making a full length movie along with utilizing editing. At the time most all of the cuts were already made but he was innovative in the way he was able to put them all together. While the plot of the movie is important to remember as it is extremely racist, the advances that he made were so revolutionary that his edits are still used together. An example would be the scene where the maiden is being chased by the Mullato. While this scene is pushing racist ideas and characters such as the actors that are in black face, it also uses multiple cuts such as the parallel and framing such the close up to create intensity in the movie. D. W. Griffith revolutionized how to utilize all of these techniques and set the standard for future film makers. The reason why The Birth of a Nation should be considered a great film over a film such as Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will is because of the circumstances that D. W. Griffith created his movie under, he was the first to put together all of the edits. Riefenstahl’s film was not innovative but rather perfected the editing. Overall while the message of The Birth of a Nation is extremely racist, the artwork that was created and the standard that was set allows for this movie to still be considered as a great film.
ReplyDeleteD.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation is a controversial film for good reason, but the film revolutionized many aspects of film making despite the criticism it has gained. Birth of a Nation innovated the cutting and editing processes and was one of the first "Hollywood style" films. Despite the film's iconic artistic features and elements, the message is still immoral and down right disturbing. Griffith goes out of the way to declare the Ku Klux Klan as the heroes of the movie, a clear representation of the moral dilemma that many face when deciding whether Birth of a Nation deserves to be preserved. While some may argue that the immoral message of the film takes away from the innovative artistic features, I disagree with this assertion. History has been known to be the best teacher and because of that society shouldn't ignore the mistakes that were made in the past. Rather, we should try to learn and attempt to grow as a society. Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will is another controversial movie that commends nazi ideology, but Birth of a Nation is different from this film. Birth of a Nation is a revolutionary movie, and even though it's message is racist, Griffith shows technical and artistic aspects of movies can creating a lasting legacy.
ReplyDeleteThis film is a difficult one to watch strictly because of the degree of racism that is portrayed by the actions of the characters and the costumes of the characters. This film is considered one of the greatest films of all time because of the innovative technology and Hollywood style filming, but some argue this based on the message of the film. I think this film strictly based on the film techniques is one of the greatest of all time because of the close ups it introduces, and the other innovative filming tactics. Looking at the message of the film I would not consider this a great film. I would not even consider this a good film. The message that this film is trying to get across is disgusting and totally inappropriate for our current times. Because of this I can’t call this a great film. The movie is very innovative, but the message brings the whole thing down. Having the heroes of the movie be the KKK and having the African American character be in black face makes me cringe just thinking about it. Overall I think that this film should be saved and shown to understand the time period that this was made in, but I don’t think it should be considered a great movie. In this case artwork does not trump a statement. It is too hard to overlook when the message is so in your face about separate but equal in a Jim Crowe south.
ReplyDeleteAgainst critics’ views, I believe that D. W. Griffith’s film, The Birth of a Nation, is too racist of a film to be considered truly great. For being produced in 1915, the film is way ahead of its time. It is considered to be the first “Hollywood style” movie. It uses techniques such as continual editing, match cut, and movement match. These styles not only made this film great, but also are the founding techniques that we use in modern films. Also another element that made the film great was its pristine acting. Even though the film lacks dialogue, because of it being a silent film, they are able create such an intriguing story due to the acting. The last piece of the movie that makes it such a good film are how they shot each scene. The movement match was used in the key scene of the movie which was the white woman running away. Also the way they moved in and out of perspective to show the whole scene or only certain party is genius. However, even though all of these components make the film great, there is one part which, in my opinion, makes the movie average and that is the plot. The film not portrays white people as superior, but they also degrade African Americans. They use racist stereotypes as well as use primarily white actors. Also at the end of the movie the Klu Klux Klan is considered to be the protagonist. Overall if looking at everything besides the plot the movie is great, but due to the main story being racist, it cannot be considered a great film.
ReplyDeleteThe movie, The Birth of a Nation, conveys brutal racism but the overall genius and revolutionary aspects of the filmmaking make it worth keeping in existence. The racism of the movie, portraying the KKK as the heroes and the African Americans as the villains is a terrible sight but in order to not allow history to repeat itself, these stories need to be told for future generation to understand their wrongs. The film itself has aspects that make it great, but the racist aspects derail it from being a top movie. The filmmaking itself and the early Hollywood movie aspect would be the only reason why it would be considered great. The filmmaking has features that were a first of its kind and are still widely used today, which gives an argument to its revolutionary aspect. In accordance to political and moral statements in artwork, their messages matter greatly whether it’s good or bad. The overall opinion of the creators that they display in the movie should be respected due to freedom of speech. In the case of Birth of a Nation, D. W. Griffith has the right to express his belief in white supremacy but he should understand the consequences that come with his controversial opinions. Such statements have the possibility to derail career. Therefore, radically controversial statements should be allowed, but shouldn’t be recommended. The messages conveyed in The Birth of a Nation derail most viewers because of the social message but the technical side allows for the movie to be considered genius by filmmakers. The technical style of this film most certainly trumps the message if one is willing to look past the ugly truth of this films plot.
ReplyDeleteWhen looking at famous works such as The Birth of a Nation and Triumph of Will to determine if they are truly “great works” or if they’re just racist propaganda. In order to determine this the film must be analyzed based on its significance in a historical context in addition to the films message. The message of such films with the KKK or Adolf Hitler being the hero must be taken with a grain of salt in order to thoroughly enjoy the film in its entirety. When this is understood the films genius in the camera work and editing becomes more pronounced. When the message is overshadowed then the artistic and technical brilliance of a film takes center stage and forces you into a sense of awe. The moral implications of a film from a time that all that was acceptable can be easily looked over when the technical implications of many of the techniques of the film shaping cinema as it is today. With this the film can easily be classified as a great film not only for its fantastic use of shooting and editing but also its far reach across the film industry. With it being featured so prominently all across the US and the even in the white house itself just its reach would classify it as great back in its time. The film The Birth of a Nation can be classified as a great film despite its racist message because it contributed much to the world of cinema.
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