2. The Birth Of A Nation (1915)
The Birth Of A Nation is a very controversial chapter in both the history books of cinema and America. As a film, director DW Griffith broke new ground with his storytelling techniques, utilizing new camera movements, night shooting, orchestral scores and narrative styles that had never been seen in cinemas before. The film itself however is a dark manifesto of a country still largely divided and segregated by racial injustice even 40 years after abolition. Birth of a Nation tells the epic story of 2 families, one North one South, and their existence before, during and after the historical Civil War and slave trade in 19th Century America. The film is notable for its depiction of black slaves, in particular the men, as vicious and dim-witted savages, an evil plague on white society. All the more insulting in this depiction was that director Griffith hired white actors, painted in "Blackface" to portray the slaves on screen, which in its own right was a statement of how inaccurate this historical device was used. The film also historically recreates the founding of the notorious Ku Klux Klan, who are shown throughout the film in a heroic and symbolic vein for American freedom and justice. No other film before or since has glorified such a dark blemish on American history, yet thankfully today- through proper education and tolerance-this film is a document of how far we have come in racial understanding from the past.