Birth of a Nation and the Civil War Films of D.W. Griffith [2 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Considered by some to be the beginning of modern film language, D.W. Griffith's controversial The Birth of a Nation comes to DVD with a standard full-frame transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Supplemental materials include a filmed prologue, a making-of documentary, seven shorts about the U.S. Civil War, and a featurette concerning the outrage the film sparked in some communities. This is an excellent disc for anyone with an interest in the earliest days of film. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 2
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Subtitle: English
• Features:
  • "The Making of 'The Birth of a Nation'" 1992 24 minutes produced by David Shepard
  • Filmed prologue to "The Birth of a Nation" 1930 6 minutes featuring D.W. Griffith and Walter Huston
  • Civil War Shorts directed by D.W. Griffith:
  • In the Border States 1910 16 min.,
  • The House With Closed Shutters 1910 17 min.,
  • The Fugitive 1910
  • 17 min.,
  • His Trust 1910 14 min. courtesy of David Shepard; musical setting compiled and arranged by Robert Israel performed by the Biograph Quartet,
  • His Trust Fulfilled 1910 11 min.,
  • Swords and Hearts 1911 16 min.,
  • The Battle 1911 17 min.
  • New York vs. "The Birth of a Nation": an archive of information documenting the battles over the film's 1922 re-release, including protests by the N.A.A.C.P., transcripts of meetings, legal documents, newspaper articles and a montage of scenes ordered cut by the New York Censor Board
  • Excerpts from a "Birth of a Nation" souvenir book (1915) and several original programs

AWARDS

• American Film Institute

•     Won 100 Greatest American Movies - 1998

• Library of Congress

•     Won U.S. National Film Registry - 1991

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Henry B. Walthall - Ben Cameron, the Little Colonel
       Miriam Cooper - Margaret Cameron
       Mae Marsh - Flora Cameron, the Little Sister
       Lillian Gish - Elsie Stoneman
       Robert Harron - Ted Stoneman
       Ralph Lewis - The Honorable Austin Stoneman, Leader of the House

• Director:

  D.W. Griffith

• Producer:

  D.W. Griffith

• Book Author:

  Thomas Dixon

• Screenwriter:

  Thomas F. Dixen, D.W. Griffith, Frank E. Woods

• Cinematographer:

  Billy Bitzer

• Composer (Music Score):

  D.W. Griffith

• Editor:

  James Smith

REVIEW:

• The conflicted legacy of this first American blockbuster epic rests on the combination of Southern-bred D.W. Griffith's landmark technical achievements and his racism, as his version of the Civil War and Reconstruction highlighted fears of miscegenation and the heroism of the Ku Klux Klan. Aiming to make the greatest film ever, Griffith deployed all the technical experiments of his previous movies for maximum visceral effect, along with a prepared score mixing classical music and folk tunes. With expressive close-ups and long shots, irises and superimpositions, Griffith communicated not only the monumental scale of Civil War battles but also the intimate psychology of his central characters. The climactic ride of the Klan to save white girlhood from black defilement marked Griffith's most extraordinary and influential use of parallel editing to galvanize emotional excitement. The longest and most expensive American film made as of 1915, Birth opened to raves for its artistry and record-breaking box office returns, helping to legitimize movies as "respectable" entertainment. Its force was hardly all positive, however, as the NAACP organized a public campaign against the film and demanded that Griffith make cuts; the film was banned in several states for its racism, race riots broke out after its Boston premiere, and it directly influenced the 20th century reemergence of the Klan. As paradoxical proof of its cinematic power, Birth of a Nation still arouses protests decades after it was made. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

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