The Birth of a Nation
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Movie Reviews of The Birth of a Nation
Movie Review: unwatchable
Summary: 1 Stars
The visual quality of this 2008 "remastered" edition of BIRTH OF A NATION is abysmal. Naively assuming that remastering would enhance the image definition, I purchased this DVD for my film studies class to replace the Image Entertainment/Blackhawk Films 1998 edition. The two discs don't compare on a big screen; the older edition is far superior. You can barely read Griffith's title cards in this version, and the pixilation makes for a numbing, unpleasant viewing experience. If anyone has done an exhaustive comparison of the several DVD editions (at least seven), please share the findings. I can only imagine that this product would languish at the bottom of the pile. Movie Review: Defective product DVD.I have reported it on line and verbally. by phone.
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw it a few years ago.[...]I saw it a few years ago.
Griffith's movie is sympathetic to Lincoln,viewing him as a friend of the south and shown in a kindly light,pardoning prisoners,etc.Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team of Rivals" addss details that I never knewon this.
The movie concludes with Webster's commnet"Union and Freedom:Inseparable".which can be construed in many ways.
The movie is best known showing the Klan riders like avenging angels ,hooded,on horseback,striving to save Lillian Gish's honor against THEM.Notre Dame showed it but leaned over backwords to be "politicall correct".Lincoln is attacked more by the LEFT than right nowadays.
Movie Review: Still controversial
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Birth of a Nation", D.W. Griffith's epic film of 1915, is an amazing look at early cinematography with a topic that is still discussed almost one hundred years after its premiere. The good news is that this film, even by modern standards, could not and would not be made today for obvious reasons, but as representative "history" it stands out.
Divided into two equal parts, the film opens with two prominent families during the Civil War. The battle scenes are heroically portrayed and the long scene of Lincoln's assassination is one of the best. The second part, dealing with Reconstruction, is troubling yet fascinating to watch as hate disguised as bravery becomes the theme. The Klan (literally the "white knights on horseback") rise to many occasions to save their beleaguered friends and neighbors. The portrayal of blacks in the film is the most unsettling of all.
Besides enjoying the performance of a very young Lillian Gish, what I liked most about "The Birth of a Nation" was its historic feel rather than its accuracy. If cinematography had been around earlier in the nineteenth century, one might very well assume that the characters, the action, the sets and the props would be just as one saw them in motion.
I can understand why watching "The Birth of a Nation" would be distressing for many people today, but it helps to remember how far we've come as a country since 1915. With that in mind, I recommend seeing this monumental film.
Movie Review: The Version of The Birth of a Nation to Buy!
Summary: 5 Stars
While it seems that many reviews posted on the DVD site aren't actually for this DVD, this review is specifically a review of Kino's Griffith Masterworks edition. The DVD contains the most complete version of The Birth of a Nation known and available. The film is 187 min. long on this disk. It is a beautiful print, well restored and re-tinted. A beautiful print. The musical score is clever and very entertaining too. I think of any bad thing to say about the disk. I think most know of the story line and its hints of racism. It's there and it can't be argued away. D.W. Griffith was a son of a Civil War soldier and grew up in the South. He used the book The Clansman by Thomas Dixon Jr. as it jibed with his own viewpoints and many of the day. The hero worship of the Klan actually encouraged its resurgence in late 1910s and 1920s into the 30s. The racism brought Griffith so much grief, he spent his life trying to justify his views and created Intolerance to offset the criticism. What brings The Birth of a Nation is its reliance on story and use of the film camera never tried before in the USA before. It is a cinema powerhouse and actually a pretty moving film. Never before had Americans seen the cinema come to life before. Some French, Italian and German filmmakers created feature films that are quite good and successful, but World War I basically destroyed their film industries and the US reigned supreme. DW Griffith took American film to the next level permanently. No longer were films relegated to the poorer urban areas and Nickelodeons. It was now a popular art form and respectable to attend the cinema. The DVD also includes a making of, and introduction by DW himself made in 1930, and several early versions of his Civil War films. It seems to me that because of the closeness to the time period, the films might indicate a closer idea of how former Confederates actually thought and how they remember the war. Movie Review: Great movie, but the distributor cost it some points
Summary: 2 Stars
The Birth of a Nation was a silent film made in 1915 by D.W.Griffith. I ordered one copy, to start of with, but instead got the Reel Enterprises version. While I enjoyed the film very much, I had some problems. First, the company kept it's logo at the bottom right of the screen for some reason, which kind of annoyed me throughout the film. Second, the projection speed was WAY too fast. I barely got time to read the titles, and if I did finish them, I was not given much time to soak in the message. This left me sometimes confused as to what was happening. Third, the audio was HORRIBLE! It had breaks right in the middle of important parts, and sounded like an old VHS audio track would sound like during the entire time. In fact I could swear that is probably where they got it. I was so disappointed with this copy, and at first I even wondered if I had gotten a bootleg version by some sick twist of fate.
I am actually surprised to see that the distributors here want to sell their version for way over the price I paid on the other version. Please, if you want to but this great silent film, buy another version, and do not get it used, you may get the Reel Enterprises version by mistake!