I always thought projects were easier in the beginning. I guess my period of easiness was really short since today I already moved on to the 3-hour long movies. Welcome to Mr. D.W. Griffith’s world!
Following the book’s advice, the movie I had to watch today was “The Birth of a Nation” (Griffth, 1915). It is long, B&W and silent. Besides this inviting details, we also have a really controversial theme going on in the movie. All these ingredients would be enough to put a movie like this away – for good! – but instead we have “The Birth of a Nation” listed on a number of lists for the best movies ever made. Did I miss something?
History says that “The Birth of a Nation” was the first historical epic ever made. That means the movie has a lot of people and big settings involved in telling the story. That’s where Griffith impressed and made history. The reconstruction of historical settings was amazing (I like the scene with Abraham Lincoln in the theater). Besides bringing an static camera for most of the movie, Griffith experiments with some camera movement by doing some tracking.
Going back to what makes “The Birth of a Nation” controversial, it is important to discuss what is the theme of the movie. “The Birth of a Nation” talks about the American Civil War and the Reconstruction of the South, using some novels that romanticize the Ku Klux Klan. Hum, you get the point, right? Instead of basing “The Birth of a Nation” on facts, Griffith wanted to experiment with a novel. Oops! The result is a movie that brings the Ku Klux Klan as the salvation for the opressed white population of the South, while showing African Americans through racist lens.
Besides the controversial thematic of the movie, we have to praise Mr. Griffith for the achievement. And just to prove my point, I also watched today “Spartacus” (Kubrick, 1960). This is a more recent movie, with colors, tons of talking and the historical epic size of 3 hours and 15 minutes. And you know what? Griffith’s epic holds on pretty well. And now listening to the sentimental bla bla bla is a relief when you want the facts. At least they had Kirk Douglas and I could look at the dimple on his chin for 3 hours and 15 minutes…
I watched “The Birth of a Nation” on Netflix but you can enjoy the wonders of youtube and watch it for free:
I guess that’s it for today. Tomorrow I have an even bigger movie to tackle. Surprise, surprise!
729 days and 998 movies to go
