The Birth of a Nation 1915 N/R, 159 min. Genre: Drama / Adventure / Western / Romance aka: The Clansman
Director: D.W. Griffith Cast: Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall, Miriam Cooper, Mary Alden, Ralph Lewis, Donald Crisp, Raoul Walsh, Eugene Pallette, Elmo Lincoln, Robert Harron, John Ford, Joseph Henabery, Howard Gaye, Walter Long
With this epic film, Hollywood reached new heights in the production of extravaganzas. However, it is also an example of how filmmaking can be used as propaganda–in this case, glorifying the Ku Klux Klan. The film begins with lifelong friends the Camerons (Henry B. Walthall, Miriam Cooper, and Mae Marsh) being separated from the Stonemans (Lillian Gish, Ralph Lewis, and Robert Harron) by the Civil War and the Mason Dixon line. When the war ends, Ben Cameron (Walthall) organizes a secret group, the Ku Klux Klan, to "restore" order. Music and battle noises were added for a 1930 reissue.
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| 1. The Birth of a Nation (1915) aka: The Clansman
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