Aside from the obvious reasons for its importance (cinematography, editing, better developed nuances in directing and acting for its time) the film was the progenitor of future Road Show releases such as Gone With The Wind, Ben-Hur and Doctor Zhivago. The Birth of a Nation represents the culmination of visual strategies to communicate narrative that the film industry had been working on for the first twenty years of its existence. "Birth of a Nation" is unapologetic about its attitudes, which are those of a white Southerner, raised in the 19th century, unable to see African-Americans as fellow beings of worth and rights. Describing the Reconstruction era, the film adapts quotations from a history book written by Woodrow Wilson, an adherent of the Dunning School. The Birth of a Nation overpowers its narrative flaws and uneven execution through sheer conviction, rising on Nate Parker's assured direction and the strength of its vital message. Directed by D.W. Griffith. The Birth of a Nation features a number of developing personal relationships—Ben and Elsie, Phil and Margaret, Stoneman and Lydia—as well as relationships that are pursued but never consummated in any way—Lynch and Elsie, Gus and Flora. "The Birth of a Nation" is not a bad film because it argues for evil. Billy Bitzer was the cinematographer who came up with many including shooting at night. The Birth of a Nation was a sensation after its release in 1915. The Birth of a Nation (2016) Synopsis Set against the antebellum South, THE BIRTH OF A NATION follows Nat Turner (Nate Parker), a literate slave and preacher, whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner (Armie Hammer), accepts an offer to use Nat's preaching to subdue unruly slaves. The Birth of a Nation Critics Consensus. The Birth of Nation is notable for many of its innovative production strategies. To understand how it does so is to learn a great deal about film, and even something about evil. Describing the Reconstruction era, the film adapts quotations from a history book written by Woodrow Wilson, an … In its portrayal of the Civil War, the film presents a shining view of the Confederacy. A controversial, explicitly racist, but landmark American film masterpiece - these all describe ground-breaking producer/director D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915). Aside from the obvious reasons for its importance (cinematography, editing, better developed nuances in directing and acting for its time) the film was the progenitor of future Road Show releases such as Gone With The Wind, Ben-Hur and Doctor Zhivago. The Birth of a Nation A dramatic silent film from 1915 about the South during and after the Civil War. The Birth of a Nation was directed by D. W. Griffith. The film represents the culmination of visual strategies to communicate narrative that the film industry had been working on for the first twenty years of its existence. Birth of a Nation is unquestionably high on the list of movies that made a mark in the 2Oth century. With Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall, Miriam Cooper. The Birth of a Nation, landmark silent film, released in 1915, that was the first blockbuster Hollywood hit. The development of the war in their lives plays through to Lincoln's assassination and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.