Birth of a Nation (1915)

[bruce_pullen]

What did you think? Loved, hated, tolerated, always remember?

[Romulus]

How come you make all these threads but never bother to give an opinion yourself?

[ckent22]

Originally Posted by bruce_pullen

What did you think? Loved, hated, tolerated, always remember?

One of the greatest films of all time. Why do you keep asking these questions? Is there a point you are trying to get across?

[bruce_pullen]

Originally Posted by ckent22

One of the greatest films of all time. Why do you keep asking these questions? Is there a point you are trying to get across?

Provoke thought.

I find most people don't think about movies. They merely consume.

Nothing wrong with that. I guess I'm purging my life-long desire: to ask these questions.

Sorry for that. I meant nothing more than that.

[ckent22]

Originally Posted by bruce_pullen

Provoke thought.

I find most people don't think about movies. They merely consume.

Nothing wrong with that. I guess I'm purging my life-long desire: to ask these questions.

Sorry for that. I meant nothing more than that.

No, I just wondered. You've had a lot of questions today. Good to get people to think, but raising so many questions today just made me wonder why.

[bruce_pullen]

Originally Posted by Romulus

How come you make all these threads but never bother to give an opinion yourself?

Didn't think anyone wanted it.

Plus, once I speak. It usally causes lots of digressions.

You want more of that?

[Romulus]

Originally Posted by bruce_pullen

Didn't think anyone wanted it.

Plus, once I speak. It usally causes lots of digressions.

You want more of that?

I'm all for expression of anyone's opinion. It could be really far out there but if people have something to fight about, well that's there problem for not understanding its one man's opinion.

To the topic at hand, I have actually never seen this movie. Worth checking out?

[rebfandan]

Significant only in its development of state-of-the-art (at that time) camera techniques. Woodrow Wilson actually praised its thematic content!

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by bruce_pullen

Provoke thought.

I find most people don't think about movies. They merely consume.

Nothing wrong with that. I guess I'm purging my life-long desire: to ask these questions.

Sorry for that. I meant nothing more than that.

Please dont include me in that group. Thinking about a movie after I watch it IS the reason I watch it.

[bruce_pullen]

Originally Posted by Romulus

I'm all for expression of anyone's opinion. It could be really far out there but if people have something to fight about, well that's there problem for not understanding its one man's opinion.

To the topic at hand, I have actually never seen this movie. Worth checking out?

It is the first feature length motion picture. (There's also Judith of Bethulia, but that's another story) Three hours long. Birth is the first full serving of film grammar. It's influence can be felt in Glory (1989), Gone with the Wind (1939), Gettysburg (1993), and every other film. How one watches a picture, was setup by this.

It is most known: for it's depiction of the Reconstruction. Where the Klu Klux Klan ride (with the sun behind them) to save the day from the evil Blacks from the North.

It's racism has been subject of sociology and film classes. But besides that, it was instrumental (through its popularity and influence) in making motion pictures both art and business.

It had made $18 million by the start of talkies.

In one fell swoop. Receipts for this (at Eastern theater chains), gave Louis B. Mayer the funds to go into the picture business.

Birth of a Nation (1915) is probably: with the exception of Gone with the Wind, Star Wars (1977), or Psycho (1960). One of the most important films, in shaping the destiny of motion pictures, and how we see them.

[bruce_pullen]

Originally Posted by rebfandan

Significant only in its development of state-of-the-art (at that time) camera techniques. Woodrow Wilson actually praised its thematic content!

Wilson supposedly said, "it is like writing history with lightning."

Some wander if he ever said it. It remains a mystery,

Read more. Birth of a Nation (1915). Click here for more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation

[Romulus]

Thanks bruce, I added it to my Netflix queue.

[bruce_pullen]

Originally Posted by Romulus

Thanks bruce, I added it to my Netflix queue.

Don't forget Intolerance (1916). That was D.W. Griffith's feature-length apology for Nation. It is also considered Griffith second crown-jewel. And another mammoth achievement that changed film for forever. Add that on you queue as well.

And by the way, your welcome.

Also add:

Nosferatu (1922)

Battleship Potemkin (1925)

The Last Laugh (1924)

The Gold Rush (1925)

The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Sunrise (1927)

The General (1927)

The Cat and the Canary (1927)

Metropolis (1927)

The Crowd (1928)


I hope that helps.

[Tadji Malik]

I didn't like it. It was long and bland. It's a preachy picture and the fact that it was preaching white supremacy dosn't help at all.

It's important, needs preserving and should be recommended for film classes, though not mandatory.

The only thing this picture has going for it is it's place in history as pre-1920 epics are hard to find. Other than that, it's no good.

'Gone with the Wind' is a better American Civil War picture, 'Lawerence of Arabia' is a better epic, anything by Spike Lee is more racist, and Buster Keaton films are better silents.

As a matter of fact, 'The General' is a much better full length, American Civil War, pro-south, silent film.

I have no need of seeing 'The Birth of a Nation' again.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by bruce_pullen

Don't forget Intolerance (1916). That was D.W. Griffith's feature-length apology for Nation.

Actually, his 1930 talkie "Abraham Lincoln" was officially considered his "feature-length apology" for Nation...Showing the South was really bad, you know, because it had John Wilkes Booth in it.
(Although he sounded less than apologetic about earlier Klan views, in a promotional talkie-short interview to promote "Lincoln".)

"Intolerance" was going to be just a short contemporary melodrama, but the hype-machine to follow "Nation" blew the original vision out of proportion.

(And that's without Wikipedia...Still feel like the Happy Lil' Trivia Geek Everyone Loves?)

And by the way, your welcome.

(And "your" not. But you probably figured that out already. )

[Heart_Collector]

Why would you spend that much time and effort crapping on someones thread? That's a really d**k thing to do. If you don't care about a thread, just move on. No need to do that.

[P@t_Mtl]

I have seen this movie only once in college, I guess it does have it's historical importance in film history but if it were to become available on BD or DVD I would not buy it. It's not a movie I would want to watch again.

[ckent22]

Originally Posted by bruce_pullen

Don't forget Intolerance (1916). That was D.W. Griffith's feature-length apology for Nation. It is also considered Griffith second crown-jewel. And another mammoth achievement that changed film for forever. Add that on you queue as well.

And by the way, your welcome.

Also add:

Nosferatu (1922)

Battleship Potemkin (1925)

The Last Laugh (1924)

The Gold Rush (1925)

The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Sunrise (1927)

The General (1927)

The Cat and the Canary (1927)

Metropolis (1927)

The Crowd (1928)


I hope that helps.

Good list. I would add foreign films to that as well as I see you have a few.

How bout

The Passion of Joan of Arc (My Fav. Film of All Time)

Breathless

That Obscure Object of Desire

Memories of Murder

Kamikaze Girls

Suicide Club

Battle Royale

All great films old and new alike that continue to shape how film is viewed and perceived.

[Tadji Malik]

If you're interested in silent films I'd recommend, in no particular order:

Metropolis (early Sci-fi, mostly complete version coming to Blu-ray soon, keep your fingers crossed!),
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (IMHO The Best Silent Ever!, early German Horror and Expressionist film),
The Phantom of the Opera (IMHO The World's Best Actor Ever in one of his best roles, early American Horror film),
The Passion of Joan of Arc (simply a great film)
A Trip to the Moon (early special effects extravaganza).

All these early films contributed to the way in which films today are made. That puts them on equal footing with 'Birth of a Nation', but then they surpass it in storytelling and overall pleasure of viewing. A film class should talk about 'The Birth of a Nation', but it should show one of these.

I want to take a moment here and say that I really recommend 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'. It was so far ahead of it's time that only recently have films started to take the extremes in visual presentation that it had. There would be no 'Citizen Kane' without this movie! No Saw series; no 'Metropolis', 'Blade Runner', or 'Star Wars'; no 'Dracula', 'Nosferatu', or 'Frankenstein'; NOTHING! Best movie ever! End_Rant sorry...

As a curiosity, in 2005 'The Call of Cthulu' was released. It's a silent film based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft. Made on the cheap it proves that silents aren't dead yet and it's not to bad.

[ulri4651]

Originally Posted by ckent22

Good list. I would add foreign films to that as well as I see you have a few.

How bout

The Passion of Joan of Arc (My Fav. Film of All Time)

Breathless

That Obscure Object of Desire

Memories of Murder

Kamikaze Girls

Suicide Club

Battle Royale

All great films old and new alike that continue to shape how film is viewed and perceived.

Battle Royale is WILDLY overrated. As for Birth, in my opinion it is an absolute MUST OWN for any film collection. Whether you ever plan to watch it more than once or not, no film collection is complete without it.