The film Birth of a Nation is one of the most controversial films of all time. However, it is also known for being very good, especially with its camera techniques and for it being one of the first films of that length of that era. After watching the film and doing some research, I can agree with the controversy and see why people like the cinematography as well.
Birth of a Nation is a film that basically shows the rise of the Klu Klux Klan. It shows them going up against African Americans, it glorifies them, and shines a light on them as the good guys.
They give you emotion in scenes beforehand to get you connected with the characters. There’s romance and character growth. And I think that’s one of the main things that hooked people into this movie so much. Is that the cinematography is well done, and with the emotion that they give you with the other characters, you feel attached to those characters when something happens. So people want to see what happens to them as the movie progresses, which makes them enjoy the movie. But what they don’t pay attention to is how the whole movie is about the rise of the Klu Klux Klan.
For this film being made with the cameras that existed at the time, it was very well shot. The cuts were clean, the shots were well-placed, and it was just well made in general. So whenever it first came out, it was no surprise that it was a huge success. There was people noticing the actual story behind Birth of a Nation and trying to say something about it. However with the success of the film, people weren’t paying attention to the controversy behind it. They were just focused on how good it was. They didn’t really pay attention to the actual story of it.
According to NPR, the Klu Klux Klan was using that film as a recruiting tool at one point. It’s crazy knowing that a film made by actors and directors and all that jazz was actually used as propaganda for an actual cult. But everyone knew the movie, so when they watched it, they thought about going to either join the KKK or learn about the KKK. Because of that movie, they thought the KKK we’re the good guys. But very obviously, they are not.
Birth of a Nation made a big impact in so many ways. It made an impact on the actual people, on the film industry, and pretty much everyone who’s watched it. If that film was made today, that filmmaker will never be able to make movies again. And if they did, then probably not that many people would watch them. Because that’s not the popular belief anymore. Well, I shouldn’t word it as popular belief. I should word it as the more correct belief.
This movie shows exactly what shouldn’t be done or what shouldn’t have happened. But sadly, stuff like that has actually happened. It’s heartbreaking, knowing people think that this is okay. People have been scarred for life because of the KKK. Hopefully as time continues, everything about the cult as a whole will be gone. But, we can only hope.
Article Referenced: https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/02/08/383279630/100-years-later-whats-the-legacy-of-birth-of-a-nation
Coley Rose's Corner 