The Birth of a Nation Official Teaser Trailer #1 (2016) Review
Historical drama biopic about a black slave rebel Nat Turner. Believing in his God's chosen people, Turner sees an eclipse as a sign from above: the black hand covers the sun. Under his leadership uprisings that shook the slave-owning America.
One of the greatest directors in the history of cinema, the largest of the Great Silent filmmaker David Griffith in 1914, broke an agreement with the Company Kinopatentov Thomas Edison and moved to the side of independent film studios, which at that time had settled in California. The finder of creative independence Griffith, in search of a plot for the new film chose the book by Thomas Dixon "Man Clan", which had a characteristic subtitle - "A historical novel about the Ku Klux Klan."
The novel is set in the period of civil war for the liberation of black people. The book was written by the priest T. Dixon from the standpoint of violent racism. Anyway, Griffith, son of the southern army officer from childhood accustomed to his father's stories about the heroism of the southerners and "meanness" black, dial "audacity" to fight for their liberation. It is obvious why he chose Dixon novel finding in it an echo of sentiment familiar to him since childhood.
The final version of the script, on which Griffith worked with F. Wood consisted of 12 parts, an unprecedented amount at that time.
In the film "Birth of a Nation" were filmed all the major actors of the school Griffith: Mae Marsh, Lillian Gish, Robert Charon, Henry Walthall, Meriem Cooper and others. The crowd scenes involved up to 1,000 people. Griffith worked through with the operators of each episode, go out in the smallest details of staging; costumes, furniture, scenery sketches - all created with his participation.
His personal antipathy toward blacks Griffith did not hide. Their role in the movie performed by white artists who simply make up.
In December 1914, when the film was finished and shown to the author of the novel T. Dixon. Moved priest said after watching the movie, he is shocked, and offered to replace the old name of "Man of the clan" new - "Birth of a Nation."
Since February 1915 began a broad demonstration of the film. Interest in it was great. Soon, however, there were articles and reviews, the authors of which Griffith was accused of racism and incitement to base instincts. In some states with a predominant percentage of the black population during a demonstration of the film obstruction have been arranged. In contrast to their reactionary organizations associated with the Ku Klux Klan, raised the shield on the film as the greatest achievement of the American cinema.
In response to the attacks, Griffith published a pamphlet, "The rise and decline of freedom of speech in America", protecting it right creative person, express a point of view of a work of art.
Raised around the film "Birth of a Nation" hype brought him a lot of attention in a short time a movie, recoup all costs to stage, I began to bring net profit, and Griffith, now works on himself, got about a million dollars.
The financial success of "Birth of a Nation" has determined the further destiny of feature films. The owners of the studios realized that the period was over shorts, and switched to the setting of feature films.
It is characteristic that the film "Birth of a Nation" over the years has repeatedly appeared on the screens. The American reaction to use it to heat up racist sentiments. With the advent of sound film, he was voiced again and released in theaters.
