The Birth Of A Nation - 1188 Words

The Birth of a Nation, arguably one of the most ambiguous names in the history of cinema, is only about to get more complex and chaotic. The Birth of a Nation was originally the title of D.W. Griffith’s 1915 racist propaganda film about the rise of the Ku Klux Klan who â€Å"saved† the South from being dictated by blacks during the Reconstruction era when the North tried to rebuild the South after the Civil War. Now, that title poises a new movie written, directed, produced, and starring actor Nate Parker that dramatizes the 1831 slave rebellion led by enslaved African-American Nat Turner. The movie was a serious success at 2016 Sundance Film Festival in Utah. It not only won the festival’s Grand Jury Prize; picked up an â€Å"Audience Award†; settled a record-breaking $17.5 million distribution deal with Fox Searchlight; but it even kick-started the early 2017 Oscar buzz. Given the film’s early accomplishments, one is left to wonder why it was named after something that is so controversial and still debated to this day. Almost more than a century ago, D.W. Griffith’s film forever changed the industry of filmmaking with not only its groundbreaking innovative applications of the camera such as close-ups, zooming, crosscutting, all of which heightened the power, the impact, and the emotion of the drama, but also lit up the screen with racist images that will always embarrass and provoke the people of America today (I hope). Hence, the foundation of white supremacy in films was born.Show MoreRelatedBirth of a Nation1338 Words   |  6 PagesTimes have now changed, but there are remnants of this subject everywhere, even in film. The movie Birth of a Nation is considered one of the greatest films of all time, even with these themes. AMC’s Filmsite even has it listed within the 100 Greatest Films of All Time. Another movie with the some of the same themes is Blazing Saddles. Blazing Saddles does not have the same stature as Birth of a Nation, but it does deserve to be higher in the canon. I do believe that Blazing Saddles does not have theRead MoreThe Birth Of A Nation1809 Words   |  8 Pagesthe form of blockbuster films. The Birth of a Nation, directed by D.W Griffith, being one of the first feature-length films of its time, was heralded for both its technical advancements and aesthetic appeal. Despite being criticized for its racist legacy, The Birth of a Nation, set what would become the new standard for Hollywood blockbuster films in film production techniques. Film production had reached new heights with the creation of The Birth of a Nation. With an original budget of $40,000Read MoreThe Birth Of A Nation1857 Words   |  8 PagesIf the signing of the declaration of independence capped an era that might be called the birth of a nation, the next decade might be an era aptly described as the definition of a nation. No other time period in the history of the United States did more to define and shape the nation than the years from 1786 to 1795. In 1786, the federal government was struggling with war debts and needed revenue from states. The NW Ordinance, adopted in July 1787, was written as a method for admitting new statesRead MoreProblems With Birth Of A Nation906 Words   |  4 PagesProblems with Birth of a Nation Birth of a Nation, a film written and directed by D. W. Griffith, that follows the lives of two different families during the Civil War and the hardships that they had faced. This film was very controversial for its time, and even during the current time period, with the issues of race being brought up during the majority of the film. This film was written during the 1920’s when pop culture was ever changing with the issues of race and gender. Birth of a Nation, was somewhatRead MoreThe Birth Of The League Of Nations1621 Words   |  7 PagesKaryn Hogu Analytical Paper IR 349 Section G1 The Birth of the League of Nations The Great War, now commonly referred to as World War One, ended on November 11th, 1918. In its wake lied a tremendously devastated Europe, which was where the majority of the carnage took place. Following World War One, Europeans were struggling to restore some sense of normalcy for themselves and their families. To do that, maintaining peace was imperative. Europe’s economy was in shambles, their land was left greatlyRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Birth Of A Nation 803 Words   |  4 PagesGive a description of a scene that incorporates a more modern language of filmmaking via shots, lighting, editing. â€Å"Birth of a Nation† has a lot of scenes the movie itself is 3 hours long however in one specific scene D.W. Griffith manages to incorporate many modern filmmaking techniques. The scene in which Flora goes to retrieve water and is abruptly met by Gus incorporates many modern techniques. In this scene we see the use of close up shots to focus on character reactions from both Gus andRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Birth Of A Nation 998 Words   |  4 PagesThe work of D.W. Griffith in the film Birth of a Nation was the blueprint for what we see in many of today’s films that we take for granted. He truly pioneered the use of line of sight and point of view many times in the first half of the movie. This was effective in developing back stories of the main characters and setting up some small but important plot lines like the future love story of the southern Cornel and his northern friend’s sister. This was done well with the showing of his hordingRead MoreUkraine. Birth of a Modern Nation1161 Words   |  5 PagesReview of the book â€Å"Ukraine. Birth of a Modern Nation† Contemporary Issues in CEE For my paper I’ve chosen Dr. Serhy Yekelchyk’s book â€Å"Ukraine. Birth of a Modern Nation†. For me as a Ukrainian it was interesting to see the history of my country and the process of formation of Ukrainian nation from the point of view of the  Ukrainian Canadian  historian. Initially the book was written in English and translated into Russian, Polish, Lithuanian, and Japanese. Surprisingly itRead MoreEssay about Birth of a Nation646 Words   |  3 Pages On March 3, 1915 the movie The Birth of a Nation was released at the Liberty Theatre in New York City. This film was financed, filmed, and released by the Epoch Producing Corporation of D.W. Griffith and Harry T. Aitken. It was one of the first films to ever use deep-focus shots, night photography, and to be explicitly controversial with the derogatory view of blacks. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Throughout the movie, the film justified the need of the KKK in order to keep social harmony amongRead MoreRepresentation Of Diversity : The Birth Of A Nation Essay1449 Words   |  6 Pages Representation of Diversity America claims to be a country that is accepting off all different types people of all different cultural backgrounds. This nation propagandizes, and perpetuates the myth of the salad bowl. This reference is used to as an attempt to display that America is country that celebrates it cultural differences, and is equally accepting of all. The way that different cultures as represented in