Director: D.W. Griffith
Cast: Vera Lewis, Ralph Lewis, Mae Marsh, Robert Harron
Have I Seen It Before: Nope! I recently saw Three Ages (1923). That ought to count for something.
Did I Like It: Given that I live in an era where the ongoing quest to argue against social condemnation is now a 24-hour a day concern, I was bracing myself to really not like any of this film at all. Griffith was hurt or defensive about reaction to Birth of a Nation (1915)? That only leads me to a few reactions. First, I’m heartened to learn that someone bothered to say that film might have been misguided way back when. It also allows me to roll my eyes with impunity at contemporaries who decry some sort of recent advent of cancel culture. Similarly, I’m a little bit relieved to live in my own era. When painful bores decry any sort of consequences or criticism of their half-baked opinions and priorities, they don’t usually take three and a half hours to finish the job. Ultimately, I’m still pretty sure that Griffith shouldn’t have leveled his considerably cinematic inventiveness to lionize a subject as pathetically foolish as the Klan.
And he does have those considerable skills. No, I’m not saying Griffith swayed me by comparing not receiving completely unanimous praise from his contemporaries to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (Howard Gaye). That’s actually one of the horrible parts of the film, but the scope of the things is real. I look at many of the backgrounds, and I’m trying to figure out how real it all is. Parts of the platforms appear to be occupied by real extras, others seem to be some sort of theatrical illusion, but I’m never 100 percent sure which is which. That’s not something anyone is particularly bothered by in a film made in my own lifetime.
Not to say that I’m reaching for an excuse to be bewitched by some of the epic scale, I was also genuinely left at the edge of my seat as to whether or not The Boy (Harron) will actually be executed for the crime he didn’t commit. One tends to believe some kind of happy ending is on the horizon, but Griffith is certainly trying to make a point here, so there’s always the possibility he will fall through the gallows.
If only Griffith could remove the humongous chip from his shoulder and accept that a) The North won and b) not everyone has to like Birth of a Nation.