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>The film was controversial even before its release and it has remained so ever since; it has been called "the most controversial film ever made in the United S
by 1832 2y ago
>The film was controversial even before its release and it has remained so ever since; it has been called "the most controversial film ever made in the United States" and "the most reprehensibly racist film in Hollywood history." The film has been denounced for its racist depiction of African Americans. The film portrays its black characters (many of whom are played by white actors in blackface) as unintelligent and sexually aggressive toward white women. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK), a white supremacist far-right hate group, is portrayed as a heroic force that protects white women and maintains white supremacy.
(from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation)
- WillPostForFood 2y agoThe quotes in the Wiki page are modern, not from the time of the release. It was controversial at release, but not so much that there wasn't a White House screening. It was the first motion picture to be screened inside the White House, viewed there by President Woodrow Wilson, his family, and members of his cabinet.
- notahacker 2y agoI'm not sure the fact that his film glorifying the Ku Kux Klan was watched by a president also noted for being racist even by the standards of his time (who later condemned the film and claimed to have been unaware of its contents) somehow innoculates it against charges of racism
- Finnucane 2y agoThe movie's title cards include pro-Klan statements from Woodrow Wilson.