Drama ·History ·War · United States of America · 1915 · 3h 15m

The Birth of a Nation

The Birth of a Nation poster
Director
D.W. Griffith
Cast
Lillian Gish as Stoneman's Daughter Elsie Mae Marsh as Flora Cameron Henry B. Walthall as Col. Ben Cameron Miriam Cooper as Margaret Cameron Mary Alden as Stoneman's Housekeeper Lydia Ralph Lewis as Leader of the House Hon. Austin Stoneman
Crew
Billy Bitzer — Director of Photography Joseph Carl Breil — Director of Photography Joseph Henabery — Editor Rose Smith — Editor Raoul Walsh — Editor James Smith — Editor
Tagline

The Fiery Cross of the Ku Klux Klan!

Synopsis

Two families, abolitionist Northerners the Stonemans and Southern landowners the Camerons, intertwine. When Confederate colonel Ben Cameron is captured in battle, nurse Elsie Stoneman petitions for his pardon. In Reconstruction-era South Carolina, Cameron founds the Ku Klux Klan, battling Elsie's congressman father and his African-American protégé, Silas Lynch.

Trailer The Birth of a Nation — Official Trailer
Official Trailer youtube.com
Mood & Themes
armyku klux klansouthern usasilent filmamerican civil warreconstruction erahistorical epicinspirationalawestruckoptimisticfeel-good
Key Collaborators
D.W. Griffith Director Billy Bitzer Director of Photography Joseph Carl Breil Director of Photography Joseph Henabery Editor Rose Smith Editor Raoul Walsh Editor James Smith Editor D.W. Griffith Editor Jon Mirsalis Original Music Composer D.W. Griffith Original Music Composer Frank E. Woods Screenplay D.W. Griffith Writer
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D.W. Griffith directed The Birth of a Nation. Explore their complete filmography and the collaborators who shaped their vision.

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