Drama ·History ·War · United States of America · 1915 · 3h 13m

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
Joseph Carl Breil — Director of Photography Billy Bitzer — Director of Photography Joseph Henabery — Editor James Smith — Editor Rose Smith — Editor Raoul Walsh — 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 usaracismsilent filmamerican civil warreconstruction erahistorical epicinspirationalawestruckoptimisticfeel-good
Key Collaborators
D.W. Griffith Director Joseph Carl Breil Director of Photography Billy Bitzer Director of Photography Joseph Henabery Editor James Smith Editor Rose Smith Editor Raoul Walsh 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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