Intolerance- A 1916 Silent Film Directed by D.W. Griffith- 2 hours 56 minutes

 

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""He achieved what no other known man has achieved. To watch his work is like being witness to the beginning of melody, or the first conscious use of the lever or the wheel; the emergence, coordination and first eloquence of language; the birth of an art: and to realize that this is all the work of one man." James Agee on D, W. Griffith 

Intolerance, a silent film released in 1916, is a complex and controversial work by D.W. Griffith, one of the most influential figures in early American cinema. It tells the story of intolerance through four separate narratives spanning different time periods and locations:

• The Fall of Babylon: Prince Belshazzar, a pacifist, is overthrown by warring religious factions.

• The Passion of Christ: The film depicts the last days of Jesus Christ in the style of a Passion play.

• The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre: The film portrays the brutal massacre of Huguenots in France by Catholics.

• Modern America: A woman fights to save her husband from execution for a murder he did not commit.

Griffith's purpose:

• Confronting criticism: The film was partly a response to the controversy surrounding his earlier film The Birth of a Nation (1915), which was widely criticized for its racist portrayal of African Americans and its glorification of the Ku Klux Klan.

• Exploring a universal theme: Griffith aimed to show the universality of intolerance and its destructive consequences throughout history.

Technical innovations:

• Cross-cutting: Griffith pioneered the use of parallel editing, interweaving the four stories to create a powerful and emotional impact.

• Massive sets and costumes: The film features elaborate sets and costumes, particularly for the Babylonian sequence, which was inspired by Italian historical epics.

• Use of allegory: The film uses several allegorical elements, such as the recurring image of a woman rocking a cradle, to symbolize the birth of hope and the possibility of overcoming intolerance.

Critical reception:

• Initial failure: Despite its innovative techniques, Intolerance was a commercial failure upon its release. Critics were divided, some praising its ambition and technical achievements, while others found it confusing and preachy.

• Legacy: Over time, the film's reputation has grown. It is now considered a landmark in film history, praised for its groundbreaking editing techniques and its powerful message of tolerance

• Technical influence: The film's innovative editing techniques have had a profound influence on subsequent generations of filmmakers.

The Birth of a Nation - A 1915 Film Directed by D. W. Griffith- run time 3 hours and seven minutes- A Silent Film

Certainly "The Birth of a Nation" (1915) presents a challenge for modern audiences. Unaccustomed to silent films and uninterested in film history, they find it quaint and not to their taste. Those evolved enough to understand what they are looking at find the early and wartime scenes brilliant, but cringe during the postwar and Reconstruction scenes, which are racist in the ham-handed way of an old minstrel show or a vile comic pamphlet." - Roger Ebert

"He achieved what no other known man has achieved. To watch his work is like being witness to the beginning of melody, or the first conscious use of the lever or the wheel; the emergence, coordination and first eloquence of language; the birth of an art: and to realize that this is all the work of one man." James Agee 

 The Birth of a Nation is an amazing movie, a work of art that embodies horrible values.  It supports  completely racist stereotypes of formerly enslaved persons and portrays the Klu Kluz Clan as devoted to returning the post civil war American South back to the control of white people. White actors in blackface portrayed ex- slaves.

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The film is a highly racist and pro-Ku Klux Klan depiction of the Reconstruction Era in the United States. It was a critical and commercial success, and is considered one of the most influential films ever made.
The film is set during the Reconstruction Era in the United States, following the Civil War.

The film tells the story of two families, the Camerons (who are white) and the Stonemans (who are white and Northern).

The film portrays the Ku Klux Klan as a heroic organization that protects white people from black violence.  The south is depicted as ruled by northern carpetbaggers using freed slaves as front men. The greatest horror to southern whites was intermarriage.

The film was a critical and commercial success, and is considered one of the most influential films ever made.