Directed by D.W. Griffith

Position on the list (at time of viewing): 242

Well, I feel like this movie’s reputation precedes it, to a degree. Most people who enjoy movies know (at least dimly) that this is that super racist Klan movie from the early days of film. If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s an accidentally (maybe?) racist movie made by an absolute titan of early film, D.W. Griffith. At just over three hours long, it is if nothing else an astonishing technical achievement. It’s difficult to understand just how much Griffith reinvented film without the benefit of a degree in film history (which I absolutely do not have), but it’s not hard to get at least an idea of it. Simply watching any other movie from this era will display how astonishingly different and engaging Griffith’s movie was, and how much he broke filmmaking free from the cage of live theater in which it was operating up to that point.

Regardless of how impressive the technical nature of the film, though, the content is definitely a detraction. Even if you can put aside the content on historical grounds, it’s still not super fun to watch a movie where the Klan are the good guys saving the day. There simply has to be some dissonance there from a modern perspective that no amount of historical appreciation will be able to completely eliminate. Black men (all played by white men in blackface) are portrayed as comically bad stereotypes, sexually aggressive towards white women and stupidly brutish. I mean, this is a movie that portrays voter suppression and lynching in a positive, almost sanctified light. It should not be overlooked, either, that people of the time were not ignorant of the controversial content in the film. The tendency is to assume that people were fine with this because it was ‘the olden days,’ but that is absolutely not accurate. Griffith was sued by the NAACP, and the movie was accompanied by nationwide protest for its clearly racist depictions. Even more damning, this movie is often considered one of the inciting incidents for the reformation of the actual KKK less than a year later. To put it briefly, this movie comes with heavy cultural baggage that simply might make it not worth the time for some viewers. 

In addition to the unpleasant content, the film also has a lot of the trappings of vaudeville, including scenes that really outstay their welcome, often for entire minutes after the movie has established and fulfilled the purpose of the scene. Some might also have a problem with the, shall we say, heightened elements of the acting that is typical for this period of filmmaking. While the acting is great for the time period, they were just going for a completely different goal than modern acting does. Lillian Gish is already an impressive star (and she will reappear regularly in films on the list), but in general the acting serves more as a barrier than as an aide to the modern audience. The bottom line is that it is a difficult film to appreciate without context, and most people (myself included) would definitely lack that context. Despite all of that, the majesty of this movie is still impressive even to someone with no background. The surprising camera angles, the actual use of different shooting lengths to convey the emotional impact of the scene, and the way that narrative is unfolded over the course of the work are astonishing. In addition, the climax at which it eventually arrives (after an admittedly lengthy establishment and build-up) is more thrilling than anything that had ever been made before, period, full stop. The editing is amazing, giving a real sense of urgency and thrill to the chase to save the beleaguered Southern family.

I would overall say, though, that it is a film for film nerds, and probably is to be avoided for the casual movie lover, due in part to the technicality of its brilliance and also to its not insignificant runtime of just over three hours. If you love movies though, there is so much to see and experience here that is so wonderful. Just try not to think about the Klan too much…

Overall: