This 1915 epic American Civil War drama, using the interwoven stories of two families - one Southern and one Northern - is one of the most influential films in the history of cinema and, because of its racism, one of the most controversial. Based on the Rev. Thomas Dixon’s deliriously racist “The Clansman”, a melodramatic novel about the American Civil War and its aftermath Griffith’s film is remarkable, for its technical innovations and for the truly epic feel created by the carefully orchestrated, swirling masses of figures in the battle scenes.
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Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
016959
Language
English
Subject categories
Armed Forces, Military, War & Weapons → United States - History - Civil War, 1861-1865
Feature films → Feature films - United States
History → United States - History
Sound/audio
Silent
Colour
Colour
Holdings
16mm film; Access Print (Section 1)