D. W. Griffith's <i>The Birth of a Nation</i>: Art, culture and ethics in black and white

More than a century after its release in 1915, D. W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation remains one of the most controversial films in cinema history. Drawing together a range of scholars and practitioners, this volume reveals a continued fascination in this film as a gauge of American racism and a milestone of early cinema that allows us to recognise the complex relationship between art, culture and ethics. Through stimulating analyses and new research on its reception, both on its release and one hundred years later, this book offers fresh, engaging perspectives on Birth. Topics include the presence of African American actors in the film, the craft of Griffith’s racist dialectics, public reception of the film in the state of Virginia and re-reading promotion of the film as ‘fake news’. It traces Birth’s legacies through historical and contemporary cinema and art, demonstrating that its significance has not diminished. Vivid relationships are drawn between the film and the art of Kara Walker and Kehinde Wiley. Traditions are found both upheld and challenged in film works by Oscar Micheaux, Matthew McDaniel, DJ Spooky, Nate Parker and Quentin Tarantino. In the context of ongoing struggles over racial inequities in the twenty-first century, with white supremacist activity very much a part of the contemporary world, this book thus offers relevant and productive routes into the study of Griffith’s film. Front matter Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Contents Figures List of Contributors Acknowledgements Introduction: the legacy of The Birth of a Nation Black faces in The Birth of a Nation: D. W. Griffith’s art and the African American actor The afterlife of stereotype: Kara Walker, Kehinde Wiley, DJ Spooky and The Birth of a Nation Kunle Olulode in conversation with Dr Jenny Barrett Desegregating the screen: Oscar Micheaux and the rise of activist cinema Examining the ‘White Saviour’ in The Birth of a Nation1 A rope with two ends: Nate Parker, D. W. Griffith, and the tangled legacies of The Birth of a Nation The birth of an origin The Birth of a Nation, Black documentary, and the 1992 L.A. uprisings ‘Go see it because it will make a better American of you’: The Birth of a Nation in the era of ‘fake news’ Standing their ground: a southern community’s response to The Birth of a Nation The Birth of a Nation: a timeline Afterword: The Birth of a Nation and the temporalities of race Index A volume of new chapters exploring the reputation, text and legacy of D. W. Griffith’s 1915 film The Birth of a Nation . In-depth textual analyses accompany reflections on Birth ’s profound impact on art and film into the twenty-first century, comprising a significant contribution to discourse on the most controversial film of all time.