‘The Birth of a Nation’: When Hollywood Glorified the KKK

[rangerrebew]

‘The Birth of a Nation’: When Hollywood Glorified the KKK


6/12/2006 • American History

On July 4, 1914, director D.W. Griffith began work on a new movie called The Clansman, an epic about the Civil War and the subsequent agonies of Reconstruction. It was a major production, an epic in every sense of the word, with sets that seemingly filled every foot of his Fine Arts Studio in Hollywood, California.

Griffith was a curious figure who didn’t conform to the popular image of a silent-film director. Unlike his contemporary Cecil B. DeMille, he eschewed the usual costume of rolled-up sleeves, jodhpurs and riding boots, opting instead for a crisply tailored business suit complete with celluloid collar and immaculate tie. It was an outfit more in keeping with the boardroom than the cutting room, but it somehow reflected Griffith’s reserved Victorian persona.

http://www.historynet.com/the-birth-of-a-nation-when-hollywood-glorified-the-kkk.htm

[KingsX]

I have an original autographed copy of "The Clansman" in my library
[as well as other Dixon books.]

[Fishrrman]

"I have an original autographed copy of "The Clansman" in my library"

Heh.
I have one, too. Not autographed.

BTW, for those who have never seen the original "Birth of a Nation", it's worth downloading and watching. I found a good copy (1080p BluRay rip) "in the torrents".

A seminal piece of American filmmaking, art as well as history.