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Information

Year
1915
Runtime
195 min.
Director
D.W. Griffith
Genres
Drama, War, History
Rating *
6.4
Votes *
17,678
Checks
9,140
Favs
191
Dislikes
338
Favs/checks
2.1% (1:48)
Favs/dislikes
1:2
* View IMDb information

Top comments

  1. CrazyMcLazy's avatar

    CrazyMcLazy

    Is the film technically innovative? Yes. But it's hard for me to watch people heap praise on the film and also try to excuse its content when the film itself led to a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan and open racial discrimination that lasted until the 1970s. In the South, it was like lighting a powder keg. And in case there are any questions, Griffith was racist. Sorry to break it to you. So was President Woodrow Wilson. President Wilson helped legitimize the film's version of history by endorsing it. President Wilson himself was good friends with Thomas Dixon, the author of the novel. It was a product of the times, but that doesn't make it ok. 10 years 1 month ago
  2. the3rdman's avatar

    the3rdman

    A disgusting yet fascinating look at white paranoia and negrophobia in America. From nostalgia for slavery and the old days of the "civilized" South and fears of miscegenation, to the myth of rape used to justify lynching in the post-slavery era and the violent intimidation of black voters, the film is as much an epic about racism in America as it is about the division of the North and South. Add to that models of feminine purity and vulnerability, and you essentially end up with this white male fantasy parading itself as historical drama. Hyvaa, if you really think that the primary reason that Griffith is accused of racism is using white actors in blackface, you have a lot to learn.
    Technically, the film is of course highly accomplished--exceptional, in fact, especially for a film made in the 1910s. Nobody denies this. But I really don't think that it's an adequate reason not to be outraged by its many flaws.
    10 years 6 months ago
  3. Crentist852's avatar

    Crentist852

    It goes without saying, but blackface is the least of this movie's problems. 9 years 1 month ago
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In 21 official lists

  1. This movie ranks #1 in Taschen's 100 All-Time Favorite Movies
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  2. This movie ranks #1 in 101 War Movies You Must See Before You Die
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    1
  3. This movie ranks #1 in Leonard Maltin's 100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century
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    Leonard Maltin's 100 Mus…

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  4. This movie ranks #2 in Tim Dirks's 100+ Most Controversial Films of All-Time
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  5. This movie ranks #2 in BFI's 360 Classic Feature Films Project
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  6. This movie ranks #4 in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
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  7. This movie ranks #9 in David Thomson's Have You Seen?
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  8. This movie ranks #15 in Silent Era's The Top 300 Silent Era Films
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  9. This movie ranks #33 in Mark Cousins's The Story of Film: An Odyssey
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  10. This movie ranks #36 in Harvard's Suggested Film Viewing: Narrative Films
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    36
  11. This movie ranks #42 in A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese
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  12. This movie ranks #68 in iCheckMovies's 1910s Top 100
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  13. This movie ranks #76 in Library of Congress's National Film Registry
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  14. This movie ranks #89 in Paul Rotha's Silent but Not Forgotten
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  15. This movie ranks #99 in Time Out's 1000 Films to Change Your Life
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    99
  16. This movie ranks #104 in The Guardian's 1000 Films to See Before You Die
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    104
  17. This movie ranks #183 in Eureka!'s The Masters of Cinema Series
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  18. This movie ranks #214 in Roger Ebert's Great Movies
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  19. This movie ranks #224 in Anthology Film Archives's Essential Cinema
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  20. This movie ranks #260 in Halliwell's Top 1000: The Ultimate Movie Countdown
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  21. This movie ranks #405 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films
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    405
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