Film History. Film History: The Birth of a Nation. (Essay Sample)

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Film History: The Birth of a Nation
The movie The Birth of a Nation, called The Clansmen initially, is a 1915 film whose central theme is racism. It was directed by David Wark Griffith. The film is divided into two sections, with the first section concentrating on the American civil war while the second one is on reconstruction. The movie explores how the black race is discriminated against by the whites. When the civil war broke out, the men from the black race were accused of lusting with white women. The blacks were also sold and used as slaves in the farms of white people. In the film, Ku Klux Klan is praised as the heroes, while blacks are condemned for disrupting the peace, when it is clear the blacks are being oppressed. The theme of love and how it does not know any boundaries is evident when Ben and Elsie, as well as Phil and Margret, fall in love despite coming from opposing sides.