The film The Birth of Nation is one of the most ambitious projects of the first half of the 20th century. David Griffith created this silent movie in 1915 and used as a base for the plot the books of Thomas Dixon. This film is a significant representation of the events of the Civil War in America (Griffith, 1915). It does not pretend to be a documentary work, but it illustrates the perception of what has happened by real people. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the specifies of the film, taking into consideration its narrative and stylistic details and to analyze its impact on the cinematography using the scientific articles.
Narrative Analysis
The Birth of Nation is divided into two parts – the USA before and during the Civil War and the Reconstruction; both parts are united by the same main characters. The plot is based on the story of two families: Cameron and Stoneman (Griffith, 1915). While parents spend some time together, children fall in love with each other. Doctor Cameron has three sons and two daughters, one of his sons likes the photo of the girl from another family. The son of Stoneman falls in love with the elder daughter from the Cameron family (Griffith, 1915). At first, this emotional relationship does not seem essential for the progression of the narrative. None the less, in the second part of the movie, most decisions depend on the feelings of the characters and not on their political thoughts and ambitions. Two sections of the film show the link between individual emotions and overall impact but from different points of view. The story of the Civil War poses the question of ethics of death, and the Reconstruction proposes the solution for an enjoyable future for everyone.
Griffith aims to show the events of those times from the position of a neutral observer. That is why the film becomes the revelation; it seems to ask a question of the purpose of all the actions without giving the answer (Baldwin, 2011). James Baldwin (2011) puts forward the thesis that the special feature of the film is that it does not have any resolution. On the one hand, it is possible to assume that this a way to make the audience analyze the situation and make their own conclusions. On the other hand, it is also a source for reflection of the sense and the consequences of the war. Griffith might use the unfinished type of narrative in order to illustrate the meaningless of these events in general. It is likely to estimate that the way of telling a story chosen by the director is the possibility to express his own point of view on the Civil War and its consequences for the ordinary people.
The first part of the film introduces the main characters and gives their schematic description. It is crucial to mention that Griffith does not describe the heroes in a precise way. It is possible to presume that this is done to show the process of changing the character during a severe time. The director aims to investigate human nature in specific situations. He does not divide them into evil and kind characters; he shows the patterns of the behaviour which are impossible to see in the circumstances of daily life (Griffith, 1915). The schematic characters from the first part of the movie turn into a fully integrated personalities with individual thoughts and their own path.
The description of the Civil War also poses a question of the ethics of death and the moral choice. What is more, it raises the issue of the value of patriotism and personal happiness. In the final scene of the movie the two marriages between the children from the families Stoneman and Cameron illustrate the new union between the North and the South and, at the same time, the idea of the dependence of collective well-being on the individual quality of life.
Threw the film Griffith uses his favourite technique: parallel installation. Nowadays it has become classics and is used in most Hollywood films. However, at the beginning of the 20th century, it was a real breakthrough in the cinematography. It is possible to compare it with the creation of a new language. It makes the narrative logical and comprehensible without the use of special effects or additional dialogues. It aims to make a connection between the two scenes meaningful. Thanks to the speed of action, angle of the motion and the length of the scene, Griffith creates a unique atmosphere, brings the emotions, tells the story that cannot be played by the actors. The director makes the narrative two-tiered: the first one is the plot itself with its own story and the second one is the emotional description achieved by the specificity of editing and cutting the scenes.
Style Analysis
The absence of the real dialogues or talks in the silent movies increases the role of the image. Baldwin (2011) maintains that the key for the understanding of the main ideas of Griffith is in the illustrations, in the way of framing the picture on the screen. In order to prove this hypothesis, it is possible to analyze the episode where the Klan tries to save the family of Doctor Cameron. The parallel installation plays a crucial role in creating an atmosphere of suspense and danger. What is more, the crowd of extras fascinates – it makes the spectator feel the particularity and the significance of the moment. It is also important to take into consideration the rapid style of this part of the movie. All the actions seem to be expedited, especially the scenes of confrontations. At the same time, the episodes in the house with the family members are excessively slow and calm. This contrast makes the scenes of rescue by the Clan brighter and emotionally stronger.
The perception of the cinema by the viewer has changed significantly threw the last few decades. At the present moment, the way of editing film by Griffith does not look realistic and involving. Nevertheless, one hundred years ago, it was a unique experience for the audience. The director created his own language of communication with the spectator. For example, to increase the level of tension, he used close-up. In the modern cinema, it is supposed to introduce the intimate conversation between two close people or to trigger the culmination of the episode. This idea is based on the researches of human’s perception: when people trust someone or want to know the secret, they try to come closer. Griffith breaks the rules and uses the close-up to attract the attention of the audience waiting for the resolution. Instead of it, he creates a mass scene with the illustration of the armed conflict. The pattern interruption is among the most remarkable lines of Griffith’s style.
The use of the innovative artistic touches is another characteristic of the work of a well-known director. The camera does not move during the dangerous and emotional scenes. The actors run and do acrobatic tricks while the cameraman stands on one place and shoots two or three meters around. This contrast is crucial as it provides the idea of the pointless of the violent scenes. On the one hand, this scheme was realized because of the technical limitations that existed. The cameras were too heavy to carry them every time the scene changed. On the other hand, it can be considered as a conscious decision to demonstrate the link between the nervousness in the residence of Doctor Cameron and the operation of the Klan. In conclusion, it is important to mention that the style of Griffith is based on the contrast and polarization of distinct scenes, episodes and emotions.
Race and Representation
The problem of racism and the representation of people with a different colour of the skin in the media, on TV, and on the screen is still a severe issue in modern society. This hypothesis can be proved by the example of the movie directed by Spike Lee (2000) Bamboozled. The film tells a story of a screenwriter Pierre Delacroix who decided to make a minstrel show that was popular in the middle of the 19th century. However, in the original version, there were only white actors, but the main character wanted to make it in the opposite way and invited only African-American (Lee, 2000). The performance became racist and even politically dangerous; despite that fact, it was successful and changed the lives of thousands of people. At the end of the film, Delacroix died, and during the final episode, the long scene with violent racist clips was demonstrated.
The Birth of Nation and Bamboozled are linked by the topic of racism and the confrontation caused by political actions. Lee said that he was significantly influenced by the film of Griffith and that it affected his creativity. The modern film is presented as a satirical comedy while The Birth of Nation is an example of a drama. Nevertheless, these movies have several common details: for example, the real distinction between white people and African-American does not exist in both films. The two groups represent the opposing parties, but it could be any type of confrontation. It might be the resistance because of the financial, political or individual issues. Both directors aim to show that this rivalry is far-fetched and meaningless. It is only the combination of historical circumstances, and there is no real enemy.
What is more, Lee raises a serious question threw the perspective of the personal experience that makes the story more appealing, involving and touching. The same idea is presented in the film of Griffith, who creates the love story of the main heroes to show the impact of the confrontation on the lives of ordinary people. Ed Guerrero (2012), in her article Bamboozled. In the Mirror of Abjection puts forward the thesis that the political situation and the media influence in a crucial way the mindset of humans. Nowadays, the situation is changing: America has the first black president, the movies become concentrated on urgent social problems. However, from the point of view of Guerrero (2012), the atmosphere, in general, becomes toxic and ironic because people are still not ready for that significant modifications. The metaphor introduced by the author of the article – “the mirror of abjection” – illustrates the role reversal between African-American and white people and between Lee’s Bamboozled and Griffith’s The Birth of Nation.
- References
- Baldwin, J. (2011). The devil finds work. Vintage International.
- Griffith, D. (1915). The Birth of Nation [Film]. Epoch Producing Corporation, David W. Griffith Corporation.
- Guerrero, E. (2012). Bamboozled. In the mirror of abjection. Contemporary Black American Cinema: Race, Gender and Sexuality at the Movies, 1(1), 109–125.
- Lee, S. (2000). Bamboozled [Film]. New Line Cinema.