Open ClassicCINEMA
Back to the collection

OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 668

The Birth of a Nation

1915193 minUnited States
Drama
Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs
189:07
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · D. W. Griffith / Frank E. Woods / Thomas Dixon Jr. · Public domain

Synopsis

The lives of a Northern family and a Southern family become entangled through the American Civil War and Reconstruction. Romance and battlefield spectacle lead into an account of postwar politics built around the film's white-supremacist viewpoint. Its depiction of Black people and its celebration of the Ku Klux Klan are part of that racist narrative, not a reliable account of Reconstruction.

Cast

DirectorsD. W. Griffith

Historical context

The film occupies a contested place in cinema history because its ambitious staging and editing serve racist propaganda. Its historical importance requires examining that relationship rather than treating its depiction of the past as neutral.

Inspirations

The screenplay adapts Thomas Dixon Jr.'s novel and play The Clansman. Understanding that source helps explain the film's political framework and its portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

Audience rating

Loading ratings…

Keep exploring

Collection