Birth of a Nation: BSA 106 (Screen Arts 1) Week 5/B

BSA 106 (Screen Arts 1) Week 5/B

Blog Research/ Questions

What is the name of the book the film is based on?
- The movie is adapted from the novel: "The Clansman: An Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan" by Thomas Dixon Jr.


Who does the film portray as the heroes?
- The heroes of the film are soldiers from the south during the civil war (the confederacy), who form the KKK.


Who used the film as a recruiting clan?
- Racist hate groups in America - specifically the KKK.


How are the African American men portrayed?
- As negative stereotypes/ as evil.


Oscar Micheaux made a film called '"Within our Gates" (1919) as a response to "Birth of a Nation" - Why?
- To provide a more accurate, and less biased, point of view on the same topic.

What was the name of the Griffiths follow up film?
- "Intolerance: Love's Struggle Through the Ages" (1916)