Cinema|Film
D. W. Griffith and The Language of Film
Career landmines in teaching the history of film
Controversial and racist American motion-picture director D. W. Griffith (David Wark Griffith) 1875–1948, established many of the basic techniques of filmmaking in such films as The Birth of a Nation (1915), Intolerance (1916), Broken Blossoms (1919), Way Down East (1920), Orphans of the Storm (1921), and The Struggle (1931).
Teaching David Wark Griffith in film classes is like walking a career tightrope over a field of career-crushing landmines as he has been subject to criticism and controversy for his 1915 film The Birth of a Nation. The film, while groundbreaking in terms of its technical innovations and narrative structure, is widely seen as deeply racist in its portrayal of Black Americans and glorification of the Ku Klux Klan. Hence — the tightrope.
In recent years, there has been renewed attention and discussion about the harmful impact of The Birth of a Nation on American culture and its continued influence on racist ideologies. Consider that the film endorses the KKK as its hero. For this reason, some individuals and groups have called for Griffith to be canceled, meaning that his body of work should no longer be celebrated, promoted, or taught due to its inappropriate content.
