The Birth of a Nation (15) 82 DANIEL BERNARDI Integrating Race into the Narrator System Context Set during the American Ciil War and Reconstruction, The Birth of @ Nation (915) i powerful story about the plight of two upper-class fans: he Stoneman ofthe North and the Camerons ofthe South Ahistoric epic ths clase lm offers its audience a tender portrait of two families’ struggle foe unity in the dense fg of wat Yet ts come mitted also to a romantic vision ofthe "Souther Lege” ints depic- tion of the Reconstruction ers. Best by revengeful black bres, self-righteous white politicians, plundering carpetbaggers, manipula tive mulato mistresses, ploting mulatto politicians, and the graphic death of a Confederate daughter, the Stonemans and the Camefons endure this turbulent period of American history, eventually coming ‘ogether ina marriage that symbolizes «reunited ation, ‘rodiuced and directed by David Wark Grfith (1875-1948), The Birth ofa Nation i widely considered tobe the most important Acne can fl in history. Since ts iil sereenng, eis and scholars proclaimed i the fst feature-length fm to offer audiences a power: ful melodrama told with aris subtlety. Indeed, this classic work led American cinema into the er ofthe Hallyvood style system of nar native flimmaking that marshals cirematie tecnigue-—from cine matography to edling—in the service of character psychology, causal plot development, and moral endings Although refined and even hullenged over time this sje of filmmaking i sill dominant today, ‘And for this reason, Grifth i widely considered to be the father of ‘American cinema~“the Shakespear ofthe screen” The Birth of « Natio is based on two of Reverend Thomas Dixon Jn's novels, The Clansman: An Historical Romance ofthe Ku tux Kle (0905) and The Lean Spots (1902) Not surprisingly, its known also @Bernardi for perpetuating some of the mast repulsive stereotypes of African ‘Americans in history. Borrowing fom the Dixon novels, Grtth offers ‘usa binary caricature of former saves: either "faith souls loyal to ‘thebeliein white superiority ar overly sexualized “brutes” ot for r- vvenge. Yet with few exceptions, Euzopean American actors play ‘Aican American characters in blackface, making the lm moee about ‘the way in which whiteness imagines blacknes than its about black- ess itself. Griffith i is widely reported, went so fara to segregate the cast, refusing o allow black actors to touch white actrsse. For the famous director, whites must remain united in thee quest for racial purity and national dominance. As one ofthe last interities of the film texplans: "The former enemies of North ae South are united incom smn defense ofthe Aryan birthright” Using the techniques of film making to support the story of whit supremacy, Grifith casts the Ka Klux Klan as heroes—romantic men in white hoods who ide with p= parent honor and virtue in defense of white Women, whit fies, nd, via didacti metaphor, a white natlon "The importance ofthis complex lm lee not simply in either its ‘ontsbution to the az of cinematic storytelling ots overt acim, bat inthe relationship between thse fore i the context of fim history, ‘Segregating Grifth’s contribution tothe craft of narrative fiznmaking from his racist imagery undermines the impact that The Birth of Not tion had—and continues to have—on cinematic storytelling. In many ‘ways, Gift developed his style offimmaking otll unambiguous stories ofan American color line. In The it of «Nation, this ol line ‘marks a clear hierarchy of races reinforced bya romantic representa- tion ofthe Old South, social segregation, antimiscegenation laws, ds- enlranchisement, and the natural—divine—right of white rule ino ‘he faire Analysis Despite the trend among rites and scholars to ether ignore or excuse the antculation of white supremacy in The Bint ofa Nation in favor of focusing on the fl’s artistic achievements, and despite the eiciem, fon the other side, thet this work is nothing mote than racist propa. ‘ganda, Grfit’s epic reveals an important moment in Sm Ristory, ‘when Gnematcstoryteling developed as popular arin the service of oy Tw ith of» Nation racism. In what ways does The Birth ofa Natio elect history? How ae the techniques of cinema employed inthe fm to facilitate and refract the story of white supremacy? More broadly, how can we si multancously acknowledge the flim’s contsbution t© soryeling technique while challanging it systematic embrace of racism? Can racism in film be at nce uly and painful and atthe same ie artiste tnd romantic? Retecting History 1s dficul and perhaps unproductive to view The Birth of «Nation with ispassion. The fm calls out for audiences to engage with t and todo so with critical indignation, Nonetheless, itis important to sit- ‘at this classi lim inthe context in wich it was produce an ini tilly exbite. The sociopolitical environment in which Grilsth smade The Birth of Nation i flected in the Sm sel onal hie _mest cleat when looking atthe way in which Gulith represented the ‘est In other words, we find the ideologies of race tht informed the production of Te Bish of « Nation in 1915 dieting the story of the (Civil War and Reconstruction (1861 to 1877) represented inthe fm. ‘The history outside the flm as well asthe representation of history in ‘the fm comprise a key seue informing the significance of Te Birth of ‘Nation. ‘Thecarly twentieth contury saw the growth of cinema as poplar form of entertainment. European immigrants followed their prede- ceassors into nickelodeon theters to discover the fclinalization of “American democracy and inthe proces, they were encouraged to a- simulate into the soll oedee of things. At the same time, during tis period the Unite States was dominated by a racial formation that po- Stoned people of ealor as treats to whiteness. Although fee citizens advocated a return to slavery a¢ a means of controlling this perceived threat Jim Crow discrimination was widespread and widely acepte. Racism was an openly supported fact of American socal life ‘The social reality of racism informed the development of flm- making, facilitating a troubling yet persistent link between cinema ana the politis of racism. The Bit of @ Nation was the ft flm to be seroened at the White House, and on sesing the cle, President ‘Woodrow Wilson (1856-1824) reportedly proclaimed, “Ie kike writ ing history with lightning. And my only reget is that iis all so 8Bernard terribly tue." Wilson was a key proponent ofthe League of Nations, the forerunner fo today’s United Nations, and a past president of Princeton University Bfore becoming president ofthe United States, Ihe authored a popular nonfiction book, A History ofthe Amrican Peo ple, ehich Gift ater use to help ground the sory of The Birth of "Nation in history. Wilson was alo an open and persistent supporter of ‘sogrepation. Under his administation (1913-21, the US, government maintained “separate but equal” federal workplaces, bathvooms, and restauranis. A souther Democrat, the fist fo be elected president since the Civ War, Wson reportedly encouraged screenings of The Birth ofa Nation for Congres snd at various government agencies. ‘Griffith not only used Wilson's A History othe American Pale ole titimize his interpretation of the Civil War and Reconstruction, but 5s0incided in the fim historical facsimile scenes of Robert E Lee's Surrender to General Grant and the assassination of President Abr hham Linco at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. He also loossly based the senior patriarch ofthe Stoneman family, Austin Stoneman, (on Represenative Thaddeus Stevens (1792-1868), « Republican con- {gress who crested the “forty acres and mule” proposal and advo- ‘ated strongly for an integrated postwar society. Stoneman as Stevens ‘comes of asa well intentioned but tesibly misguided politician who ‘eventually understands the ero of his integrationst ways. In the end he evens his loyalty to whiteness when he reacts in horor tothe idea ‘that Silas Lynch, his handpicked mulatto plitcan and model of inte ration, apices 0 marry his daughter Taking great liberties with the bistorcal record, Grifith represents Noreher politicians as wayward souls who ultimately end up supporting the purity of whiteness, “The historical reference found in The Birth of Nato have less to «lo with the film's plot than they do with the story of whiteness that it perpetuates, asthe classic work is based les on past evens than on fb romantie discourse withthe pastone that wraps the ideology of ‘white supremacy in the fag of historical "acurac.” Capitalizing on both popular memory and politcal change, Griffith used historical references to leptimize the artistic dacision to represent Blackness as "aioagh i quote wily atte to Present isn thai no dict een etal sn mc in ster Years he cased ole bat (ry ater a pub ected or ean he i 26 ‘The Birth of Nation Destial or servile ane whiteness as superior yet under threat In this way, the representation ofthe past forma ke aspect of the fis con plicated role in race relations, helping to ensue the n'a its die tors place in history. In The Birth of Nation, “Legend” notes Robert Lang "rowrites history to conform t ideological imperatives”) CGifh’scommitoent to white supremacy was legitimized By the se of socal Darwinism and the eugenics movement inthe ninetsenth ‘century, two elated scenic paradigms that divided “man” into bio- logical subspecies that principally inciaded Mangoloid, Negro nd CCaueasoid. The so-called Cacasoid race, particulary those of Aryan stock, was considered tobe innately superior Conversely, the Mon goloid and Negro races were considered to be innately inferioe and, 25 such, not quite worthy ofthe fll rights of a democrati society Coupled with socioaconomic systems supported by separate but overtly unequal vl righ, dhe science of rae at this ime worked to suppor the Beli in and struct of whiteness, Although these scien: tic schools of thought are considered by current scientists to have boon motivated by ideology rather than empitiel evidence, as Polnted out by, among others, Stephen J. Guld in The Mismesure of “Man (1981), they nonetheless helped shape the mesning of race that contemporancous plitcans and fmmakers used tosuppost ceaive and legal decisions. ‘The inluence of bilogical paradigms on The Birth of a Nation fie Tstrated inthe scene set in South Carolina in which neviy elected ‘Aliean American legislators during Reconstruction sit back in their ‘hair, shoeles fect perched on desks, eating chicken and leering at ‘white women, apparently unable or unwilling fo pay attention tothe workings of democracy: In this interpretation of story, the slory Scum to be suggesting that African Americans aze unable fo think be- Yond primitive impulses. In the sane blacks are represented as ihe. ently unequal to whites Scenes like this legitimize the South's efforts to deny Afvican Americans the right to vote, which Griith depicts a ‘he end ofthe try, when the Ku Kl Klansmen stand guaed, guns in hand, to supervise new elections and banish African Americans tothe margins of the frame. This story about whitenes, Indeed, instead of showing the Klan committing acs of brutality an tron, hich by the ime Grifith made The Birth of Nation wos a matter of publi coed he depicted them as heroes working to ensure a reunited white aBernard ration. As Heman Vera and Andrew Gordon write, "ia The Birth of [Nation blacks simply do not matter: they are only counters in the stragale of split white salto reunite” 20). Grifith’s representation of zace in this way is lnked diet to ‘Dixon's novels In Dixons stories the most treacherous apd theeaten- lng characters are the mulatoes, people who ae considered “half” ‘white and “hal” black. According to the social Darwinian paradigm, pecfcly its use in determining and supporting racial Merarchie, {nerracial relations improved the mind but not the morals of African “Americans. For Dison, tis made mulattes an even greater treat ‘white civilization, Although the racial order of things, othe soclo- economic structure of contemporaneous race relations, positioned ‘Afi Americans as primitive and thus not too dificult fo contrel, ‘malattoes were positioned as intelligent, erat, manipulative, and im” moral. They were more difcalt to contol, which is why interricial ‘lationship had to be made illegal and socially unacceptable, Mulat= toes were avaible siga thatthe riches of whiteness were being plun- ered by the treachery of Blackness 1s The Birth of Nation 96 soe Austin Stoneman’s mulatto maid begin to tear apert her clothing a the thought of seducing the elder statesman. Her aspirations are lascivious, as she plots an improved so- ial standing through sexual immorality: Moreover, Silas Lynch, Stonoman’s mulatto politician aspires not only o tur th South Black but to marry his daughter, Elsie. His prurient sepirations are repre= sented as vengeful and violent. “Lynch” an infertite reads, “drnk ‘with wine and power, orders his henchman to hutry preparations for forced marrage.” Inthe end, his attempt to fore the white woman towed is stopped—in the nick af time-by the Klan Cinematic Technique and the Story of Whiteness Although Grifith relied on Dion's historical tion and Wilson’ - tionalzed history the director had a long asting commitment to the ideology of whiteness. This history is evident in the films he made be- fore The Birth ofa Nation, The father of American cinema directed over 450 short fm, each roughly ten minutes long, forthe American Ma- toscope and Blograph Company, also known ss American Biograph, from 1908 to 1813. In these works, Grifth refined his technique for cresting compelling stories on film. He developed a commitment 10 cy ‘The Birth of a Nation felling a story of white supremacy that included the depiction of peo- ple of color as inferior, savage and unrestrained. Foe Gift, Asians, Latinas, Native Americans, Gypsies, Jews, as well as Afican Amer ‘ans, posed clear threats fo the sanctity of whiteness. The decor ‘went as fara fo use the tides ofa numberof his eazy work to market sncism, including The Gres Gruntet (1908), Romsece of «jemes (0908), The Zulu’s Hert (1908), The Mexicin Swecthearts (1908), That (Chink at Goien Gulch (1910), and The Heer of Szonge (191). As Thave argued elsewhere, the racism in The Birth of « Nati canbe traced to the ditectorsBiograph work (10) Grif also made several Civil Wa films for American Biography, Incuding most notably His Ts (1911) and His Tus Fuld (1911). In these works, we see a sweeping bate scene shots of saves running wild as Northerers pillage Souther homes, close views that revel the inner thoughts and emotions of character, and compositions tat feature recuting symbols of the Old South—inluding most promi rently a Confederate ofcer’s sword. Indeed, the sequel is based on the devotion a faithful soul has for his former Confederate master’s ‘word long afte the master has did in battle andthe slaves have Been feed. Grits camera work and plot strcare seem to fetishize the Confederate sword, making ta symbol of white power and pride And, a5 Michael Rogin notes in perhaps the most insightfal essay ‘written on Griffith's film, “The Sword Became a Flashing Vision,” these same stylistic choices are all found, refined and eoheren, in The Birth ofa Nation (25). “Most ofthe stylistic innovations credited to The Birt of Nation ca be found in the directors eae lms, This s most clea in his devel: lopment of chaseand rescue scenes, Constructed through paralleled ‘ing, which is somtimes refrred tas crosscutting or intrcuting, thaseand-tescue scenes consist of shots of two or more separate Ba usualy parallel locations interwoven to advance the film's plo. n ane ‘scene, We se te persons) Being chased. In another, we se the per son() doing the chasing. The filmmaker cuts back and forth between the locations, sometimes increasing or decreasing the tempo of indi vidual shots to further heighten suspense, He does this until the ‘user either eatches his vim or is nteupted by a hero. This sf ‘ously Mustrated in one of Griffith’ last et most succesafl le, Wiay Down East (1920), where, a the end ofthe film and nota moment‘0 soon, the hero saves the damsel in distress fom crashing death as ther body floats precariously tard a waterfall. We see this rescue ‘tough a series of parallel ets that serve to increase the tension ‘caused by & woman heading perilously close o a gushing waterfall ‘while casting a male at. savior rift’ sstagingsof chased rescue scenes are always dramatic and intense, facilitating narrative sus- ‘Pense while emphasizing the plight ofthe characters. They also serve icly to advance the story to a moral conclusion "And yet Grfith did not develop chase scenes and paral! editing simply 10 advance causal evens. In many of his ms, including the tatiest instances in which the fechnique is employed, the person being chased is a white woman, the chaser isa person of colo, and the hero isa white male. ta other words, Gzifith developed the tech- nique to support the tension surrounding interracial relations. This is pethaps best illustrated in The Gils and Daddy (1902). In this short ‘work, a blackface beute is distacted from a burglary after coming upon to unsuspecting white girls. Griffith goes to great lengths © ‘epresent the gels os beautiful and innocent, Severl shots shovr them play in bed, hugging and ising before they fall asleep. On seeing the young beauties, the blackface brute chases them from bedroom living roam to bedroom, enly tobe stopped by a white burglar who, at the sk of losing his Toot and getting captured, elects to defend ‘white parity and segregation and defend daddy's gins, The white bbusglat jumps on and puummele the blackface bate, Throughout the scene, Grifith employs cus and even a panning shot, a rare tech- rigue at this point in film history to both heighten the threat posed by blackness and to create 2 moral ending that reveals the innale heroics of whiteness. : “This chase scene foreshadows the famous sequence in The Birth of [Nation in which Gus, another lustful blackface brut, chases Flora, 8 darling daughter of the Confederscy, 9 hee death. Asin The Girls ‘ne Duy, Grifith cuts back and forth between Gus pursing Flos ‘with an obvious intent to rape and Fora either strolling ignorant of Gus or realizing what Gus desires, running away from the "renegade Negro" in abject fea. “You see, Im a Captain now—and I want © sary...” an interttle linked to Gus reads, Following the eter scone of the legislature voting down antimiscegenati laws, the scene 0 ‘The Birth of a Nation 's constructed tauty in a forest; long shadows cast by loming trees divide natural lighting in ways that aa visual rhyme to the narra tive context ofthe scene. Moreover the pacing ofthe eis adds a de- {gree of tension to the sequence, as Gift niall lingers on shots of Flos. There is also a closeup of Gus witha menacing and prutient ex- pression on his face. "Wait mise Iwom’t hut yeh,” a provocative ine tertile reads. Inthe meantime, Grif cuts to a thir locaton, where Ben Cameron searches in despair for the young Flora. In one of the ‘most notorious scenes in fm history, Flora elects to jump of cif her death rather than be defiled by Gus. Ben to at to save his Con federate sister but not too late to organize and aly the Klan to trace ‘Gus down and bring him to justice. As punishment, Gus is castrated and lynched (the castration sone was later cut by Grifith in response to teats of censorship by local flm-review boards). Although he plauded with greater fervor than the good Negros whowe de ‘votion iss dese shown, (Gifith 165) CGiti’s response was carly designed asa marketing ploy to farther ensure the sucess ofthe film. As we have sen, it reveals leo a key feature ofthe story. In The Birth of « Nation, there are “good” backs, ‘ican Americans who remain faithful t whiteness and segregation, and “bad blacks, African Americans who ae bestia lustful untrst- ‘worth, ignorant and unithfl to whiteness. This sa naraivepat- tern Griffith established during his days at American Bograph, a8 we hhave seen in Hs Trust and His Trust Fula, and itremained throxgh= this eareera prefered marketing tatgy. 92 ‘Tho Birth of a Nation The controversy over The Birth of« Nation didnot end with Gefih’s det use ofthe editorial pages ofthe New York Globe ain fac contre ‘ued through subsequent exhibitions ofthe fll. Several scholars report nce voting in major cts after screenings ofthe im, Equally distrt> {ngs the apparent fact that the Klan sed the lassen as recruiting tool, According to Michze! Rogin the Klan “screened the movie inthe 19205 to build membership inthe mlions” (250) Other scholars have "sported arse inte numberof Iyachings of blacks by white vigantes ‘dueto the fin’ depiction of African American men a rapists. ‘The impact of The Birth of Nation was felt not only inthe polieal ‘and legal spheres of American lf, but also in the specific experiences tnd protests ofthe African American community In 1920, for exam ple, African American independent flmnaker and novelist Oscar Michesux addressed the film when he made Withir Our Gate In this clasic, Micheaun’s ending serves asa challenging homage tothe end of Te irk of Nato, Wese the attempted rape of black woman by ‘white man as her family is being lynched fora crime they did not ‘commit In this sone, which snot explicitly tad to ahistorical event but is nonetheless far more historically accurate than any image of blackness found in Gifts classic, Micheaux exposes the represen ‘ion of African Amercansin The Birth of Nation as ie that masks the horrors of white supremacy during the era of slavery and Reconstuc tion, Itmust be remembered that, n elit, white slaveholders raped African American women in numbers that were both horsfc and ep arent to most people tiving inthe South. Despite protests and direct evidence thatthe Kan was violent in the ‘treme, Grifth remained stoic and even belligerent refusing 0 ac ‘owiehe fim’s racism oritscuipabity in advancing the agenda of ‘he Klan, In 199, upon the lease of one of his at fms, Daan Le col the southern dretor sat down with Walter Huston, the sa ofthe {coin im, fran interview In his med interview, whichisincluded ‘on the Kio Intemational DVD ("The Birth of Nation” and te Cll! Wer ins of DW Grit, Huston presents Grit witha Confederate off «ers sword an ironic recapitulation ofthe sword found in His Tras His ‘Tht Fulfil and The Bir of Nato, Get is visibly touched by the tif and goes onto defend his depiction of the Klan as honorable and justified. He even reminisces romantically about how Mother helped se their whiterobes as they rodein defence ofthe Od South. 93Berardi Conclusion Irrespective of Grith’s indilference to the history ofthe Klan, the controversy over the fm ilstrats the ways in which cinema is n= forme by and informs our approach to race relations, To this day, scholars continue to argue about how to site the flim. in history Should it be approached 38 actor a8 propaganda? Should it be con- ‘demned for advocating racism or forthe censorship it provoked? Its not uncommon fr contemporary scholars to sidestep the neue and e- ther avoid teaching the fm altogether or on showing ityignone the a- ‘cestuow relationship between the development of inématic tye and the story ofehite The Birth of ¢ Nation should remind lm scholars of a last two cit. teal imperatives. Fist, lms donot simply select the context in whi they are produce. They also inform the direction ofboth creative and social forces. Gifth’s lassie work certainly reflected the meaning of race dominating the early twentith century as this essay has tee ‘demonstrate: Yet it also refracted racial ideologies in ways that im paced the meaning of whitenes in the future. The Birth of ¢ Nation ‘ently inBuenced the direction of the Hollywood style. Moreover it prompted protests, censorship, and rigorous debate sboxt the Ameri- fan color line. Scholes have linked screenings ofthe fas to a dra ‘matic rise in Klan membership, 10 Iynchings, #0 riots, and to a vigorous national crique of stereotypes. AS Inte a8 the 1940s, the [NAACP organized groups to picket screenings ofthe fl and to protest the negative streotypes the Slzn promotes. In response, the film was rereleased numerous times in attempts to edit minimize, and excuse the fil’ racist message wile maintaining i tats asa cls- se. As KVC Entertainment advertises on the back cover of i video case, “Because the story was to from the South’ pon of view, The Birth ofa Nation was denounced by varius Hberal and civil igh or iganizations, and banned by the NAACP. Yet, no film efor, or ever since, has portrayed the most panfal chapter of Americ’ history ‘with auch profound realism.” A second critical imperative concerns a presumed distinction be- ‘youn art and ideology: The Birth of « Natio illustrates the fact that ‘lm canbe t once stylistic and politcal, simultaneously imaginative, ‘The Binh ofa Nation Drliant eationary and racist IF Te Birth of Nation teaches ws any ‘hing itis the ways in which the st of cinema can contract whit = premacy as history writen with arty. The innovations Griith made Inpuruit ofa style ofnaratveflmmaking were not sap in the serv= sce of storytelling; they were in the service of white supremacy. This the art of Te Birt of Nations is ram, particulary is construction of whiteness through tho lens of bck tneotyps and the cat of ine- matic technigue In The Beth of Nato, at ie deol, frm is cor fen and cinema is simultaneously moving, artist, wy and painful Credits ‘ase Ste, 115, Epoch Producing Company Diner an Produc: D, WG Scena Thomas F Dison foe! and pay DW. ith Frank. Woods, tnd Thema Dison Ccamstoppiy GW itzer ‘Ar Don Cash Shockey Joneph Seng and Fak Vortman ‘Mas Joseph Carl land DW. Get ‘Costure Desin Rater Gadetin cast He Sanenan atin ci BoraCareee Maeda, Col BorCacemn Hany alll MacgactCanern Mia Cooper Uys row Mary alder ‘stn Smeman ‘phew Stary (George Sear Gan Wate Lg Reber Haan WalaceRea Josep Henatery Josephine Cre Spetewocde Aten George tener Models Saley Iesnetee Bomsis ep Howie 96Bernard Bibliography "erm al “he oe of en: WV Gs gh 8919)" The Beh gf Wem eet Sie Emo Coen Ed cea Nor Brie agen Se 1S en en Ne or Neo 8. hp the New or it” ew Yr Ca 1 pe 8. Rg in ng" cay Lang Ri er iD. Cf New Bn: a Ling, Rte “The Bho Nor Hist sos, Nate Ra” “bomen 230 at ae oi on “Te ord eam ing aD WK. Goi ih hata es 2 sue" ton rei ts Ht Lng “Be Saris. er ‘ea eat An Gok Se Sir: Hod i hc "ew Yor Rowan ah