Birth of a Nation, The

Andrew Bradford

The year 1915 marked the premiere of the film The Birth of a Nation. The film was unprecedented for its time and represented a new milestone in filmmaking and presentation, replete with an orchestral score. The movie not only ushered in a new theatergoing experience but also set the mark for many silent films to come. Though theatergoers were charged an unheard-of $2 to see the film, the admission fee was quite minimal compared to the production cost of the film, which was estimated at $110,000—the highest of its time and for many years to come. The response to this film was parallel only to its production cost. In addition to the cost and epic proportions of the film, a storm of criticism and violence ensued, and drums were beating for the return of the Ku Klux Klan. This entry describes the basis for the film, positive and negative The ...

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