IMDb > The Birth of a Nation (1915)
The Birth of a Nation
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The Birth of a Nation (1915) -- The Civil War divides friends and destroys families, but that's nothing compared to the anarchy in the black-ruled South after the war.

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   8,168 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
D.W. Griffith
Writers:
Thomas F. Dixon Jr. (novel)
Thomas F. Dixon Jr. (play) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Birth of a Nation on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 March 1915 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | History | Romance | War | Western more
Tagline:
Mighty Spectacle more
Plot:
The Civil War divides friends and destroys families, but that's nothing compared to the anarchy in the black-ruled South after the war. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 win more
NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
The Pride of Precious Jones
 (From Huffington Post. 9 November 2009, 2:49 PM, PST)
Pillars Of Society – Henry B. Walthall – d: Raoul Walsh
 (From Alternative Film Guide. 29 October 2009, 10:29 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
A Great Classic more (255 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (complete, awaiting verification)

Lillian Gish ... Elsie Stoneman

Mae Marsh ... Flora Cameron
Henry B. Walthall ... Col. Ben Cameron (as Henry Walthall)
Miriam Cooper ... Margaret Cameron
Mary Alden ... Lydia Brown
Ralph Lewis ... Austin Stoneman
George Siegmann ... Silas Lynch (as George Seigmann)
Walter Long ... Gus
Robert Harron ... Tod Stoneman
Wallace Reid ... Jeff (blacksmith) (as Wallace Reed)
Joseph Henabery ... Abraham Lincoln / 13 other bits (as Jos. Henabery)
Elmer Clifton ... Phil Stoneman
Josephine Crowell ... Mrs. Cameron
Spottiswoode Aitken ... Dr. Cameron
George Beranger ... Wade Cameron (as J.A. Beringer)
Maxfield Stanley ... Duke Cameron
Jennie Lee ... Mammy
Donald Crisp ... Gen. Ulysses S. Grant
Howard Gaye ... Gen. Robert E. Lee
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tom Wilson ... Stoneman's servant (as Thomas Wilson)
Monte Blue ... Bit Role (uncredited)
Bobby Burns ... Klan leader (uncredited)
Edmund Burns ... Klansman (uncredited)
Edward Burns ... Klansman (uncredited)
Fred Burns ... Klansman (uncredited)
David Butler ... Northern soldier / Confederate soldier (uncredited)
Peggy Cartwright ... Young girl (uncredited)
William E. Cassidy ... Bit Role (uncredited)
Dark Cloud ... A general (uncredited)
Lenore Cooper ... Elsie's maid (uncredited)
Sam De Grasse ... Sen. Sumner (uncredited)
William De Vaull ... Jake (uncredited)
Charles Eagle Eye ... Man who falls from roof (uncredited)
John Ford ... Klansman on horse holding up hood with hand (uncredited)
Alberta Franklin ... (uncredited)
William Freeman ... The sentry (uncredited)

Gibson Gowland ... Bit Role (uncredited)
Olga Grey ... Laura Keene (uncredited)

D.W. Griffith ... Himself (1931 reissue version) (uncredited)
Fred Hamer ... (uncredited)
Russell Hicks ... (uncredited)

Walter Huston ... Himself (1931 reissue version) (uncredited)
Charles King ... Undetermined Role (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Alberta Lee ... Mrs. Lincoln (uncredited)
Elmo Lincoln ... Blacksmith (uncredited)
Donna Montran ... Belles of 1861 (uncredited)
Eugene Pallette ... Union soldier (uncredited)
Vester Pegg ... (uncredited)
Alma Rubens ... Belles of 1861 (uncredited)
Allan Sears ... Klansman (uncredited)
Charles Stevens ... Volunteer (uncredited)
Madame Sul-Te-Wan ... Black woman (Dr. Cameron's taunter) (uncredited)
Raoul Walsh ... John Wilkes Booth (uncredited)
Jules White ... (uncredited)
Violet Wilkey ... Flora as a child (uncredited)
Mary Wynn ... (uncredited)
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Directed by
D.W. Griffith 
 
Writing credits
Thomas F. Dixon Jr. (novel "The Clansman: An Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan")

Thomas F. Dixon Jr.  play "The Clansman" and
Thomas F. Dixon Jr.  novel "The Leopard's Spots"

D.W. Griffith (writer) &
Frank E. Woods (writer)

Produced by
D.W. Griffith .... producer
H.E. Aitken .... executive producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Joseph Carl Breil 
D.W. Griffith 
 
Cinematography by
G.W. Bitzer 
 
Film Editing by
D.W. Griffith 
Joseph Henabery 
James Smith 
Rose Smith 
Raoul Walsh 
 
Costume Design by
Robert Goldstein (uncredited)
Clare West (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Christy Cabanne .... assistant director (uncredited)
Elmer Clifton .... assistant director (uncredited)
Jack Conway .... assistant director (uncredited)
Donald Crisp .... assistant director (uncredited)
Howard Gaye .... assistant director (uncredited)
Fred Hamer .... assistant director (uncredited)
Robert Harron .... assistant director (uncredited)
Joseph Henabery .... assistant director (uncredited)
Thomas E. O'Brien .... assistant director (uncredited)
George Siegmann .... chief assistant director (uncredited)
Herbert Sutch .... assistant director (uncredited)
W.S. Van Dyke .... assistant director (uncredited)
Raoul Walsh .... assistant director (uncredited)
Henry B. Walthall .... assistant director (uncredited)
Tom Wilson .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
Ralph M. DeLacy .... property master (uncredited)
Shorty English .... carpenter (uncredited)
Jim Newman .... assistant carpenter (uncredited)
Cash Shockey .... set painter (uncredited)
Joseph Stringer .... set builder (uncredited)
Hal Sullivan .... assistant property master (uncredited)
Frank Wortman .... set designer (uncredited)
 
Special Effects by
Walter Hoffman .... special effects supervisor (uncredited)
'Fireworks' Wilson .... special effects (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Monte Blue .... stunts (uncredited)
Charles Eagle Eye .... stunts (uncredited)
Leo Nomis .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Karl Brown .... camera operator (uncredited)
Frank B. Good .... assistant camera (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Robert Goldstein .... costumer (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Harry Berken .... musician: trumpeter
Carli Elinor .... conductor (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Jim Kidd .... security officer (uncredited)
Abe Scholtz .... laboratory technician (uncredited)
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
In the Clutches of the Ku Klux Klan (USA) (cut version)
The Birth of the Nation; Or The Clansman (second copyright title)
The Clansman (USA) (Los Angeles première title)
more
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
190 min (16 fps) | USA:125 min (video version) | USA:187 min (DVD) | Argentina:165 min
Country:
USA
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Silent
Certification:
Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Argentina:Atp | South Korea:15 (2002) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | UK:15 (video rating) | UK:U (original rating) | Sweden:15 | Canada:G (Quebec)
Filming Locations:
Big Bear Lake, California, USA more
Company:
David W. Griffith Corp. more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Rated #7 of the 25 most controversial movies of all time. Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2006. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The position of the window in the small cabin changes. more
Quotes:
intertitle: Second Part - Reconstruction. The agony which the South endured that a nation might be born. The blight of war does not end when hostilities cease. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Homicide: The Movie (2000) (TV) more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
8 out of 12 people found the following comment useful.
A Great Classic, 11 June 1999
10/10
Author: anonymous

Despite the criticism that this film has received for the bias it shows, I think its artistic merit alone puts it on a par with other great films. It is a story of the Civil War and its aftermath; we should remember this film as the one that ushered in the tide of later classics. I fully recommend it.

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Q U E S T I O N.... please help! BhmnRhaps124
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