The focal point of the paper is present an evaluation and analysis about D. W. Griffith’s two movies, Birth of a Nation and Intolerance, and his influence in regard to genre and formula.
It could well be stated that these two movies were instrumental in influencing a complete generation into the aspect of white supremacy. With his inclination towards Ku Klux Klan he actually motivated in an indirect form the development of a genre and formula that ultimately came to be known as Black movies.It can well be stated that for a democratic society with its democratic form of government system it is but an obvious choice to opt for a society that is predominantly color blind. The basis norm of a democratic society is to provide its mass with a structural form that offers equality in terms of justice and social characteristic. It is an unwanted phenomenon but it is also extremely true at the same time that racism is a curse that exists among us whether we like it or not.The presence of racism is well documented in many societal domains including workplace, school, health care, and housing.
It is very peculiar to consider racism is an ideology where humans are separated into various groups in the belief that some people are superior because they belong to a particular ethnic or national group. It could be summarized that racism is the result of having negative judgments, beliefs, and feelings towards certain identifiable groups. This was highly incorporated in the movie Birth of a Nation. Here Woodrow Wilson’s extremely racist idea was quoted by Griffith.This line states that “the white man was roused by a mere instinct of self preservation…until at last there has sprung into existence a great Ku Klux Klan, a veritable empire of the South, to protect the southern country. ” (Lamb, 2004) This was utterly unacceptable for the colored community in the country and it resulted in a specific genre that was negatively influenced by Griffith.
Within four years of the release of the movie it was seen that a number of black directors arriving at the movie industry as a response to Griffith’s movie remark.The most noted among them were Oscar Micheaux and Emmett J. Scott. Emmett J. Scott directed The Birth of a Race in 1919 and in the same year Within Our Gates was released by Oscar Micheaux.
This developed as a particular genre that reached its peak in the context of popularity during the movie Shaft. These movies can easily be denoted as a basic model of genera of movies that later became known as blaxploitation films and the film noir elements are profoundly present in this movie.This is the special essence of these movies. The protagonist is predominantly black and all the perceptions and perspective presented in the movie is distinctively black in nature. These are specifically Afrocentric in presentation. It could be mentioned that it easily surpassed supplementary black stereotypes, as represented in Griffith’s Birth of a Nation or Intolerance, with its presentation of black gangsters and black activists at the same time along with urban junkies who are black.
While evaluating Griffith’s Birth of a Nation or Intolerance the phrase, ‘white man’s burden’, appears to be a very interesting clue to the statement that he made in both of his films with overtone of white supremacy. If we look closely enough, we would find that during the 19th and the early part of 20th century it was the times of building, developing and sustaining a huge empire, later known as colonies, by the major players of the European politics. It should also be noted that this period, the 19th and the early part of 20th century, was also the fallout period of the essence of industrial revolution.Industrial revolution freed the entrepreneurs from the usual bondage of traditional economy and for the general it was the time for a new social bondage free from the earlier pseudo- feudal economic system. But all these developments also brought in new learning and new ideologies where ideas of human rights occupied a major role.
In this context and social structure it would have been very hard to digest the ideals of imperial expansions through the method of brutal strength.This hard pill of ‘colonialism with brutality’ needed some spooning with sweetness to become a favorable aromatic digestible element for the general people of the imperial states. As a result this phrase ‘white man’s burden’ came into existence as a remedy to the enlightens of the industrial revolution and people were ready to buy this theory as this theory easily softened the guilt feeling of the educated class and apparently justified the brutal acts and decisions taken to control and cover the colonial agitations.Thus Griffith’s Birth of a Nation or Intolerance, specifically Intolerance exhales the idea of white supremacy while stereotyping the black or colored communities thereby soothing the aspect of racism.
But the tone remained and this evoked generations of black film makers to draw inspiration by getting angered by the thought process of Griffith’s Birth of a Nation or Intolerance.
