The Birth of a Nation
“The Fiery Cross of the Ku Klux Klan!”
D.W. GriffithCast
Lillian Gish 
Mae Marsh 
Henry B. Walthall Walter Long
Credits
Written by: Thomas Dixon Jr.
Plot
Two families are followed through the American Civil War and Reconstruction. It was innovative in technique but is a racist work that portrays the Ku Klux Klan as heroes.
Sinekatalog’s take
D.W. Griffith's 1915 epic was a technical landmark that shaped film grammar, but it is a racist work that glorifies the Ku Klux Klan. It must be watched critically, as an important and deeply troubling historical document.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.
Ratings
IMDb: 6.0 / 10 (28,619 votes)
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset; Rotten Tomatoes snapshot from October 2026. Scores change over time.
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