DW Griffith

What effect did the film have on the US society at the time? How did the white audience react? How did the african american audience react? How did Griffith respond to the publics reaction to his film? Write about three of the innovations that Griffith pioneered with the film.

Dw Griffith's film, The Birth of a Nation, caused racial discrimination to increase, thus resulting in the empowerment of the KKK. Immediately following the film's release, the KKK's membership peaked. Through the film, the audience was persuaded that African Americans were a threat to their society and the KKK was the hero who fought the "source of evil." The film was outraged by the African American community because of its "'racist' and 'vicious' portrayal of blacks, its proclamation of miscegenation, its pro-Klan stance, and its endorsement of slavery." Riots broke out in opposition to the obvious portrayal of racism. To this criticism, Griffith claimed that he wasn't racist at the time, and only accommodated by cutting out the most brutal parts. In the film, Griffith explored its own original music score written for an orchestra, different shot angles, and the vignettes. Previously, music was improvised on the spot by a musician, camera was only shot at eye level, and the vignette was a special effect that was yet to be popularized.