19 15 black and white film (silent) 185 minutes (original 16 frames per second)/123 minutes (24 frames per second).
Produced by American Time Film Company
Director: David Walker Griffith (based on Thomas Dixon's novel "Golden Gate") Photography: Billy Beazer Main Actors: Henry Vosol (as "Little Colonel") lillian gish (as Elsee Stoneman) Mae Marsh (as Frola Cameron).
abstract
The film begins with the slave trade and the abolitionists in the19th century strongly demanding the liberation of slaves. 1860, Austin Stoneman is about to become the leader of the House of Representatives. He has a beautiful daughter Elsie and two sons, and his family life is happy. Soon, the Stoneman brothers, who live in a country house in northern Pennsylvania, wrote to Cameron's parents, the owner of a southern manor in South Carolina, saying that they would visit him in the south. The Cameron family lived a quiet and comfortable life in Piedmont, and the visit of the Stoneman brothers brought joy and love to the Cameron family. Ben showed them around the manor, from the plantation to the cotton field, through the valley of love, and then to the slave community. The slaves sang and danced happily and shook hands with their master Ben. The visit of the Stoneman brothers bore fruit of love. Phil Stoneman fell in love with Ben's sister Margaret Cameron, and Ben secretly fell in love with Phil's sister Elsee after seeing her photo.
During the Stoneman brothers' visit, the contradiction between the North and the South intensified, the political situation was turbulent, and the storm was coming. The development of the situation shows that if the North wins the election, the South will secede from the Union. Due to the tense situation, Stoneman's brother * * * returned to his hometown in the north in advance. Before leaving, good friends promised to get together again. American President Lincoln signed a proclamation in Washington to enlist 75,000 volunteers to fight for the liberation of slaves, thus opening the civil war. Stoneman brothers in the north went to war, and Cameron's son in the south went to war in military uniform. Yesterday's good friends became enemies on today's battlefield. Piedmont in the south held a farewell ball for the soldiers who were about to leave for the front. The army set out. Their slogan is: "victory or death."
Two and a half years have passed. Ben received a letter from home on the battlefield, which filled him with warm fantasies. War is ruthless. Good friends meet again, but they meet as enemies on the battlefield. Confederate troops were losing ground on the battlefield. On the front line of Petersburg, burnt corn is the only food for the army. Confederate troops were in urgent need of food, but the grain truck drove to the other side of the front line by mistake. General Robert Lee ordered the Confederate army to break through the front line and take back the food truck. "Little Colonel" was ordered to charge. The trenches between the two armies are only a few hundred feet apart. Ben launched a last desperate attack on Captain Phil Stoneman's union headquarters, but it ended in failure. The little colonel was injured and captured, and was sent to a military hospital in Elsee, where he volunteered to be a nurse for treatment. Ben has always had a crush on Elsee. Now they get along day and night, and Elsee also has feelings for Ben. Ben's mother came from Piedmont to visit her eldest son when she learned that Ben was injured and hospitalized. Mother overheard that the little colonel was sentenced to death. Accompanied by Elsee, she met with President Lincoln and asked for pardon. Lincoln agreed. Seeing her son's gradual recovery, the mother returned to Piedmont to see her husband, Dr. Cameron.
April 9, 1865, Abo Mattox court. South General Lee formally surrendered to North General Grant. At this point, the civil war ended in a complete victory in the north. On the same day, the little colonel was released and returned to his home in the south, where he was warmly welcomed by his family. President Lincoln's tolerant policy towards the South was resolutely opposed by radical leader Stoneman. He demanded that "the leaders of the South must be hanged, and the southern states must be regarded as conquered provinces".
On the evening of April 1865, Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln went to the theater to watch a grand performance to celebrate the surrender of the South. During the performance, Lincoln was shot and the whole country was shocked. The end of war does not mean the end of violence. Lincoln's assassination changed the reconstruction process of the whole South. After Lincoln's death, power fell to Stoneman. He issued an order to raise blacks to full equality with whites. Sick Stoneman sent the black leader Lynch (mulatto) to the south to help blacks exercise their right to vote, and Lynch made Piedmont his headquarters. Later, following the doctor's advice, accompanied by Elsee, Stoneman also came to Piedmont, where the climate was warm, to recuperate, hoping to see for himself the implementation of his policy. In this way, Elsee will have the opportunity to see the little colonel often again and deepen their feelings.
In the election manipulated by Lynch, all blacks got the right to vote, while the main whites were deprived of the right to vote. As a result, blacks and northern speculators won a great victory in South Carolina, and Lynch was elected as lieutenant governor. The victory of the election brought about an escalation of atrocities. The little colonel told the white manor owner about a series of atrocities that had happened, accusing the blacks of abuse, burning and adultery. Because the state legislature and courts are in the hands of blacks, whites are in a minority position, all bills against whites have been passed, and all cases against blacks have lost, forcing whites to defend their rights by illegal means-organizing the Klan, and Lynch's supporters have also violently opposed the Klan. This little colonel is the founder of Ku Ku Klan, and Elsie is firmly on his father's side against Ku Ku Klan. Differences of opinion broke their love relationship.
The little colonel's little sister, Flora Cameron, ignored her brother's warning and went to the spring in the forest to get water alone. Gus, a black deserter, has ulterior motives In the process of chasing, Flora was forced to jump off a cliff and die. The little colonel was heartbroken because of the failure of rescue. He led the Klan to capture Gus alive, lynched him and avenged his sister. The death of Flora triggered a new round of violent confrontation. Lynch fought back, and the blacks took action to search for the Klan. The Klan responded with more violent actions. The little colonel led the Klan to swear: "Brothers, this flag is covered with the blood of a southern woman and made unnecessary sacrifices on the altar of civilization." Here, I hold up an ancient symbol of an unconquered country, the real cross of the ancient Scottish mountains ... "
Lynch, intoxicated with wine and power, vowed to build a "black empire". He was cynical and forced Elsee to marry him, but he was rejected. In order to achieve his goal, he detained Stoneman, who helped him ascend to the throne of power, and forced him to agree. At this critical juncture, the little colonel led the Klan cavalry to arrive in time and rescued Elsie and Stoneman. At the same time, the black army is besieging the Cameron family hiding in the cabin on January night. The Klan came to rescue the besieged white people. Lynch's perverse behavior prompted Cameron and Stoneman to unite again and fight for the inherent rights of Aryans.
The Klan held a grand parade to celebrate its victory. Two couples separated by the civil war, Ben and Elsee, Phil and Margaret, finally reconciled and merged. This combination represents the unity of the country, that is, the birth of a country.
Distinguish and appreciate
1965438+On February 8, 2005, The Birth of a Country was first released in the United States. This is a very racist film. From the first day of its release, it aroused strong repercussions from people from all walks of life in the United States and even caused riots in some cities. From the president of the United States to ordinary people, especially black people, have come out to express their views. Except for a few racists, most people hold a negative attitude towards the political content of this film. Ohio publicly banned the film from showing in that state, and the French film censors banned the film from showing for seven years.
Although this film is politically reactionary, it is outstanding in art. Griffith shot more than 450 short stories from 1908 to 19 13 * *, such as "Storing Wheat" (1909) and "the legendary swordsman in a Poor Lane" (/kloc-). From an artistic point of view, this is indeed a masterpiece:
(1) Narrative structure: This film has a rigorous structure, clear conception, clear narrative, strong logic and a sense of rhythm, which is very easy for the general audience to understand and accept. Griffith worship/kloc-Dickens, a British critical realist writer in the 0/9th century. He once said: "Dickens' writing method is what I use now. The only difference is that my story is told by images. "There are always traces of Dickens' narrative structure in Griffith's films. But his works are not illustrations of literary works, but greatly enrich the possibility of movies as narrative art.
The first half of the film, that is, before the "reconstruction period", is the product of Griffith's careful design; The second half, which describes the black atrocities and the emergence of the Klan in the "reconstruction period", is adapted from the script of Kinmen. Griffith painted a beautiful southern pastoral scene in the first half. Here, white manor owners live in harmony with black slaves, live an idyllic life, and have a peaceful scene of singing and dancing. This carefully constructed paragraph was obviously arranged by Griffith to express his ideas. Only when slaves are brutally exploited and oppressed will the revolution happen, but in the film, we don't see any revolutionary demands from southern slaves. On the contrary, they live in harmony with the manor owner. Therefore, in Griffith's view, the civil war is a nameless teacher with endless consequences. This laid the foundation for the violent confrontation and the emergence of the Klan in the second half of the "reconstruction period".
Before becoming a film director, Griffith worked as a dramatic actor and stage screenwriter for many years. He clearly knows the difference between literature, drama and film. Therefore, when he followed the structure and materials of the original "Golden Gate", he strengthened their visual and emotional charm, thus enhancing the effect. However, the narrative of his films is mainly a plot method with strong emotional appeal and lack of ideological depth.
The films made in infancy are rough and simple, and most of them are single films, which are shown in the humble "Nickel Cinema". Sponsors are mainly immigrants, laborers and unemployed people at the bottom of society. "The Birth of a Country" initiated the modern film narration. It is no exaggeration to say that the later film narration has drawn valuable nutrition from this film and other films he shot.
(2) Film editing: The appearance of this film has finally made the film enter the art palace from a vulgar and superficial entertainment variety and become the most popular and popular art form. Rudolph Einheim, a famous German film theorist, wrote: "Montage only appears when the film develops into an art ... Montage is a first-class creative means, which can help film artists emphasize or enrich the meaning of the depicted events."
According to the research of French film historian georges sadoul, the earliest example of using parallel montage is Griffith's "Storing Wheat". In this film, Griffith has further developed the technique of parallel montage. In order to create suspense and suspense, he used the technique of cross-editing, which made the film greatly exceed the expressive force of drama when expressing a series of actions. He is good at creating a tense atmosphere of chase and rescue through parallel montage, and has become a famous "Griffith's last-minute rescue" scene in the history of movies. Flora was hunted by Haggs, and the failure of the little colonel to rescue her is the most classic example. An example of successful rescue is also provided at the end of the film. The Cameron family was trapped in a remote hut surrounded by black soldiers in Yuanye, and the Klan came to the rescue. Images of Cameron's family struggling to die, anxious, black soldiers besieging the hut like thugs, images that can't be captured for a long time, and images of Ku Klux Klan white cavalry galloping for rescue appear alternately on the screen, forming a magnificent and intense rescue scene. Finally, the white man was saved and the black soldier was disarmed.
Griffith is also good at using constantly changing scenes to increase the image of the performance method to gradually deepen the impression of the audience. In the film, Griffith first shows a lonely wooden house with a distant view, then shows the scenery outside the window with a middle view, then depicts the face of the protagonist with a close-up, and finally highlights the indoor objects with a close-up. This technique is still one of the techniques commonly used by contemporary directors. Close-ups were not first used by Griffith, but they were very expressive, creative and symbolic. Just give two examples to illustrate: First, the Confederate army is about to collapse, and the supply of military food is tight. At this time, there is a close-up of a hand, which is distributing the last grain (burnt corn) of the Confederate army; A close-up of a black congressman taking off his shoes and putting it barefoot on the table is being discussed in the parliament hall. The former shows the situation that the Confederate army ran out of ammunition and food, while the latter shows the ugly state of the barbarity and ignorance of the black congressmen. If these two lenses are used in isolation, the audience will be confused and will not get the desired effect. Griffith is used with panoramic (confession) lens. The panoramic shot of the former shows the Yugoslav army on the battlefield, while the panoramic shot of the latter shows the scene of the parliamentary meeting. In this way, the artistic appeal of (large) close-ups is very strong. Einheim pointed out: "Generally speaking, film artists feel that close-ups can never be used in isolation, but only in combination with panoramic shots, so that the audience can have a necessary understanding of the overall situation." As early as 19 15, Griffith realized this.
In order to break the monotony of a rectangular screen similar to a stage, Griffith invented the enclosing method. In the film, when the circle turned to the battlefield, we saw that the South Army and the North Army were engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat. When the northern army finally defeated the southern army, Griffith used the circle method to let us see the scene of the northern army cheering for victory on the battlefield. This technique was widely used in the silent film era, but it is out of date now and is rarely used by contemporary directors. But in fashion, it is innovation.
In a word, film skills began to become a rich artistic expression "language" in Griffith's hands.
(3) Characterization: William everson, a professor of film history at new york University, said: "When Griffith shoots characters, he always lets you know who they are, how they feel, whether they are good or bad." In the film, the tenderness of the young colonel, the naivety and liveliness of Flora, the rudeness of Lynch and the brutality of Gus are all expressed through external actions and exaggerated techniques, so that the audience can see who is a good guy and who is a bad guy at a glance, especially the screen image of Haggs is very ugly, ferocious and rude, full of lust and lust, which immediately aroused great disgust from the audience. Of course, from today's perspective, this characterization is too straightforward and too playful. However, under the historical conditions at that time, a large number of shoddy commercial films flooded the market, which was far from artistic techniques and characterization. But Griffith consciously created vivid characters in his films through film language, which is a valuable innovation. It can be said that Griffith is the first person in film history to realize that a good story depends on characterization.
Griffith is good at creating characters through animals. When Margaret appeared on the screen, she held a lovely little white cat in her arms and took good care of it, which set off her gentleness. In a scene where a young colonel and Elsee went to the woods to love each other, the young colonel gave Elsee a white dove, and Elsee touched and kissed the little white dove when he got home. These details play an important role in shaping the characters and creating the atmosphere. The scene of Flora teasing squirrels in the Woods vividly depicts the naive, lively and lovely nature of her little sister. In addition, Griffith specially arranged a cat-and-dog fight at Cameron's house, and then the word "hostility" appeared in the subtitles, which was obviously a metaphorical montage, suggesting that the civil war was a family struggle. This technique of consciously shaping characters' personalities and metaphors through animals on the screen was also initiated by Griffith.
The image of President Lincoln created by Joseph Hennaberg left a deep impression on the audience, although he didn't write much. Lincoln's image is not only similar but also similar, with strong documentary style and artistic appeal. Lincoln's image is the first leader created on the screen.
(4) Historical blockbuster: This three-hour movie is a historical blockbuster that "fired the first shot of an American movie". This magnificent film epic was praised as "a historical masterpiece written with light" by then American President Wilson. Griffith, with the talent and charm of a great artist, reproduced a series of important historical events before and after the Civil War on the screen (unfortunately, he reflected these events from the standpoint of southern racists), leaving an immortal masterpiece to the world film history.
It took Griffith only nine weeks and $654.38 million to complete such a masterpiece. By 193 1, the film revenue has reached18 million dollars, and by 1946, the number of people watching movies has exceeded 200 million, still maintaining the highest box office revenue of silent films. Sadoul wrote: "The birth of a country has greatly changed the commercial management of American films, enabling Hollywood to make some feature films that are bigger and more luxurious than Italian films, thus opening up the road of super films and huge returns ... The day when the film was first released in the United States was the beginning of Hollywood's dominance of the world, and it was also the beginning of Hollywood's dominance of the world at least in the next few years."
Bela Balazs, a famous Hungarian film theorist, thinks that Griffith "not only created outstanding works of art, but also created a brand-new art". Hitchcock said, "Today, every time you watch a movie, there is always something created by Griffith." Professor everson said: "Griffith and the Griffith era are like the Bible of film history, I mean, the real Bible of film production. Until around 1925, every great director either worked with Griffith or learned a lot from him. Without him, there would be no movie we understand today, or the full maturity of the movie would be delayed for many years. "
In short, the film's heavy reflection on history, magnificent war scenes, huge performance lineup and exquisite performance style have left indelible marks not only in the United States, but also in the world film history.