D.W. Griffith

Author: Jo-Ann Pittman
Published on: Jun 1, 1999

Welcome to June. Since June is the month in which we pay tribute to dad, I thought I would do my first essay of the month about the man known as "the father of motion picture". Also known as "the father of film technique," "the man who invented Hollywood," and "the Shakespeare of the screen," D. W. (David Wark) Griffith made over 450 films in his long career-the most famous of which is The Birth of a Nation.

Born in Kentucky, in 1875, Griffith started out wanting to be a playwright. He moved to New York but quickly turned from writing and acting in the theater to directing motion pictures. As the movie industry moved West, so did Griffith.

Griffith's contribution to film is enormous. He managed to bring the industry from flat, single-plot stories to rounded, intricate, narrative stories. Griffith introduced the idea of two stories going on at the same time and perfected the use of flashbacks and cross cutting to tell the dual plot lines. He is responsible for bringing us the film industry and film making techniques that we have today.

Honored as the American film pioneer, Griffith introduced and perfected many of film techniques we take for granted today. Techniques such as close-ups, long shots, panning, and moving camera shots helped Griffith and modern day directors tell their stories.

His most famous film, The Birth of a Nation, is hailed as a story telling breakthrough. It remains his most famous film to this day. It also remains one of the most controversial films of all time. Adapted from the book, The Clansman, by Thomas Dixon, the film shows two families through the Civil War and Reconstruction-one family from the South and one family from the North. Griffith's use of ethnic and racist stereotypes of African Americans as stupid and lusting after women and of the Ku Klux Klan as the saviors of the South have made this one of the most banned films in American History.

Griffith's depiction of his racist beliefs in this film also turned out to be his down fall. He continued to make films after The Birth of a Nation but he had already tainted his name. He tried in films likeIntolerance to show a side of social consciousness within himself but it was too late and the damage had already been done.

Griffith was asked to help form a new studio in 1920. Always fiercely independent, Griffith jumped at the idea. So he, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and Mary Pickford formed United Artists. Their goal was to allow more freedom for actors and directors in the film industry. United Artist continues to make films today, but Griffith's association with the studio did not last long.

Griffith received an honorary Academy Award in 1936. He was recognized for "his distinguished creative achievements as director and producer and his invaluable initiative and lasting contributions to the progress of the motion picture arts." It is hard for us to recognize his numerous achievements because these techniques are standard filmmaking today. It is important to remember that Griffith gave them to us.

D. W. Griffith died in Hollywood in 1948. He is most remembered for his controversial film The Birth of a Nation. But I would also like to remember the father of modern filmmaking for his unparalleled contribution to the film industry.

Just a little update from last week's story. Two films cleaned up last week at the Cannes Film Festival. Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne's Rosetta won the Palme d'Or and Bruno Dumont's L'Humanite won the Grand Jury Prize. Both French films; Rosetta is the story of a young woman who is afraid of disappearing but ashamed for not belonging either. L'Humanite tells the story of a young, naïve policeman that suffers because of his empathy and humanity. These two films also took all the acting awards last week. Pedro Almodovar won for Best Director for his film Todo Sobre Mi Madre. In this film, a mother decides to find the transexual father of her now deceased son.