The Birth of a Nation (1915)

Reference View | Change View

Not Rated
3h 15min
Drama, History
21 Mar 1915 (USA)
Movie

6.1 (26,329)

0

Rate

1

Rate

2

Rate

3

Rate

4

Rate

5

Rate

6

Rate

7

Rate

8

Rate

9

Rate

10

Rate

0

Error: please try again.

The Stoneman family finds its friendship with the Camerons affected by the Civil War, both fighting in opposite armies. The development of the war in their lives plays through to Lincoln's assassination and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writers:

Stars:

Awards:

2 wins.
See more »

Reviews:

Photos and Videos

Gerard Bush awoke from a nightmare with a short story idea that he and co-writer/co-director Christopher Renz developed into the screenplay for the thriller, 'Antebellum' (2020). Stars Janelle Monáe, Kiersey Clemons, Gabourey Sidibe, Tongayi Chirisa, Lily Cowles, Jena Malone, and Jack Huston sound off on the impact and timeliness of Bush and Renz's creation.

Still of Spottiswoode Aitken in The Birth of a Nation (1915)

Add Image

94 photos | 1 video

Complete, Cast awaiting verification

Edit


	Lillian Gish	...	Elsie - Stoneman's Daughter
	Mae Marsh	...	Flora Cameron - The Pet Sister
	Henry B. Walthall	...	Col. Ben Cameron aka The Little Colonel (as Henry Walthall)
	Miriam Cooper	...	Margaret Cameron - The Elder Sister
	Mary Alden	...	Lydia Brown - Stoneman's Mulatto Housekeeper
	Ralph Lewis	...	Hon. Austin Stoneman - Leader of the House
	George Siegmann	...	Silas Lynch - Mulatto Lieut. Governor (as George Seigmann)
	Walter Long	...	Gus - A Renegade Negro
	Robert Harron	...	Tod - Stoneman's Younger Son
	Wallace Reid	...	Jeff - The Blacksmith (as Wallace Reed)
	Joseph Henabery	...	Abraham Lincoln (as Jos. Henabery)
	Elmer Clifton	...	Phil - Stoneman's Elder Son
	Josephine Crowell	...	Mrs. Cameron
	Spottiswoode Aitken	...	Dr. Cameron
	George Beranger	...	Wade Cameron - The Second Son (as J.A. Beringer)
	Maxfield Stanley	...	Duke Cameron - The Youngest Son (as John French)
	Jennie Lee	...	Mammy - The Faithful Servant
	Donald Crisp	...	Gen. Ulysses S. Grant
	Howard Gaye	...	Gen. Robert E. Lee
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
	Bennie Billings	...	Child (uncredited)
	Monte Blue	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
	Harry Braham	...	Cameron's Male Servant (uncredited)
	Bob Burns	...	Klan Leader (uncredited)
	Edmund Burns	...	Klansman (uncredited)
	Edward Burns	...	Klansman (uncredited)
	Fred Burns	...	Klansman (uncredited)
	David Butler	...	Northern Soldier / Confederate Soldier (uncredited)
	Peggy Cartwright	...	Young Girl in Cabin (uncredited)
	William E. Cassidy	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
	Dark Cloud	...	General at Appomatox Surrender (uncredited)
	Lenore Cooper	...	Elsie's Maid (uncredited)
	Sam De Grasse	...	Senator Charles Sumner (uncredited)
	William De Vaull	...	Nelse - An Old-Fashioned Negro (uncredited)
	Charles Eagle Eye	...	Man Who Falls from Roof (uncredited)
	John Ford	...	Klansman on Horse Holding Up Hood with Hand (uncredited)
	Alberta Franklin	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
	William Freeman	...	Jake / Sentry at Hospital (uncredited)
	Gibson Gowland	...	Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
	Olga Grey	...	Laura Keene (uncredited)
	D.W. Griffith	...	Self (1931 reissue version) (uncredited)
	Fred Hamer	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
	Russell Hicks	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
	Walter Huston	...	Walter Huston (1930 re-release promotion) (uncredited)
	Alberta Lee	...	Mrs. Lincoln (uncredited)
	Elmo Lincoln	...	White-Arm Joe - Blacksmith (uncredited)
	Betty Marsh	...	Child with Dr. Cameron (uncredited)
	Donna Montran	...	Belle of 1861 (uncredited)
	Eugene Pallette	...	Union Soldier (uncredited)
	Vester Pegg	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
	Jack Pickford	...	Negro (uncredited)
	Hayes E. Robertson	...	Man Going Inside While Ku Klux Klan is Watching (uncredited)
	Alma Rubens	...	Belle of 1861 (uncredited)
	Allan Sears	...	Klansman (uncredited)
	Charles Stevens	...	Volunteer Who Reports Piedmont Raid (uncredited)
	Madame Sul-Te-Wan	...	Black Woman - Dr. Cameron's Taunter (uncredited)
	George Walsh	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
	Raoul Walsh	...	John Wilkes Booth (uncredited)
	Jules White	...	Confederate Soldier (uncredited)
	Violet Wilkey	...	Flora Cameron as a Child (uncredited)
	Tom Wilson	...	Stoneman's Servant (uncredited)
	Mary Wynn	...	Minor Role (uncredited)

Directed by

Edit

D.W. Griffith

Written by

Edit

Thomas Dixon Jr.	...	(adapted from his novel: "The Clansman: An Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan")

Thomas Dixon Jr.	...	(play "The Clansman")
Thomas Dixon Jr.	...	(novel "The Leopard's Spots")

D.W. Griffith	...	&
Frank E. Woods	...

Produced by

Edit

H.E. Aitken	...	executive producer (uncredited)
D.W. Griffith	...	producer

Music by

Edit

Joseph Carl Breil	...	(music)
D.W. Griffith	...	(music)

Cinematography by

Edit

G.W. Bitzer

Editing by

Edit

D.W. Griffith
Joseph Henabery
James Smith
Rose Smith
Raoul Walsh

Editorial Department

Edit

Karl Malkames

...

negative: Killiam Shows

Costume Design by

Edit

Robert Goldstein	...	(uncredited)
Clare West	...	(uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

Edit

Art Department

Edit

Samuel De Vall	...	art department supervisor
Ralph M. DeLacy	...	property master (uncredited)
Shorty English	...	carpenter (uncredited)
Jim Newman	...	assistant carpenter (uncredited)
Cash Shockey	...	set painter (uncredited)
Joseph Stringer	...	set builder (uncredited)
Hal Sullivan	...	assistant property master (uncredited)
Frank Wortman	...	set designer (uncredited)

Special Effects by

Edit

Walter Hoffman	...	special effects supervisor (uncredited)
'Fireworks' Wilson	...	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts

Edit

Monte Blue	...	stunts (uncredited)
Charles Eagle Eye	...	stunts (uncredited)
Leo Nomis	...	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

Edit

Karl Brown	...	camera operator (uncredited)
Frank B. Good	...	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

Edit

Robert Goldstein

...

costumer (uncredited)

Music Department

Edit

George Koehler	...	conductor
Fraser Macdonald	...	score arranger: Killiam Shows
William Axt	...	music arranger: 1921 revival (New York) (uncredited)
Harry Berken	...	musician: trumpeter (uncredited)
Carli Elinor	...	conductor (uncredited)
Louis F. Gottschalk	...	music adaptor: 1930 synchronized version (uncredited)
Herman Hand	...	music arranger: 1921 revival (New York) (uncredited)
Joseph Nurnberger	...	composer: overture (Los Angeles premiere) (uncredited)
Erno Rapee	...	music arranger: 1921 revival (New York) (uncredited)

Additional Crew

Edit

D.W. Griffith	...	presents
Jim Kidd	...	security officer (uncredited)
Abe Scholtz	...	laboratory technician (uncredited)

Production Companies

Edit

Distributors

Edit

Epoch Producing Corporation (1915) (United States) (theatrical) (original release)
Western Import Company (1915) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
Svenska Biografteaterns Filmbyrå (1918) (Sweden) (theatrical)
Titania (1922) (Finland) (theatrical)
Universal Pictures (1931) (United Kingdom) (theatrical) (re-release)
Astor Pictures Corporation (1940) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release)
Archway Film Distributors Ltd. (1952) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
Suomi-Filmi (1964) (Finland) (theatrical)
Joseph Brenner Associates (JBA) (1970) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release)
Lumivision (1991) (United States) (video) (laserdisc)
Republic Pictures Home Video (1991) (United States) (video) (laserdisc)
Image Entertainment (1994) (United States) (video) (laserdisc)
Image Entertainment (1998) (United States) (DVD)
Divisa Home Video (2002) (Spain) (DVD)
Image Entertainment (2002) (United States) (DVD)
Kino Video (2002) (United States) (DVD)
Kino Video (2002) (United States) (VHS)
Reel Media International (2004) (World-wide) (VHS)
Ermitage Cinema (2005) (Italy) (DVD)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (Italy) (DVD)
FilmAnnex (2006) (World-wide)
SBP (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
Reel Media International (2007) (World-wide)
absolut MEDIEN (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
Eureka Entertainment (2013) (United Kingdom) (Blu-ray) (Masters of Cinema no.52)
BFI Video (2015) (United Kingdom) (Blu-ray) (restored 2 disc Centenary Edition)
BFI Video (2015) (United Kingdom) (DVD)
Alpha Video Distributors (2017) (United States) (DVD) (dvdr)
Twilight Time (2018) (World-wide) (Blu-ray)
Killiam Shows (United States) (tv)

Special Effects

Edit

Other Companies

Edit

Goldstein and Company (costumes)
Western Costume Company (wardrobe)

Storyline

Edit

Plot Summary	Two brothers, Phil and Ted Stoneman, visit their friends in Piedmont, South Carolina: the family Cameron. This friendship is affected by the Civil War, as the Stonemans and the Camerons must join up in opposite armies. The consequences of the War in their lives are shown in connection to major historical events, like the development of the Civil War itself, Lincoln's assassination, and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan. Written by Victor Munoz Plot Summary Plot Synopsis
Plot Keywords	national-film-registry afi black-stereotype abraham-lincoln-character john-wilkes-booth-character See All (161) »
Taglines	Mighty Spectacle See more »
Genres	Drama History War
Parents Guide	View content advisory »
Certification	Argentina:Atp Australia:PG Australia:M Brazil:12 Brazil:Livre (DVD rating) Canada:PG (Manitoba) Canada:G (Quebec) Denmark:A Finland:K-16 France:Tous publics Germany:0 India:U Ireland:(Banned) Ireland:PG Italy:T (self-applied) Japan:G Mexico:A Norway:12 (Amazon Prime self-rating) Norway:A (cinema rating) Poland:12 (TV rating) Portugal:M/12 South Korea:15 Sweden:15 United Kingdom:15 (Blu-ray rating) United Kingdom:U United Kingdom:15 (video rating) United Kingdom:15 United States:Not Rated United States:TV-PG United Arab Emirates:15+ (Blu-ray rating)

Additional Details

Edit

Also Known As	In the Clutches of the Ku Klux Klan (United States) The Clansman (United States) The Birth of the Nation; Or The Clansman (United States) Naissance d'une nation (France) Die Geburt einer Nation (Germany) See more »
Runtime	195 min
Country	United States
Language	English
Color	Black and White (tinted)
Aspect Ratio	1.33 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix	Silent
Filming Locations	Calexico, California, USA See more »

Box Office

Budget	$110,000 (estimated)
Cumulative Worldwide Gross	$11,000,000

Did You Know?

Edit

Trivia	When it opened in New York City, ticket prices were $2.00 each, which was considered astronomical at the time. In modern-day currency, accounting for inflation, that would be about $17-$20. The exorbitant ticket prices greatly inflated the box office revenue of the film. See more »
Goofs	Car tire tracks are visible in the KKK segment. See more »
Movie Connections	Edited into The Revenge of Pancho Villa (1932). See more »
Crazy Credits	The following was listed in the opening credits: A PLEA FOR THE ART OF THE MOTION PICTURE: We do not fear censorship, for we have no wish to offend with improprieties or obscenities, but we do demand, as a right, the liberty to show the dark side of wrong, that we may illuminate the bright side of virtue - the same liberty that is conceeded to the art of the written word - that art to which we owe the Bible and the works of Shakespeare. See more »
Quotes	intertitle: This is an historical presentation of the Civil War and Reconstruction Period, and is not meant to reflect on any race or people of today. See more »

Getting Started | Contributor Zone »