The younger Stoneman and two of the Cameron brothers are killed in combat. When the Civil War arrives, the young men of both families enlist in their respective armies. There, Margaret's brother, Ben, idolizes a picture of Elsie Stoneman, Phil's sister. Phil, the elder son of the Stonemans (a Northern family), falls in love with Margaret Cameron (the daughter of a Southern family), during a visit to the Cameron estate in South Carolina. Plot Part 1: Civil War of United States The film's portrayal of the Siege of Petersburg, led by Ben Cameron In 1992, the Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. The film has been acknowledged as an inspiration for the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan, which took place only a few months after its release. In spite of its divisiveness, The Birth of a Nation was a huge commercial success across the nation-grossing more than any previous motion picture-and it profoundly influenced both the film industry and American culture. Griffith's indignation at efforts to censor or ban the film motivated him to produce Intolerance the following year. In Boston and other localities, black leaders and the NAACP spearheaded an unsuccessful campaign to have it banned on the basis that it inflamed racial tensions and could incite violence. In response to the film's depictions of black people and Civil War history, African Americans across the U.S. Popular among white audiences nationwide upon its release, the film's success was both a consequence of and a contributor to racial segregation throughout the U.S. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is portrayed as a heroic force, necessary to preserve American values, protect white women, and maintain white supremacy. The film portrays its black characters (many of whom are played by white actors in blackface) as unintelligent and sexually aggressive toward white women. The film has been denounced for its racist depiction of African Americans. The film was controversial even before its release, and it has remained so ever since it has been called "the most controversial film ever made in the United States" : 198 and "the most reprehensibly racist film in Hollywood history". It was the first motion picture to be screened inside the White House, viewed there by President Woodrow Wilson, his family, and members of his cabinet. It pioneered closeups and fadeouts, and it includes a carefully staged battle sequence with hundreds of extras (another first) made to look like thousands. It was originally shown in two parts separated by an intermission, and it was the first American-made film to have a musical score for an orchestra. Its plot, part fiction and part history, chronicles the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth and the relationship of two families in the Civil War and Reconstruction eras over the course of several years-the pro- Union ( Northern) Stonemans and the pro- Confederacy ( Southern) Camerons. It was the first non-serial American 12- reel film ever made. The Birth of a Nation is a landmark of film history, lauded for its technical virtuosity. Woods and produced the film with Harry Aitken. Griffith co-wrote the screenplay with Frank E. The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and play The Clansman. The Birth of a Nation, originally called The Clansman, is a 1915 American silent epic drama film directed by D.
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