D.W. Griffith
Directing
Born: 1875-01-22 in LaGrange, Kentucky, USA
Biography
David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance (1916). Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera and narrative techniques, and its immense popularity set the stage for the dominance of the feature-length film. It also proved extremely controversial at the time and ever since for its negative depiction of Black Americans and their supporters, and its positive portrayal of slavery and the Ku Klux Klan. Griffith responded to his critics with his next film, Intolerance, intended to show the dangers of prejudiced thought and behavior. The film was not the financial success that its predecessor had been, but was received warmly by critics. Several of his later films were also successful, but high production, promotional, and roadshow costs often made his ventures commercial failures. Even so, he is generally considered one of the most important figures of early cinema.
Known For
American Experience
Self
Hollywood Black
Self (archive footage)
1776, or The Hessian Renegades
San Francisco
Orchestra Conductor (uncredited)
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Self (archive footage)
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
Self (archive footage)
Charlie Chaplin, The Genius of Liberty
archive footage
D.W. Griffith: An American Genius
Self (archive)
Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies
Self (archive footage)
At the Altar
The Making of 'The Birth of a Nation'
Self (Archive footage)
Cupid’s Pranks
Extra at ball
Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20)
Himself
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
Self (archive footage)
Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists
Self (archive footage)
Enoch Arden
Mr. Ray
The Kentuckian
Two Daughters of Eve
At Stage Door
The Fatal Hour
Policeman
The Tramp and the Dictator
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Girls and Daddy
At Black & Tan Ball
The Adventures of Billy
On Bench
Rescued from an Eagle's Nest
Father
The Sculptor's Nightmare
The Music Master
Deceived Slumming Party
Reginald O.C. Wittington
The Politician's Love Story
Man - First Couple
Balked at the Altar
Mary Pickford a Blessing and a Curse
Self
1930 Prelude to "The Birth of a Nation"
Self
The Invisible Fluid
Mailman