15
1915
1915 · D.W. Griffith · USA
The Birth of a Nation
DramaHistorical 190 min Landmark Silent Era
Reconstruction-era Civil War epic that invented modern film grammar — and served as a KKK recruitment tool.
Why It Matters
Invented cross-cutting, close-ups, and the feature-length film. Also caused the KKK revival of 1915.
Historical Context
Released 50 years after the Civil War, during the height of Jim Crow and racial terror.