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June 1994

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Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
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Thu, 16 Jun 1994 16:45:06 EDT
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On Thu, 16 Jun 1994 08:59:06 PDT Gene Stavis said:
> Griffith was indeed a man who, as a conventional
>Southerner of his time, must be considered a racist by our 1994 understanding
>of that term. But to justify ignoring or discounting his work on that basis
>is unjustifiable.
>Gene Stavis - School of Visual Arts, NYC
 
Interesting how the defense of Griffith and BIRTH seems to keep slipping
from the clear historical fact that the film was objectionable in 1914.
Similarly the discussion in 1994 keeps overlooking the historical fact
that the KKK had two incarnations: one lauded by BIRTH OF A NATION and
a second beginning in 1915 inspired by BIRTH OF A NATION.
 
Also: the defenses of Griffith overlook the strong evidence that the
so-called innovations of BIRTH were really a summary of contemporaneous
practice of numerous other filmmakers (including DWG in his Biograph
films).
 
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Cal Pryluck, Radio-Television-Film, Temple University, Philadelphia
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