Well, its hard to know where to start in this "Birth of a Nation" discussion. Just a kindly word first, "Birth" was directed by D.W. Griffith not D.H. Lawrence, the novelist. I suppose the difference is that Griffith, while undeniably racist (by our standards) in "Birth", made this film after a stunning career of producing short films which virtually defined the medium of movies. "Birth" was a summing-up of his earlier work. Furthermore, he persisted in making films for over 25 years after "Birth" rarely if ever touching on racism of any kind. Riefenstahl, on the other hand, produced very few works and all, but one, are propaganda which glorifies a brutal, racist and criminal regime. She was in service to a state philosophy which had, as its stated purpose, the elimination of all but the Aryan race. Although she has done work in other media since the War, they have all been ostensibly apolitical and all have been in other media. Griffith, on the other hand, in only one of his many, many films betrayed his racist upbringing. His very next film, "Intolerance" was a direct answer to people who said that "Birth" was intolerant. His position as the great pioneer in the most influential art of our time simply cannot be erased by one sole excursion into what, even then, was considered a dangerously racist subject. Gene Stavis - School of Visual Arts, NYC