I use films on 16mm, so I am not familiar with video availability. That said, I get tired of teaching "Birth" as well and, last semester, I substituted "Orphans of the Storm" which went down quite well. "Intolerance" is tough for them to take. I use a fascinating 1917 Tourneur called "A Girl's Folly" It is not a popular favorite, but it is charming and its setting in the film studios of Fort Lee, NJ is irreplaceable. There is also a film in the Library of Congress that I use sometimes called "The Italian" (1914) It is an Ince production and is a sensational film about Italian immigrants in New York. It is especially compelling to students who are fixated by Scorsese, Coppola, Tarrentino and other contemporary film-makers who appear to have been influenced by it (sometimes second-hand). I use the Griffith Biographs to illustrate Griffith's emerging techniques as well. But, I do find it necessary to show "Birth" from time to time, although I introduce it very carefully and try to put into a real context. I have had no real objections. Gene Stavis - School of Visual Arts, NYC