The Birth of a Nation

Trivia: The film was a favorite of President Woodrow Wilson, a Southerner who was alleged to be a racist, evident through his purging of blacks working in the federal government during the first presidential term.

Trivia: It was the first film to be viewed in the White House.

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Trivia: It has been reported that the positive depiction of the Klu Klux Klan in the film was responsible for its rebirth in 1915. Unlike the Klan that existed during Reconstruction (which is mostly anti-black and anti-Northern), the "Second Klan" (which survives today) is white supremist, anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic, and anti-homosexual.

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Trivia: Because of the racist themes of the film, it was banned in many American cities, including Los Angeles. The film premiered in Hollywood before it was banned.

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Mistakes

Continuity mistake: Right in the beginning, we see a small black child in court. In the close-up of him, we see that he is near the back of the courtroom. However, the camera then cuts to a different angle and suddenly he is at the front of the courtroom, taking his seat.

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Quotes

Intertitle: Second Part - Reconstruction. The agony which the South endured that a nation might be born. The blight of war does not end when hostilities cease.

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