The Birth of a Nation (1915)

Directed by D.W. Griffith · 195 min · Drama, History, War

45.3 TOPICAL score · #2,261 of 6,776 films

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Two families, abolitionist Northerners the Stonemans and Southern landowners the Camerons, intertwine. When Confederate colonel Ben Cameron is captured in battle, nurse Elsie Stoneman petitions for his pardon. In Reconstruction-era South Carolina, Cameron founds the Ku Klux Klan, battling Elsie's congressman father and his African-American protégé, Silas Lynch.

The Birth of a Nation (1915, directed by D.W. Griffith) has a TOPICAL score of 45.3 - ranked 2,261 of the 6,776 films TOPICAL scores. It scores highest on historical impact and critics, and lowest on awards. Critics: 91% on Rotten Tomatoes · 8.1/10 critics' average. Audiences: TMDB 5.9/10 (619 ratings) · IMDb 6.1/10. Wikipedia covers it in 58 languages, and the Library of Congress chose it for the National Film Registry.

Why this score

Each bar: better than this % of the 6,776 films we score. How the score works.

• Critics91% on Rotten Tomatoes · 8.1/10 critics' average
• AudienceTMDB 5.9/10 (619 ratings) · IMDb 6.1/10
• Awards0 wins, 0 nominations
• ImpactWikipedia articles in 58 languages · National Film Registry
• Still read114,529 Wikipedia readers in the last 60 days

Starring: Lillian Gish (actor #134), Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall, Miriam Cooper

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