D.W. Griffith

Biography

David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance (1916). Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera and narrative techniques, and its immense popularity set the stage for the dominance of the feature-length film. It also proved extremely controversial at the time and ever since for its negative depiction of Black Americans and their supporters, and its positive portrayal of slavery and the Ku Klux Klan. Griffith responded to his critics with his next film, Intolerance, intended to show the dangers of prejudiced thought and behavior. The film was not the financial success that its predecessor had been, but was received warmly by critics. Several of his later films were also successful, but high production, promotional, and roadshow costs often made his ventures commercial failures. Even so, he is generally considered one of the most important figures of early cinema.

Known For

San Francisco

as Orchestra Conductor (uncredited)

Rescued from an Eagle's Nest

as Father

American Experience

as Self

The Tramp and the Dictator

as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

A Calamitous Elopement

as Policeman

The Black Viper

as Rescuer

Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies

as Self (archive footage)

1776, or The Hessian Renegades

The Sculptor's Nightmare

Balked at the Altar