![]() Griffith continued his output with works like 1919's Broken Blossoms (which was about an inter-ethnic romance), Way Down East (1920), Orphans of the Storm (1921) and America (1924). and Mary Pickford, with the production company serving as a distributor for his films. Then in 1919, Griffith co-founded United Artists with Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks Sr. ![]() Griffith's next film, the critically lauded Intolerance (1916), was again innovative in its narrative structure by juxtaposing four different locales and eras. Over the decades, Nation has continued to spur outrage and dialogue. The film earned much criticism from a variety of avenues, including the NAACP, and riots broke out during showings. ![]() Nation, however, was blatantly racist and distorted history, with its demeaning depictions of African Americans and a storyline that positioned the creation of the Ku Klux Klan as a means of vengeance over a woman's death. blockbuster and has been lauded for its pioneering storytelling forms, greatly influencing modern moviemaking and shaping ideas around audience cultivation. Adapted from the book The Clansmen, the work was seen as the first U.S. He independently directed Birth of a Nation, released in 1915 and telling the story of the Civil War and Reconstruction era. Directing 'Birth of a Nation'īy 1914, Griffith had left the company and worked as a director and head of production with Reliance-Majestic. ("Four-reel" meant the movie could play for an hour.) At Biograph, Griffith was highly innovative with his filmmaking techniques, utilizing cross-cutting, close-ups and fade outs to distinctive effect, cultivating a deeper emotional milieu. He started to develop two-reel works and eventually made the four-reel film Judith of Bethulia. He did acting work for the New York City film companies Edison and Biograph and went on to become a director of hundreds of shorts for the latter company, working with actors like Lionel Barrymore, Mary Pickford and the Gish sisters. Innovative Filming Techniquesīy 1908, Griffith had entered the fledgling world of moviemaking. An avid reader, the young Griffith eventually worked as a book clerk and later decided to pursue acting and write plays. He grew up on a farm, the son of an ex-Confederate colonel who died when Griffith was 10. Backgroundĭavid Wark Griffith was born in Floydsfork, Kentucky, on January 22, 1875. Later work included Intolerance, Broken Blossoms and Orphans of the Storm. He directed the 1915 feature-length work Birth of a Nation, which was a blockbuster but was also highly racist in content. Griffith worked as an actor and playwright before turning to cinema, creating highly innovative filmmaking techniques. Born on January 22, 1875, in Floydsfork, Kentucky, D.W.
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