D.W. Griffith
Directing
Born: 1875-01-22 in LaGrange, Kentucky, USA
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
Orchestra Conductor (uncredited)
American Experience
Self
Rescued from an Eagle's Nest
Father
The Tramp and the Dictator
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood
Self (archive footage, uncredited)
Charlie Chaplin, The Genius of Liberty
archive footage
A Calamitous Elopement
Policeman
The Black Viper
Rescuer
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Self (archive footage)
Her First Adventure
Father
Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies
Self (archive footage)
1776, or The Hessian Renegades
The Sculptor's Nightmare
Balked at the Altar
At the Altar
Cupid’s Pranks
Extra at ball
Enoch Arden
Mr. Ray
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Black
Self (archive footage)
The Invisible Fluid
Mailman
Deceived Slumming Party
Reginald O.C. Wittington
The Adventures of Billy
On Bench
The Politician's Love Story
Man - First Couple
The Making of 'The Birth of a Nation'
Self (Archive footage)
Falsely Accused!
Cop in Court
The Girls and Daddy
At Black & Tan Ball
When Knights Were Bold
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
Self (archive footage)
The Fatal Hour
Policeman
Flashback: The First World War
Self (archive footage)