Birth of a Nation is a silent film directed & produced by D.W. Griffith. It was adapted from the novel & play, The Clansman by Thomas Dixon Jr. The film was released in 1915.
Not only was it the first 12-reel film ever released but it is also one of the most controversial film ever made. The film portrays post Civil War relation with the North and South in a part historical/part fiction way. It does this through the lens of two families, each from opposing sides of nation. The film glorifies the KKK as a heroic and unifying faction in America.
Birth of a Nation was/is extremely polarizing. The NAACP attempted to ban the release of the film to no avail. Meanwhile in Boston, thousands of whites went to see the film.
The film has been recognized as historically significant and has been preserved in the National Film Registry.
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