Griffith's Mulattoos: Movie Analysis

Griffith’s vision of the mulatto as both an outsider to society, and also dangerous in the eyes of the story’s white characters, would reflect only one view of this mulatto character, giving little foundation to the character’s internal development. This film by Griffith would go on to set a precedent for Hollywood and non-Hollywood films alike to continue challenging the perceptions of the mulatto character as villain or victim, and in this dialog both Hollywood and independent filmmakers alike created films to respond to such a discussion. Griffith’s film was not the only director to take on the issue of the mulatto character at the time. Oscar Micheaux, an independent film director would go on to become one of the most prolific black American directors of the period would enter the dialog of the mulatto with his film Within Our Gates. The issue Micheaux took on that Griffith’s mulatto character lacked was the idea of context when a
Among the many innovative film techniques pioneered in The Birth of a Nation, were panoramic long shots, color tinting, and staging battle scenes. It also was the first film to have its own musical score to accompany, and enhance the narrative. For all of Griffith’s film being considered racist, the film is still considered to be an artistic and historical artifact of Hollywood’s shameful lineage. Having such a wide and significant audience, as well as being a foundation to Hollywood’s narrative style, makes Griffith’s film a valuable piece of history, even for its racist lineage. The film represents not only Griffith’s vision of the Civil war era, but represents the foundation of racism in Hollywood present at the time. Overall, the film is the precedent to what came after in Hollywood films, and had such a strong effect on film history, if not for the extent of reaction from the audiences who have viewed the