David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of
film editing
Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film stock, film which increasingly involves the use Digital cinema, of digital ...
and expanded the art of the
narrative film
Narrative film, fictional film or fiction film is a motion picture that tells a fictional or fictionalized story, event or narrative. Commercial narrative films with running times of over an hour are often referred to as feature films, or feature ...
.
Griffith is known to modern audiences primarily for directing the film ''
The Birth of a Nation
''The Birth of a Nation'', originally called ''The Clansman'', is a 1915 American silent epic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and play ''The Cla ...
'' (1915). One of the most financially successful films of all time, it made investors enormous profits, but it also attracted much controversy for its anti-Semitic views and degrading portrayals of
African Americans
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, its glorification of the
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
, and its racist viewpoint. The film led to riots in several major cities all over the United States, and the
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
attempted to have the film banned. Griffith made his next film ''
Intolerance
Intolerance may refer to:
* Hypersensitivity
Hypersensitivity (also called hypersensitivity reaction or intolerance) refers to undesirable reactions produced by the normal immune system, including allergies and autoimmunity. They are usual ...
'' (1916) as an answer to critics, who he felt unfairly maligned his work.
Together with
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
,
Mary Pickford
Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...
, and
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thie ...
, Griffith founded the studio
United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...
in 1919 with the goal of enabling actors and directors to make films on their own terms as opposed to the terms of commercial studios. Several of Griffith's later films were successful, including ''
Broken Blossoms
''Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl'', often referred to simply as ''Broken Blossoms'', is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. It was distributed by United Artists and premiered on May 13, 1919. It stars ...
'' (1919), ''
Way Down East
''Way Down East'' is a 1920 American silent romantic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. It is one of four film adaptations of the melodramatic 19th century play ''Way Down East'' by Lottie Blair Parker. There w ...
'' (1920), and ''
Orphans of the Storm
''Orphans of the Storm'' is a 1921 American silent drama film by D. W. Griffith set in late-18th-century France, before and during the French Revolution.
The last Griffith film to feature both Lillian and Dorothy Gish, it was a commercial fail ...
'' (1921), but the high costs he incurred for production and promotion often led to commercial failure. He had made roughly 500 films by the time of his final feature, ''
The Struggle'' (1931), all but three of which were completely silent.
Griffith has a complicated legacy. Although far from universally so, he was a widely celebrated and respected figure in his lifetime, and modern film historians still recognize him for his technical contributions to the craft of film making. Nevertheless, many critics have characterized both Griffith and his work (most notably, ''The Birth of a Nation'') as
white supremacist
White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other Race (human classification), races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any Power (social and polit ...
, both during his life and in the decades that have followed since his death. Historians frequently cite ''The Birth of a Nation'' as a major factor in
the KKK's revival in the 20th century, and it remains largely condemned to this day.
Early life
![GriffithDW](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/GriffithDW.jpg)
Griffith was born January 22, 1875, on a farm in
Oldham County, Kentucky
Oldham County is a county located in the north central part of the U.S. state and commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,607. Its county seat is La Grange. The county is named for Colonel William Oldham.
Oldha ...
, the son of Jacob Wark "Roaring Jake" Griffith, a
Confederate Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
colonel in the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
who was elected as a Kentucky state legislator, and Mary Perkins (née Oglesby). Griffith was raised as a Methodist, and he attended a one-room schoolhouse, where he was taught by his older sister Mattie. His father died when he was 10, and the family struggled with poverty.
When Griffith was 14, his mother abandoned the farm and moved the family to
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
; there she opened a boarding house, which was unsuccessful. Griffith then left high school to help support the family, taking a job in a dry goods store and later in a bookstore. He began his creative career as an actor in touring companies. Meanwhile, he was learning how to become a playwright, but he had little success. Only one of his plays was accepted for a performance.
He traveled to New York City in 1907 in an attempt to sell a script to
Edison Studios
Edison Studios was an American film production organization, owned by companies controlled by inventor and entrepreneur, Thomas Edison. The studio made close to 1,200 films, as part of the Edison Manufacturing Company (1894–1911) and then Thom ...
producer
Edwin Porter
Edwin Stanton Porter (April 21, 1870 – April 30, 1941) was an American film pioneer, most famous as a producer, director, studio manager and cinematographer with the Edison Manufacturing Company and the Famous Players Film Company. Of over 2 ...
;
although Porter rejected the script, he gave Griffith an acting part in ''
Rescued from an Eagle's Nest
''Rescued from an Eagle's Nest'' is a 1908 American silent action-drama film produced by Edwin S. Porter for Edison Studios and directed by J. Searle Dawley. It features the first leading screen role of the legendary American filmmaker D. W. ...
'' instead.
As a result of this experience, Griffith decided to try his luck as an actor, and he appeared in many films as an extra.
Early film career
![Walthall with DW Griiffith2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Walthall_with_DW_Griiffith2.jpg)
In 1908, Griffith accepted a role as a stage extra in ''Professional Jealousy'' for the American Mutoscope and
Biograph Company
The Biograph Company, also known as the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture company founded in 1895 and active until 1916. It was the first company in the United States devoted entirely to film production and exhibition ...
, where he met cameraman
Billy Bitzer
Gottfried Wilhelm Bitzer (April 21, 1872 – April 29, 1944) was an American cinematographer, notable for his close association and pioneering work with D. W. Griffith.
Biography
Prior to his career as a cameraman, working as a motion picture pr ...
, and his career in the film industry changed forever.
In 1908, Biograph's main director
Wallace McCutcheon Sr. grew ill, and his son Wallace McCutcheon Jr. took his place. McCutcheon Jr. did not bring the studio success;
Biograph co-founder Harry Marvin then gave Griffith the position,
and he made the short ''
The Adventures of Dollie
''The Adventures of Dollie'' is a 1908 American silent film directed by D. W. Griffith. It was Griffith's debut film as a director. A print of the film survives in the Library of Congress film archive. The film tells the story of a young girl ...
''. He directed a total of 48 shorts for the company that year.
Among the films he directed in 1909 was ''
The Cricket on the Hearth
''The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home'' is a novella by Charles Dickens, published by Bradbury and Evans, and released 20 December 1845 with illustrations by Daniel Maclise, John Leech, Richard Doyle, Clarkson Stanfield and Edwin ...
'', an adaptation of
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
' novel. On the influence of Dickens on his own film narrative, Griffith employed the technique of
cross-cutting
Cross-cutting is an editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time, and often in the same place. In a cross-cut, the camera will cut away from one action to another action, which can suggest the simultan ...
—where two stories run alongside each other, as seen in Dickens' novels such as ''
Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
''.
When criticized by a cameraman for doing this in a later film, Griffith was said to have replied, "Well, doesn't Dickens write that way?".
His short ''
In Old California'' (1910) was the first film shot in Hollywood, California. Four years later, he produced and directed his first feature film ''
Judith of Bethulia
''Judith of Bethulia'' (1914 in film, 1914) is an American film starring Blanche Sweet and Henry B. Walthall, and produced and directed by D. W. Griffith, based on the play "Judith and the Holofernes" (1896) by Thomas Bailey Aldrich, which itself ...
'' (1914), one of the earliest films to be produced in the U.S. Biograph believed that longer features were not viable at this point. According to
Lillian Gish
Lillian Diana Gish (October 14, 1893February 27, 1993) was an American actress, director, and screenwriter. Her film-acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912, in silent film shorts, to 1987. Gish was called the "First Lady of American Cinema", ...
, the company thought that "a movie that long would hurt
he audience'seyes".
![Intolerance production 1916](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Intolerance_production_1916.jpg)
Griffith left Biograph because of company resistance to his goals and his cost overruns on the film. He took his company of actors with him and joined the
Mutual Film Corporation
Mutual Film Corporation was an early American film conglomerate that produced some of Charlie Chaplin's greatest comedies. Founded in 1912, it was absorbed by Film Booking Offices of America, which evolved into RKO Pictures.
Founding
Mutual ...
. There he co-produced ''
The Life of General Villa
''The Life of General Villa'' (1914) is a silent biographical action–drama film starring Pancho Villa as himself, shot on location during a civil war. The film incorporated both staged scenes and authentic live footage from real battles d ...
'', a silent biographical-action movie starring
as himself, shot on location in Mexico during a civil war. He formed a studio with
Majestic Studios manager
Harry Aitken
Harry E. Aitken (1877August 1, 1956) was a film studio Executive producer, executive.
Life
He was born on 4 October 1877. He grew up on a family farm near Goerke's Corners, Wisconsin. The brothers operated Keystone Studios and eventually Harry ...
,
which became known as
Reliance-Majestic Studios
Reliance-Majestic Studios was an early American movie studio in Hollywood, California, originally built around 1914 at 4516 Sunset Boulevard.
Within a few years, it became the home of D. W. Griffith and Mutual Film Corporation. The studio's na ...
and later was renamed Fine Arts Studios. His new production company became an autonomous production unit partner in the
Triangle Film Corporation
Triangle Film Corporation (also known as Triangle Motion Picture Company) was a major American motion-picture studio, founded in July 1915 in Culver City, California and terminated 7 years later in 1922.
History
The studio was founded in July 1 ...
along with
Thomas H. Ince
Thomas Harper Ince (November 16, 1880 – November 19, 1924) was an American silent film - era filmmaker and media proprietor.
Ince was known as the "Father of the Western" and was responsible for making over 800 films. He revolutionized the mo ...
and
Keystone Studios
Keystone Studios was an early film studio founded in Edendale, California (which is now a part of Echo Park) on July 4, 1912 as the Keystone Pictures Studio by Mack Sennett with backing from actor-writer Adam Kessel (1866–1946) and Charle ...
'
Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'.
Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the ...
. The Triangle Film Corporation was headed by Aitken, who was released from the Mutual Film Corporation,
and his brother Roy.
Griffith directed and produced ''The Clansman'' through
Reliance-Majestic Studios
Reliance-Majestic Studios was an early American movie studio in Hollywood, California, originally built around 1914 at 4516 Sunset Boulevard.
Within a few years, it became the home of D. W. Griffith and Mutual Film Corporation. The studio's na ...
in 1915. The film later became known as ''
The Birth of a Nation
''The Birth of a Nation'', originally called ''The Clansman'', is a 1915 American silent epic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and play ''The Cla ...
''. It is one of the early
feature length
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
American films. The film was a success, but it aroused much controversy due to its depiction of
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
, the
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
, and
race relations
Race relations is a sociological concept that emerged in Chicago in connection with the work of sociologist Robert E. Park and the Chicago race riot of 1919. Race relations designates a paradigm or field in sociology and a legal concept in the ...
in the American Civil War and the
reconstruction era of the United States
The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebui ...
. It was based on Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel ''
The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan''; it depicts Southern slavery as benign, the enfranchisement of
freedmen
A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), abolitionism, emancipation (gra ...
as a corrupt plot by the
Republican Party, and the Ku Klux Klan as a band of heroes restoring the rightful order. This view of the era was popular at the time and was endorsed for decades by historians of the
Dunning School
The Dunning School was a historiographical school of thought regarding the Reconstruction period of American history (1865–1877), supporting conservative elements against the Radical Republicans who introduced civil rights in the South. It was na ...
, although it met with strong criticism from the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. ...
(NAACP) and other groups.
The NAACP attempted to stop showings of the film. This was successful in some cities, but nonetheless it was shown widely and became the most successful box-office attraction of its time. It is considered among the first "blockbuster" motion pictures, and it broke all box-office records that had been established until then. "They lost track of the money it made", Lillian Gish remarked in a
Kevin Brownlow
Kevin Brownlow (born Robert Kevin Brownlow; 2 June 1938) is a British film historian, television documentary-maker, filmmaker, author, and film editor. He is best known for his work documenting the history of the silent era, having become inter ...
interview.
![Fairbanks - Pickford - Chaplin - Griffith](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Fairbanks_-_Pickford_-_Chaplin_-_Griffith.jpg)
Audiences in some major northern cities rioted over the film's racial content and the violence. Griffith's indignation at efforts to censor or ban the film motivated him the following year to produce ''
Intolerance
Intolerance may refer to:
* Hypersensitivity
Hypersensitivity (also called hypersensitivity reaction or intolerance) refers to undesirable reactions produced by the normal immune system, including allergies and autoimmunity. They are usual ...
'', in which he portrayed the effects of intolerance in four different historical periods: the
Fall of Babylon
The Fall of Babylon denotes the end of the Neo-Babylonian Empire after it was conquered by the Achaemenid Empire in 539 BCE.
Nabonidus (Nabû-na'id, 556–539 BCE), son of the Assyrian priestess Adda-Guppi, came to the throne in 556 BCE, afte ...
; the
Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion and death of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely in AD 30 or AD 33. It is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and consid ...
; the events surrounding the
St. Bartholomew's Day massacre (during religious persecution of French
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
s); and a modern story. ''Intolerance'' was not a financial success; it did not bring in enough profits to cover the lavish road show that accompanied it. Griffith put a huge budget into the film's production that could not be recovered in its box office. He mostly financed ''Intolerance'' himself, which contributed to his financial ruin for the rest of his life.
Georges Sadoul
Georges Sadoul (4 February 1904 – 13 October 1967) was a French film critic, journalist and cinema writer. He is known for writing encyclopedias of film and filmmakers, many of which have been translated into English.
Biography
Sadoul was ...
(1972 965. ''Dictionary of Films'', P. Morris, ed. & trans.
p. 158.
UCP.
![Griffith intolerance](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Griffith_intolerance.jpg)
Griffith's production partnership was dissolved in 1917, and he went to Artcraft, part of
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
, and then to
First National Pictures
First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...
(1919–1920). At the same time, he founded
United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...
together with
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
,
Mary Pickford
Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...
, and
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thie ...
; the studio was premised on allowing actors to control their own interests rather than being dependent upon commercial studios.
He continued to make films, but he never again achieved box-office grosses as high as either ''
The Birth of a Nation
''The Birth of a Nation'', originally called ''The Clansman'', is a 1915 American silent epic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and play ''The Cla ...
'' or ''
Intolerance
Intolerance may refer to:
* Hypersensitivity
Hypersensitivity (also called hypersensitivity reaction or intolerance) refers to undesirable reactions produced by the normal immune system, including allergies and autoimmunity. They are usual ...
''.
Later film career
Though United Artists survived as a company, Griffith's association with it was short lived. While some of his later films did well at the box office, commercial success often eluded him. Griffith features from this period include ''
Broken Blossoms
''Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl'', often referred to simply as ''Broken Blossoms'', is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. It was distributed by United Artists and premiered on May 13, 1919. It stars ...
'' (1919), ''
Way Down East
''Way Down East'' is a 1920 American silent romantic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. It is one of four film adaptations of the melodramatic 19th century play ''Way Down East'' by Lottie Blair Parker. There w ...
'' (1920), ''
Orphans of the Storm
''Orphans of the Storm'' is a 1921 American silent drama film by D. W. Griffith set in late-18th-century France, before and during the French Revolution.
The last Griffith film to feature both Lillian and Dorothy Gish, it was a commercial fail ...
'' (1921), ''
Dream Street
Dream Street were an American pop music, pop boy band that was formed in 1999 by Louis Baldonieri and Brian Lukow. The band disbanded in 2002 following a legal dispute between parents of the band members and the band's managers.
History
The ...
'' (1921), ''
One Exciting Night'' (1922), and ''
America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
'' (1924). Of these, the first three were successes at the box office. Griffith was forced to leave United Artists after ''
Isn't Life Wonderful
''Isn't Life Wonderful'' is a 1924 American silent romantic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith for his company D. W. Griffith Productions, and distributed by United Artists. It was based on the short story "Isn’t Life Wonderful?" in the ...
'' (1924) failed at the box office.
![United Artists contract signature 1919](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/United_Artists_contract_signature_1919.jpg)
He made a part talkie, ''
Lady of the Pavements
''Lady of the Pavements'' (UK title: ''Lady of the Night'') is a 1929 American silent romantic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lupe Vélez, William Boyd, and Jetta Goudal. The screenplay was written by Sam Taylor, with contrib ...
'' (1929), and only two full-sound films: ''
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
'' (1930) and ''
The Struggle'' (1931). Neither was successful, and after ''The Struggle'' he never made another film.
In 1936, director
Woody Van Dyke
Woodbridge Strong Van Dyke II (Woody) (March 21, 1889 – February 5, 1943) was an American film director and writer who made several successful early sound films, including ''Tarzan the Ape Man'' in 1932, ''The Thin Man'' in 1934, ''San Francis ...
, who had worked as Griffith's apprentice on ''Intolerance'', asked Griffith to help him shoot the famous earthquake sequence for ''
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
'', but Griffith was not given any film credit. Starring
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...
,
Jeanette MacDonald
Jeanette Anna MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was an American singer and Actor, actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier (''The Love Parade'', ''Love Me Tonight'', ''The Merry Widow (1934 ...
and
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two cons ...
, it was the top-grossing film of the year.
In 1939, the producer
Hal Roach
Harry Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr.Randy Skretvedt, Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director, a ...
hired Griffith to produce ''
Of Mice and Men
''Of Mice and Men'' is a novella written by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job o ...
'' (1939) and ''
One Million B.C.
''One Million B.C.'' is a 1940 American fantasy film produced by Hal Roach Studios and released by United Artists. It is also known by the titles ''Cave Man'', ''Man and His Mate'' and ''Tumak''.
The film stars Victor Mature as protagonist ...
'' (1940). He wrote to Griffith: "I need help from the production side to select the proper writers, cast, et cetera, and to help me generally in the supervision of these pictures."
Although Griffith eventually disagreed with Roach over the production and departed, Roach later insisted that some of the scenes in the completed film were directed by Griffith. This would make the film the final production in which Griffith was actively involved. However, cast members' accounts recall Griffith directing only the
screen test
A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a came ...
s and costume tests. When Roach advertised the film in late 1939 with Griffith listed as producer, Griffith asked that his name be removed.
Griffith was for decades held in awe by many members of the film industry. He was presented a special Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the mid 1930s. In 1946, he made an impromptu visit to the film location of
David O. Selznick's epic western ''
Duel in the Sun'', where some of his veteran actors—
Lillian Gish
Lillian Diana Gish (October 14, 1893February 27, 1993) was an American actress, director, and screenwriter. Her film-acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912, in silent film shorts, to 1987. Gish was called the "First Lady of American Cinema", ...
,
Lionel Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blythe; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''A Free Soul'' (1931) ...
and
Harry Carey Harry Carey may refer to:
*Harry Carey (actor) (1878–1947), American actor
* Harry Carey Jr. (1921–2012), American actor
* Harry Carey (footballer) (1916–1991), Australian rules footballer
See also
* Henry Carey (disambiguation)
* Harry Car ...
—were cast members. Gish and Barrymore found their old mentor's presence distracting and became self-conscious; in response, Griffith hid behind the scenery when the two were filming their scenes.
Death
On the morning of July 23, 1948, Griffith was discovered unconscious in the lobby at the
Knickerbocker Hotel in Los Angeles, where he had been living alone. He died of a
cerebral hemorrhage
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...
at 3:42 PM on the way to a Hollywood hospital.
[ A public memorial service was held in his honor at the ]Hollywood Masonic Temple
Hollywood Masonic Temple, now known as the El Capitan Entertainment Centre and also formerly known as Masonic Convention Hall, is a building on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, that was listed on the National Register of ...
. He is buried at Mount Tabor Methodist Church Graveyard in Centerfield, Kentucky. In 1950, The Directors Guild of America
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merge ...
provided a stone and bronze monument for his grave site.
Legacy
Performer and director Charlie Chaplin called Griffith "The Teacher of Us All". Filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
, Lev Kuleshov
Lev Vladimirovich Kuleshov (russian: Лев Владимирович Кулешов; – 29 March 1970) was a Russian and Soviet filmmaker and film theorist, one of the founders of the world's first film school, the Moscow Film School. He ...
, Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent film, silent era to the end of the 1960s. ...
, Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...
, King Vidor
King Wallis Vidor (; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-making career successfully spanned the silent and sound eras. His works are distinguished by a vivid, ...
, Victor Fleming
Victor Lonzo Fleming (February 23, 1889 – January 6, 1949) was an American film director, cinematographer, and producer. His most popular films were ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'', for which he won an Academy Award for Best ...
, Raoul Walsh
Raoul Walsh (born Albert Edward Walsh; March 11, 1887December 31, 1980) was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), and the brother of silent screen actor George Walsh. He w ...
, Carl Theodor Dreyer
Carl Theodor Dreyer (; 3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his movies are noted for their emotional aus ...
, Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein (russian: Сергей Михайлович Эйзенштейн, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ ɪjzʲɪnˈʂtʲejn, 2=Sergey Mikhaylovich Eyzenshteyn; 11 February 1948) was a Soviet film director, screenw ...
, and Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
have praised Griffith.
Griffith seems to have been the first to understand how certain film techniques could be used to create an expressive language; it gained popular recognition with the release of his ''The Birth of a Nation'' (1915). His early shorts —such as Biograph's ''The Musketeers of Pig Alley
''The Musketeers of Pig Alley'' is a 1912 American short drama and a gangster film. It is directed by D. W. Griffith and written by Griffith and Anita Loos. It is also credited for its early use of follow focus, a fundamental tool in cinemat ...
'' (1912), show that Griffith's attention to camera placement and lighting heightened mood and tension. In making ''Intolerance'', Griffith opened up new possibilities for the medium, creating a form that seems to owe more to music than to traditional narrative.
* In the 1951 ''Philco Television Playhouse
''The Philco Television Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the Golde ...
'' episode "The Birth of the Movies" events from Griffith's film career were depicted. Griffith was played by John Newland.
* In 1953 the Directors Guild of America
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merge ...
(DGA) instituted the D. W. Griffith Award, its highest honor. However, on December 15, 1999, then DGA President Jack Shea and the DGA National Board announced that the award would be renamed as the "DGA Lifetime Achievement Award". They stated that, although Griffith was extremely talented, they felt his film ''The Birth of a Nation'' had "helped foster intolerable racial stereotypes", and that it was thus better not to have the top award in his name.
* In 1975 Griffith was honored on a ten-cent postage stamp by the United States.
*The 1976 American comedy film ''Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
'' in part pays homage to silent film makers and includes footage from ''The Birth of a Nation''.
* D. W. Griffith Middle School in Los Angeles is named after Griffith.
* In 2008 the Hollywood Heritage Museum
The Hollywood Heritage Museum, also known as the "Hollywood Studio Museum," is located on Highland Ave. in Hollywood, California, United States.
The museum is opposite the Hollywood Bowl and is housed in the restored Lasky-DeMille Barn, which was ...
hosted a screening of Griffith's earliest films to commemorate the centennial of his start in film.
* On January 22, 2009, the Oldham History Center in La Grange, Kentucky
La Grange is a home rule-class city in Oldham County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 8,082 at the time of the 2010 U.S. census. It is the seat of its county. An unusual feature of La Grange is the CSX Transportation street-ru ...
opened a 15-seat theatre in Griffith's honor. The theatre features a library of available Griffith films.
Film preservation
Griffith has six films preserved on the United States National Film Registry
The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception i ...
deemed as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". These are ''Lady Helen's Escapade
''Lady Helen's Escapade'' is a short American comedy film produced in 1909, directed by D. W. Griffith. It is about the escapades of Lady Helen working as a domestic in a boarding house.
In 2004, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or a ...
'' (1909), ''A Corner in Wheat
''A Corner in Wheat'' is a 1909 American short silent film which tells of a greedy tycoon who tries to corner the world market on wheat, destroying the lives of the people who can no longer afford to buy bread. It was directed by D. W. Griffith ...
'' (1909), ''The Musketeers of Pig Alley
''The Musketeers of Pig Alley'' is a 1912 American short drama and a gangster film. It is directed by D. W. Griffith and written by Griffith and Anita Loos. It is also credited for its early use of follow focus, a fundamental tool in cinemat ...
'' (1912), ''The Birth of a Nation'' (1915), ''Intolerance'' (1916) and ''Broken Blossoms'' (1919).
See also
* D. W. Griffith filmography
These are the films directed by the pioneering American filmmaker D. W. Griffith (1875–1948). According to IMDb, he directed 518 films between 1908 and 1931.
1908
* ''The Adventures of Dollie''
* '' The Fight for Freedom'' (director disputed ...
* D. W. Griffith House
The D. W. Griffith House is a historic building in La Grange, Kentucky in the United States. It was owned by movie director D. W. Griffith, who rose to fame with his movies ''The Birth of a Nation'' and '' Intolerance''.
The house was original ...
* Griffith Ranch (in San Fernando, California
San Fernando (Spanish language, Spanish for "Ferdinand III of Castile, St. Ferdinand") is a General-law municipality, general-law city in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It ...
)
* List of Freemasons
This "List of Freemasons" page provides links to alphabetized lists of notable Freemasons. Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation which exists in a number of forms worldwide. Throughout history some members of the fraternity have made no secre ...
* List of people from the Louisville metropolitan area
This is a list of people from the Louisville metropolitan area which consists of the Kentucky county of Jefferson and the Indiana counties of Clark and Floyd in the United States. Included are notable people who were either born or raised ther ...
References
Further reading
* Seymour Stern, ''An Index to the Creative Work of D. W. Griffith'' (London: The British Film Institute, 1944–47)
* Iris Barry and Eileen Bowser, ''D. W. Griffith: American Film Master'' (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1965)
* Kevin Brownlow, ''The Parade's Gone By'' (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1968)
* David Robinson, ''Hollywood in the Twenties'' (New York: A. S. Barnes & Co, Inc., 1968)
* Lillian Gish, ''The Movies, Mr. Griffith and Me'' (Englewood, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1969)
* Robert M. Henderson, ''D. W. Griffith: His Life and Work'' (New York: Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 1972)
* Karl Brown, ''Adventures with D. W. Griffith'' (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1973)
* Edward Wagenknecht and Anthony Slide, ''The Films of D. W. Griffith'' (New York: Crown, 1975)
* Petrić, Vlada, ''D.W. Griffith's A Corner in Wheat: A Critical Analysis''. Cambridge, MA: University Film Study Center, 1975.
* William K. Everson, ''American Silent Film'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 1978)
* Richard Schickel, ''D. W. Griffith: An American Life'' (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1984)
* William M. Drew, ''D. W. Griffith's "Intolerance:" Its Genesis and Its Vision'' (Jefferson, New Jersey: McFarland & Company, 1986)
* Tom Gunning, ''D.W. Griffith and the Origin of the American Narrative: The Early Years at Biograph'' (Urbana: Illinois University Press, 1994)
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External links
Bibliography of books and articles about Griffith
via UC Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of Californi ...
Media Resources Center
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Photo of Griffith as a young man in the 1890s or early 1900s
D.W. Griffith in the ''Vanity Fair Hall of Fame'' (1918)
A magazine article by the famous director printed in ''Illustrated World'' (1921)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffith, D. W.
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