Set against the antebellum South, THE BIRTH OF A NATION follows Nat Turner (Nate Parker), a literate slave and preacher, whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner (Armie Hammer), accepts an offer to use Nat's preaching to subdue slaves. When Birth of a Nation opened on 8th January, 1915, it created a sensation. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device. Birth of a Nation: Plot Overview | SparkNotes Birth of a Nation The plot of The Birth of a Nation revolves around two families living on either side of the Mason-Dixon Line who become friends when their sons board together at school. When Cobb arrives and questions Isaac's family about his whereabouts, nobody says anything and Benjamin Turner, the owner of the farm, intervenes and drives Cobb off before he turns violent. | Rating: 6/10 The Birth of a Nation was an epic historical drama about the American civil war and the rise of Ku Klux Klan. "[61] Metacritic gave the film a normalized score of 69 out of 100, based on 49 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". It is based on Thomas Dixon's racist play, The Clansman, and the fact that Griffith wanted to adapt it reveals his own prejudices. While he got writing feedback from filmmakers like James Mangold, he was told that a Nat Turner film could not be produced. |, December 4, 2020 A decade later, with Wilson in the White House, cinematographer D.W. Griffith produced a motion picture version of the book, titled “Birth of a Nation.” Actors costumed in the full regalia of the Ku Klux Klan chase down a white actor in blackface in a still from ‘The Birth of a Nation,’ the first feature-length film, directed by D. W. Griffith, California, 1914. The story follows a slave named Nat Turner who becomes a preacher and ends up leading a rebellion. I've resisted seeing THE BIRTH OF A NATION, actor/writer/director Nate Parker's historical behind retelling of the 1831 slave rebellion led by Nat Turner, due to the ugly history surrounding Parker, his co-story writer Jean McGianni Celestin, and the 1999 rape victim who took her own life in 2012. [21] It was actually released in the UK on December 9, 2016. Watch later. We need to hear about the brave souls who dared stand up to those who enslaved them. This 10-digit number is your confirmation number. This is a film about deep-seated systems of oppression that feels tonally like a superhero origin myth. In an open letter, former members of the Penn State student body and staff who were present during Celestin and Parker's trial defended both men's innocence of the 1999 accusations. It's violent, but it also has quite a bit of tenderness, and is effective in showing that the enslaved were thinking, feeling people, just like you and me, and it also honors their culture. They won't be able to see your review if you only submit your rating. [35], Writing in Variety, the sister of Parker's alleged victim expressed particular distress at the film's imagined rape scene, saying, "I find it creepy and perverse that Parker and Celestin would put a fictional rape at the center of their film, and that Parker would portray himself as a hero avenging that rape. Nat Turner is an enslaved Baptist preacher who lives on a Virginia plantation owned by Samuel Turner. I've reclaimed this title and re-purposed it as a tool to challenge racism and white supremacy in America, to inspire a riotous disposition toward any and all injustice in this country (and abroad) and to promote the kind of honest confrontation that will galvanize our society toward healing and sustained systemic change.[10]. It is based on the story of Nat Turner, the enslaved man who led a slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, in 1831. The film was theatrically released in the United States on October 7, 2016 by Fox Searchlight Pictures and grossed $16 million. Set against the antebellum South, THE BIRTH OF A NATION follows Nat Turner (Nate Parker), a literate slave and preacher, whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner (Armie Hammer), accepts an offer to use Nat’s preaching to subdue unruly slaves. President Woodrow Wilson signaled his support of White Nationalist groups by ending executive branch civil rights outreach and by showing The Birth Of A Nation in the White House. Even the rape victims of the screenplay have a hard time getting their fair share of the screen time; everything in the story, by design, keeps the focus and the anguished close-ups strictly on Parker. Parker's film depicts an important event in American history through the eyes of an amateur passing a test in Film Production 101. Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers. Up next. Competing deals also came from The Weinstein Company, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Netflix. conflict of the war. One must re Coming Soon, Regal [28] Of the two shorts, only The Assassination of Lincoln was discovered in the research for this chapter; a copy exists in the Herb Graff collection at the Yale Film Study Center. [38] Shortly thereafter, Parker and his handlers chose to cut press interviews short when similar questions came up about his involvement with the alleged rape and its impact on the marketing of the film.[39]. Certain Bible verses call on slaves to obey their Masters. We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your account. [8], After Parker finished his acting role in Beyond the Lights in late 2013, he told his agents he would not continue acting until he had played Nat Turner in a film. Most of her lessons center around the Bible. ", "Gabrielle Union on 'Birth of a Nation': 'I support you if you don't want to see the film, "Gabrielle Union on Birth of a Nation Boycotts: 'I Support You If You Don't Want to See the Film, "The Cinematic Merits and Flaws of Nate Parker's 'The Birth of a Nation, "Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) Nominations: The Handmaiden Lands Top Mentions, Trevante Rhodes Double Nominated", "2016 Austin Film Critics Awards Nominees, 'Moonlight' and 'Arrival' lead the way in AFCA's 2016 nominations", "Beyoncé and Bruno Mars lead 2017 BET Awards nominations", "Black Reel Award Nominees – 'Moonlight' Leads with 13 Nominations", "DGA TV Awards Nominations: 'Stranger Things', 'Westworld' & 'Atlanta' On List; Docus Include 'OJ: Made In America, "Sundance: 'The Birth of a Nation' Sweeps Top Prizes", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Birth_of_a_Nation_(2016_film)&oldid=1019885608, Mass media-related controversies in the United States, Articles containing potentially dated statements from July 2018, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture. single-handedly. 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