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D.W. Griffith
Directing
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 d…
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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.
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BODY OF WORK
D.W. Griffith's Filmography
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Mary Pickford a Blessing and a Curse
as Self
Charlie Chaplin, The Genius of Liberty
as archive footage
Flashback: The First World War
as Self (archive footage)
Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies
as Self (archive footage)
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
as Self (archive footage)
The Tramp and the Dictator
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists
as Self (archive footage)
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
as Self (archive footage)
The Making of 'The Birth of a Nation'
as Self (Archive footage)
Lillian Gish: The Actor's Life for Me
as Self (archive footage)
D.W. Griffith: An American Genius
as Self (archive)
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
as Self (archive footage)
San Francisco
as Orchestra Conductor (uncredited)
1930 Prelude to "The Birth of a Nation"
as Self
Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20)
as Himself
Enoch Arden
as Mr. Ray
Two Daughters of Eve
as At Stage Door
The Adventures of Billy
as On Bench
1776, or The Hessian Renegades
At the Altar
The Politician's Love Story
as Man - First Couple
The Girls and Daddy
as At Black & Tan Ball
No Poster
The Heart of O Yama
as Footman
No Poster
The Red Girl
as Man on Footpath
Balked at the Altar
The Fatal Hour
as Policeman
A Calamitous Elopement
as Policeman
Deceived Slumming Party
as Reginald O.C. Wittington
The Black Viper
as Rescuer
No Poster
The Stage Rustler
as Phil Bowen
No Poster
The Kentuckian
No Poster
At the Crossroads of Life
as Suitor
No Poster
At the French Ball
as Husband
No Poster
The Man in the Box
as Station Agent
The Invisible Fluid
as Mailman
No Poster
'Ostler Joe
as Lover
When Knights Were Bold
The Sculptor's Nightmare
The Music Master
No Poster
The King's Messenger
as Messenger
No Poster
Hulda's Lovers
as Handy Hank
No Poster
King of the Cannibal Islands
as Cannibal in top hat
No Poster
A Famous Escape
as Prisoner
No Poster
Old Isaacs, the Pawnbroker
as Doctor, Charity worker
No Poster
Caught by Wireless
as Policeman
Her First Adventure
as Father
No Poster
The Yellow Peril
as Mr. Phlipp
Cupid’s Pranks
as Extra at ball
No Poster
The Princess in the Vase
as Lover
No Poster
Classmates
as Extra
Rescued from an Eagle's Nest
as Father
Falsely Accused!
as Cop in Court
No Poster
Professional Jealousy
as Extra on stage