Birth of a Nation

[Elok]

I personally liked the part where the freed slaves line up for handouts, and each of them receives a bag of seed corn, a hoe...and a silk top hat, for some reason. Maybe Mr. Stoneman didn't think they could make it as free men without fashionable headgear, idunno. The shot of the guy with a stupid uncle tom grin on his face, an Abe Lincoln hat on his head, and an armful of farming tools is just a masterpiece of bigoted surrealism.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by paiktis22
latin derives from greek to a very large extend.

of course you have, as an american, nothing
not even english is yours so dont try to defend latin.

Latin was influenced by Greek but it remains in a totally different language group from Greek.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Elok
I personally liked the part where the freed slaves line up for handouts, and each of them receives a bag of seed corn, a hoe...and a silk top hat, for some reason. Maybe Mr. Stoneman didn't think they could make it as free men without fashionable headgear, idunno. The shot of the guy with a stupid uncle tom grin on his face, an Abe Lincoln hat on his head, and an armful of farming tools is just a masterpiece of bigoted surrealism.

Masterpiece of bigoted surrealism -- someone finally found the perfect, concise description of Birth of a Nation.

And this statement of "bayonet rule" that a lot of white Southerners use today, to describe Radical Reconstruction? The "bayonet rule" is just another inaccurate portrayal of a complicated period. The problem was not that the Southern states were excessively policed by the Union army, but that too many soldiers were too quickly de-mobilized after the Civil War to be of much legitimate help in the defeated South.

Oh and Imran -- I never hated white Southerners, nor blamed them for all the problems from Reconstruction.
But if you insist on sitting on my shoulder, harping at me every now and then . . . . .

[Ming]

Yeah... I guess I missed the thread jack last night...

Stay on topic... or don't bother to post.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Ming
Yeah... I guess I missed the thread jack last night...

Stay on topic... or don't bother to post.

You're not slipping or anything, are ya, Ming?

Where were you last night when I was trying to hold off those thread jackers all by myself?

[molly bloom]

The black face soldiers make me crack up. Didn't 'the flower of Southern womanhood commits suicide' trope get reused in 'Last of the Mohicans'?

I have a real problem with a work of genius like 'Birth of a Nation'- how do I enjoy something I know is a travesty of history, and a glorification of a band of thugs, but that at the same time represents a peak in early film-making? I have the same dilemma with T.S. Eliot's poetry- can't stand his politics, but like his verse (although not necessarily the sly, anti-semitic bits).

And with Louis Ferdinand Celine- his politics were even worse than Griffiths', but 'Journey to the End of the Night' is a classic of 20th Century literature.

It would be much easier if 'Birth of a Nation' were more like 'Red Dawn'.

http://www.tngenweb.org/giles/afro-amer/history/birth.html

If you liked 'Birth of a Nation' then I recommend 'Battleship Potemkin' and 'End of the Romanoff Empire'.

[chequita guevara]

Potemkin rules.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Potemkin rules.

Careful... people will say you're a godless atheistical commie. And they won't be complimenting you...

I like 'Que Viva Mexico!' too, and 'Alexander Nevski'. I first saw 'Nevski' when I was about 6 or 7, and just remember all those terrifying metal helmed Teutonic knights staring across the frozen lakes appearing in my nightmares for weeks afterwards.

I like it when Ivan the Terrible breaks into colour too.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Paiktis - your ass is gone for a week, enjoy your vacation.

I will read the thread and see if anyone else will join you.

[chequita guevara]

Uhm, MtG, far be it from me to tell you how to do your job (especially twice in one week in threads on the same topic), but, uhm . . .

*cg points at Ming's post then hides.

[Ming]

If he didn't do it... I would have anyway after reviewing the thread in more detail...

And MtG... please do your paperwork... I noticed you haven't posted Alberts restriction yet

[MichaeltheGreat]

Yeah, somebody else missed it, because the complaint email just got sent.

And I was gonna send drake off for a week too...

Guess they both get to slide.

[MichaeltheGreat]

So let 'em both slide, or toast 'em both?

[chequita guevara]

Well, as long as Ming's okay with it, toast 'em both. It was a good thread.

[Drake Tungsten]

Thanks for the support, che.

Hell, I know I deserve it though. Do with me as you will.