D. W. Griffith

Lore & Background

Griffith was born on a farm in Oldham County, Kentucky, the son of a Confederate Army colonel and state legislator. His father died when he was 10, and the family struggled with poverty. He left high school to help support his family, working in a dry goods store and later a bookstore. He began his creative career as an actor in touring companies and as a playwright, with little success. In 1907, he traveled to New York City to sell a script to Edison Studios; the script was rejected, but he was given an acting part instead.

In 1908, Griffith joined the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company as an extra, where he met cameraman Billy Bitzer. After the main director fell ill, Griffith was given the position and made the short The Adventures of Dollie. He directed 48 shorts for the company that year. His short In Old California (1910) was the first film shot in Hollywood, California. He left Biograph due to company resistance to his goals and cost overruns, taking his company of actors with him. He co-produced The Life of General Villa in Mexico during a civil war and formed a studio that became Reliance-Majestic Studios.

Griffith directed and produced The Clansman (later known as The Birth of a Nation) through Reliance-Majestic in 1915. The film was a success but aroused much controversy for its depiction of slavery, the Ku Klux Klan, and Reconstruction. The NAACP attempted to stop showings, and audiences in some major northern cities rioted. Griffith made Intolerance (1916) as an answer to critics. In 1919, he co-founded United Artists with Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks. He made nearly 520 films, including nearly 480 short movies, by the time of his final feature, The Struggle (1931). All but three were completely silent.

Reader's Guide

D. W. Griffith is a central figure in film history for his technical innovations, particularly in film editing and narrative structure. He pioneered cross-cutting and expanded the possibilities of the feature-length narrative film. However, his legacy is deeply complicated by The Birth of a Nation, a landmark film that also perpetuated racist stereotypes and glorified the Ku Klux Klan. The film's release led to riots in several major cities and contributed to the Klan's revival. Griffith's response, Intolerance, was a personal and financial failure. His later work, including Broken Blossoms, Way Down East, and Orphans of the Storm, achieved commercial success, but he never again matched the box office of his earlier epics. His founding of United Artists with Chaplin, Pickford, and Fairbanks allowed actors and directors greater creative control. Griffith's career ended after the failure of his two sound films, Abraham Lincoln and The Struggle. He remains a figure of both admiration for his craft and condemnation for the harmful content of his most famous work.

Did You Know?

• Griffith's short In Old California (1910) was the first film shot in Hollywood, California.
• He co-founded United Artists in 1919 with Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks.
• The Ku Klux Klan's revival in the months following The Birth of a Nation is partially attributed to the film's release.
• Griffith made nearly 520 films, including nearly 480 short movies; all but three were completely silent.