Known For
Directing
Born
Jan 22, 1875
Died
Jul 23, 1948
Place of Birth
LaGrange, Kentucky, USA
Credits
546 titles
D.W. Griffith
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 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.
Known For
Filmography
Hollywood Black
Self (archive footage)
Mary Pickford a Blessing and a Curse
Self
Charlie Chaplin, The Genius of Liberty
archive footage
Flashback: The First World War
Self (archive footage)
Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies
Self (archive footage)
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
Self (archive footage)
D.W. Griffith - Years of Discovery 1909-1913
Writer
The Tramp and the Dictator
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists
Self (archive footage)
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Self (archive footage)
The Making of 'The Birth of a Nation'
Self (Archive footage)
American Experience
Self
General Massacre
Novel
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
Self (archive footage)
Footlight Varieties
Director
San Francisco
Orchestra Conductor (uncredited)
The Struggle
Director
Abraham Lincoln
Director
1930 Prelude to "The Birth of a Nation"
Self
Lady of the Pavements
Director
The Battle of the Sexes
Director
Drums of Love
Director
The King of Kings
Assistant Director
The Sorrows of Satan
Director
That Royle Girl
Director
Sally of the Sawdust
Director
Isn't Life Wonderful
Director
America
Director
The White Rose
Director
One Exciting Night
Director
Orphans of the Storm
Director
Dream Street
Director
Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20)
Himself
Way Down East
Director
The Love Flower
Director
Remodeling Her Husband
Director
The Idol Dancer
Director
The Greatest Question
Director
Scarlet Days
Director
The Mother and the Law
Director
The Fall of Babylon
Director
True Heart Susie
Director
Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl
Director
The Girl Who Stayed at Home
Director
A Romance of Happy Valley
Director
The Greatest Thing in Life
Writer
Lillian Gish in a Liberty Loan Appeal
Director
The Hun Within
Writer
The Great Love
Director
Hearts of the World
Director