D.W. Griffith
- Directing
- January 22, 1875 · LaGrange, Kentucky, USA
- July 23, 1948
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
- Mary Pickford a Blessing and a Curse · Self
- Charlie Chaplin, The Genius of Liberty · archive footage
- Flashback: The First World War · Self
- Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies · Self
- Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema · Self
- D.W. Griffith - Years of Discovery 1909-1913 · Writer
- The Tramp and the Dictator · Self
- Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists · Self
- The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies · Self
- The Making of 'The Birth of a Nation' · Self
- American Experience · Self
- Lillian Gish: The Actor's Life for Me · Self
- Hollywood · Self
- D.W. Griffith: An American Genius · Self
- General Massacre · Novel
- The Legend of Rudolph Valentino · Self
- Footlight Varieties · Writer, Director
- San Francisco · Orchestra Conductor (uncredited), Second Assistant Director
- The Struggle · Director, Producer
- Abraham Lincoln · Director
- 1930 Prelude to "The Birth of a Nation" · Self, Director
- Lady of the Pavements · Director
- The Battle of the Sexes · Director, Producer
- Drums of Love · Director
- The King of Kings · Assistant Director
- The Sorrows of Satan · Director, Producer
- That Royle Girl · Director
- Sally of the Sawdust · Director
- Isn't Life Wonderful · Director, Writer
- America · Director, Producer
- The White Rose · Director, Writer
- One Exciting Night · Producer, Director
- Orphans of the Storm · Director, Producer
- Dream Street · Director, Producer
- Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20) · Self
- Way Down East · Director, Producer
- The Love Flower · Writer, Director
- Remodeling Her Husband · Director
- The Idol Dancer · Director
- The Greatest Question · Director, Producer
- Scarlet Days · Director, Producer
- The Mother and the Law · Story, Screenplay
- The Fall of Babylon · Director, Writer
- True Heart Susie · Director, Producer
- Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl · Producer, Director
- The Girl Who Stayed at Home · Writer, Director
- A Romance of Happy Valley · Director, Story
- The Greatest Thing in Life · Producer, Director
- Lillian Gish in a Liberty Loan Appeal · Writer, Director
- The Hun Within · Writer
- The Great Love · Director, Writer
- Hearts of the World · Director, Writer
- Betsy's Burglar · Supervising Producer
- A Girl of the Timber Claims · Supervising Producer
- The Children of the Feud · Producer
- Fifty-Fifty · Producer
- Diane of the Follies · Writer
- The Social Secretary · Producer
- Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages · Director, Scenario Writer
- The Marriage of Molly-O · Writer
- The Half-Breed · Producer
- An Innocent Magdalene · Story
- Macbeth · Producer
- Susan Rocks the Boat · Producer
- Hoodoo Ann · Writer
- Daphne and the Pirate · Writer
- Don Quixote · Supervisor of Production Resources
- Betty of Greystone · Story, Supervisor of Production Resources
- The Wood Nymph · Story
- The Missing Links · Production Supervisor, Writer
- Let Katie Do it · Story
- Double Trouble · Production Supervisor
- Martyrs of the Alamo · Producer
- Old Heidelberg · Supervising Producer
- The Lily and the Rose · Producer, Writer
- The Lamb · Story
- Ghosts · Producer
- Enoch Arden · Mr. Ray, Writer
- The Birth of a Nation · Writer, Producer