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Photo of D.W. Griffith

D.W. Griffith

530 movies

Known for
Directing
Born
Jan 22, 1875
Died
Jul 23, 1948 (age 73)
Place of birth
LaGrange, Kentucky, USA
Also known as
David Llewelyn Wark Griffith · David Wark Griffith · David W. Griffith · Lawrence 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.

Profiles IMDb

Known for

D.W. Griffith: movies and TV shows

Acting (40)

Behind the camera (511)

+ 311 more credits

Talk shows and appearances (15)