The Birth of a Nation and How It Affected Jazz and Blues for That Time Period - Essay Example

Affiliation: Controversy in the Movie 'The Birth of a Nation' and How it Affected Jazz and Blues for That Time Period D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915), A domestic melodrama or epic was originally premiered with the title The Clansman, in February 1915, in Los Angeles, California. Three months later the movie was renamed with the present title at its world premiere in New York since it suited better to emphasize the birth of the US (dirk par.1). The three hour long movie shows fall of south in the civil war and reemergence of white political domination over the interracial state governments of the Reconstruction era."The explosive controversy set off by the film revealed Hollywood's power to reflect and to shape public attitudes about race, while it set the stage for what would be a decades-long struggle to improve the portrayal of blacks on film"(africanamericans.com pars 1-3). The movie was in controversy even during its making and Griffith could release it after he took permission from the court. The NAACP even managed to have some of the movie's harshest scenes deleted particularly a scene proposing that blacks be sent back to Africa to keep the nation free from these violent and brutish forces (africanamericans.com par 5). The Birth of a Nation: Scenes that provoked protests: The controversial scenes from movie have incited racial crimes, protests and till date the screening of movie faces difficulties. The scene where a former black slave crudely proposes Fiona, A white girl and daughter of Cameron family. She turns down the proposal and runs into the forest. Gus pursues her and when the girl is trapped, seeing no way out she jumps to death to avoid being raped. The Klansmen search Gus, lynch him and leave the corpse at the doorstep of Silas Lynch. The Blacks are shown as violent, sexual miscreants in the movie, which enraged people. In yet another scene The Mulatto leader, Silas Lynch, who was governor to South, forces Elsie, the daughter of his mentor Austin Stoneman, to marry him. He traps her on her refusal and when Klansmen come to know his designs they ride to rescue her. Incidentally the rescue of Elsie is the highlight of movie as well. Here two sequences run parallel viz. Klansmen riding to rescue the girl and Lynch's military searching for Cameron boys and other Klansmen. There are other scenes where the whites of north are sheltered for 'Aryan Birthright' by Whites of south though they had been enemies earlier in the civil war (in Birth of a Nation by Griffith). The portrayal of the Klan in the movie also created a firestorm of controversy. In the movie, they are the heroes, saving their community from the violent, bloodthirsty Negroes. The movie is accused of reactivating the dormant Klan. The movie ends with the suppression of the black threat to white society by the glorified Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Which helped to subside some of America's fears about the rise of defiant, strong and sexual black men and the repeal of laws forbidding interracial marriage. The 'birth' (Shortened from full name of the movie) made many critics to Griffith's work so he made a sequel, almost equally magnificent four story epic about human intolerance titled Intolerance (1916). A group of independent black filmmakers replied with director Emmett J. Scott's The Birth of a Race in 1919, A film to counterbalance the impact of Griffith's masterpiece, to show a more positive image of African-Americans, but it could not attract much public attention. Instead, black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux's first film, the feature-length The Homesteader (1919), and Within Our Gates (1919) proved more effective in rectifying the black image projected in Griffith's film (Dirk par 8). The controversies about 'The Birth of a Nation': In its absolutely idolized presentation of the KKK as heroes and Southern blacks as antisocial elements threatening to destroy the society by their violent behavior. Blacks were shown as villains and rapists. The 'Birth' appealed to white Americans who subscribed to the mythic, historical romances of the Old Plantation in South. Many viewers were thrilled by the love affairs between Northern and Southern characters and the superb rescue scene in the end. The film also highlighted two great American issues: inter-racial sex and marriage, and the empowerment of blacks. Ironically, although the film was advertised as authentic and accurate, the film's major black roles in the film -- including the Senator's mulatto mistress, the mulatto politician brought to power in the South, and faithful freed slaves -- were stereotypically played and filled by white actors painted to be blackface and the real blacks in the film only played minor roles. (Dirk Par 7). Wallace(Abstract) is also perturbed by the fact that there is nothing more disturbing than such portrayal of blacks in early American cinema. Everybody agrees that it is true enough that the movie theatres were segregated in some fashion; blacks were, for the most part, denied from serious and dignified roles in films while racial and ethnic stereotypes were a rule or norm. Referring to Uncle Tom's Cabin, she expresses grief that the then cinema or Jim Crows and silent Era used unexplored facts to incite racial segregation and apartheid. The filmmakers depicted stories as these happened in some other world and that they are not responsible for agitation due to their presentations. No wonder the excessive racially prejudiced presentation still makes controversies wherever it is screened. The movie saw nearly 120 censorship controversies from 1915 to 1973. There were attempts to pass legislation at city, state and federal level against showing the movie in its unedited form (Stokes 9). The Mayor of Chicago refused to issue the permit to screen the movie in the city when his African-American constituents insisted. He later passed a bill to prohibit any material that could cause racial tensions (Couvares 161). The movie reportedly glorified the agenda of Ku Klux Klan . It was linked to propaganda and recruitment of the Klan. By 1930, however the social scientists were also worried as they felt that the Birth of a Nation provokes racial behavior among its audience. (Stokes 9). Stokes further explores reasons of controversies in his book and provides conclusions of many researchers. He states that the movie could never went out of mind of people as there was always a possibility of it coming in a different format ( such as with sound in 1930) or there could be a remake. In fact a financier Ted Thal almost finalized such a thought. The protests caused criticism and adverse publicity made him shelve the idea. The shows of the movie continued to be stopped. A show at University of Wisconsin was cancelled in 1972 and in 1978 at Municipal Museum in Riverside California. In the same year, when Klan members tried to show 'The Birth of a Nation' a communist group protested and violence erupted bringing black and Mexican American into conflict. In a 1979 conflict, the communists burned the Klan flag against showing 'The Birth of a Nation'. The Klan retaliated by killing communists in a rally, the incident later known as 'Greensboro massacre' (Stokes 9-10). Later in 1989, a show at Brown University was cancelled. In 1992, when policemen were acquitted from the charge of beating African-American Rodney King, the riots erupted which were video recorded by Matthew McDaniel as 'The Birth of a Nation: 4*11*1992. The protests erupted wherever the movie was screened and particularly the African-American churches, Press and NAACP displeased with the black image projected(Stokes 10; Couvares 161). The African-American press launched a crusade against the movie. It presented the black protests prominently and attacked D. W. Griffith. Papers such as Cleveland, Gazette, The Freeman and W.E.B Du Bois's The Crisis, The New York age and the Boston Guardian held shows of the movie responsible for creating tensed situation and violence against blacks . The reportedly racial theme of the movie annoyed whites as well who did not support blacks in such from (Couvares 161). At places people threw eggs or such things on the screens to show their displeasure. As a result the movie was edited many times and softening sequences were added to it (Lang 198). The revenge in the form of reply by same media (film) also began. Oscar Micheaux's 1920 silent film Within Our Gates was considered a reply to Griffith's The birth of a Nation. While Griffith's film represents black male assaults on white female purity, Micheaux's film sets the historical record straight with its depiction of the chase of a black woman by a white man. But the racial reversals in the plot of the film are not the only challenges that Within Our Gates poses to Griffith's film. Within Our Gates also matches, though in an opposite way to The Birth of a Nation in the politics of its aesthetics. ( Siomopoulos 111-118). The protest began afresh when decision to include the movie in Library of Congress' National Registry of Films (Stokes 10). The protesters claimed that to honor this movie is appreciation to racism. During O. J. Simpson trial, in 1995, a television channel cancelled show of the movie fearing it could provoke racial violence. When in 1998, the movie was included in 100 best movies ever, the African -American called it a mythology in racism rather. When in 1999, Directors Guild of America withdrew the prestigious Griffith award for lifetime achievement concluding 'The Birth' fosters racism. There was a lot of criticism on judging Griffith only by this one movie. Probably the prominent controversy till date remains that when Woodrow Wilson. The then US president, saw a screening of this movie, he exclaimed, "It's like writing history with lightning. And my only regret is that it is all terribly true." (africanamericans.com par 4). In Britain the movie could be shown after a disclaimer on racism only. The 'Birth' has been appreciated as a Great War and history movie (Stokes 10-11). No doubt the controversies enhanced the curiosity of people about the movie and it was a great success financially. However overused stigma of racism for the movie suppressed praise Griffith deserved for his technical innovation and brilliant filmmaking. How did the 'silent' movie affected Jazz and Blue during that time: The Birth' was technically, superb silent movie. There were fast moving subtitles to know what is happening on the screen. It is possible that as a result of portrayal of a race it must have influenced their music as well. It is well known that blacks had very good taste in music and they entertained their masters at plantations. The Blues is their deep, somewhat melancholy music while Jazz is more liberated sensual one. Post 'The Birth' era seemingly influenced the thought that as Benzon (189-233) puts it, only anger and violence cannot bring about political organization there is requirement of cultural cohesion. In somewhat recent incidents where the black churches were burned the Jazz and Bop musicians and singers contributed to civil rights movement effectively. The churches are basic to the society of blacks and are as secular as their music. Those who heard the music got the message. As Frank Kofsky (Kofsky, 1970,as cited in Benzon.) pointed out, when Charlie Parker played "Now's the Time" he was talking politics. How many of those who sang "We Shall Overcome" got to that point by listening to Parker tell them the time was ripe The music of whites was also influenced by black music. Blues for instance influenced the rock and roll. Civil rights movement owes a debt to jazz. It could be assumed logically that the political protests of the fifties and sixties are, in part, an indirect effect of the first phase, the jazz phase, of this overall expressive evolution; the musical expression of the 20s, 30s, and 40s had effects in society which help enable the political expression of the 50s and 60s. Thus black expressive energy influenced the counter culture both directly through rhythm and blues and indirectly through the civil rights movement (Benzon 189-233) . There have been some jazz and blues singers who had some hint to racial discrimination in their songs but were more so in their conduct. Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (1912-1967) was an American song writer. He was deeply influenced by the poverty and struggles of American working class and reflected this in his songs (Love Music.1). Billie Holiday (1915 -1959) was introduced to singing for a song based on lynching. She feared attack on her by racist. She was the first one to sing with all white musicians. Holliday was extremely popular yet she had to come through back door for all her concerts. People often say, probably due to her singing with white musicians and singers that she was not a conscious anti-racist. In her 1958 interview, she refuted this claim strongly (Love Music..2). Dusty Springfield OBE (1939-1999) was a popular Irish singer who loved the Jazz, the black American not the British type. She raised controversies when refused to sing in front of a segregated crowd. She said her performance clause says it would be mixed audience. She performed in two concerts for mixed audience and was told to leave the country by South African Government. Her statement has been very strong since at that time apartheid was acceptable ( Love Music..3). It is true that the singers or performers did discourage racism, their music had little to do with anti-racial thoughts initially. The anti-racial feeling in jazz and blues songs remained subdued long after 'The birth'. It was much later that aggressive anti-racial tone came into music. The black singers still sang songs giving great emotional powers of their sufferings. Around 1920s Bessie Smith, who climbed to great fame internationally, sang Poor Man's Blues in her powerful voice. It had little to do with racism rather her 'Mr Rich Man, Mr Rich Man' sought compassion for fellow human's difficulties (Vulliamy 51-54). Conclusion: The epic movie 'the birth of a nation' by D. W. Griffith met probably more than its share of controversies and protests. It would have been hailed as technical wonder and masterful direction only if Griffith had avoided too aggressive racial touch to it. As discussed above through work of a number of researchers and reviewers, the movie has portrayed blacks in racist and vicious manner. They are shown as ignorant, violent and sexually antisocial. The movie proclaimed miscegenation. The movie also has strikingly pro-clan stand. In fact, it revived the dormant Klan as depicted in the movie. The new revived Klan appeared in flowing white cloths to frighten away innocent blacks. Finally the movie endorsed the slavery, which is cause of huge protests against its exhibition even today. As far as its impact on music is concerned, it was a movie of silent era. However, the highly music sensible blacks changed the tones of their jazz and blues to protest against such treatment. The songs that followed clearly reflected anger to racism in aggressive manner. WORK CITED AFRICANAMERICANS.COM. The Birth of A Nation. 20 Nov 2008 http://www.africanamericans.com/BirthofANation.htm Benzon, W. L. "Music Making History: Africa Meets Europe in the United States of the Blues". In Nikongo Ba'Nikongo, ed., Leading Issues in Afro- American Studies. Durham, North Carolina: Carolina Academic Press, 1997, pp. 189-233 Couvares , F. G. Movie Censorship and American Culture. Univ of Massachusetts Press, 2006 Dirk, T. "The Birth Of A Nation (1915) review". 19 Nov 2008 http://www.filmsite.org/birt2.html D. W. Griffith. The Birth of a Nation, Motion Picture, 1915. Lang, R. and D. W. Griffiths. The Birth of a Nation :D. W. Griffith Director (1915). Rutgers University Press, 1994. Love Music Hate Racism Quiz - Teachers' Notes. 20 Nov 2008. http://www.saraf.org.uk/attachments/057_lmhr%20teachers%20notes.pdf Stokes, M. D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation: A History of the Most Controversial Motion Picture of All Time. Oxford University Press US, 2008 Vulliamy, G. Jazz and Blues: A Teacher's Guide. Routledge, 1982. Wallace, M. "Uncle Tom's Cabin: Before and After the Jim Crow Era", TDR: The Drama Review - Volume 44, 1 (T 165), Spring 2000, pp. 137-156. Siomopoulos , A. "The Birth of a Black Cinema: Race, Reception, and Oscar Micheaux's Within Our Gates", The Moving Image 6, 2, 111-118, Fall 2006. Read More