The Birth of a Nation
The Fiery Cross of the Ku Klux Klan!
1915 | 195m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | D.W. Griffith |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Thomas F. Dixon Jr., Frank E. Woods, D.W. Griffith |
| Staring: |
| Two families, abolitionist Northerners the Stonemans and Southern landowners the Camerons, intertwine. When Confederate colonel Ben Cameron is captured in battle, nurse Elsie Stoneman petitions for his pardon. In Reconstruction-era South Carolina, Cameron founds the Ku Klux Klan, battling Elsie's congressman father and his African-American protégé, Silas Lynch. | |
| Release Date: | Mar 08, 1915 |
|---|---|
| Director: | D.W. Griffith |
| Writer: | Thomas F. Dixon Jr., Frank E. Woods, D.W. Griffith |
| Genres: | Drama, History, War |
| Keywords | ku klux klan, southern usa, army, silent film, american civil war, reconstruction era, historical epic, inspirational, controversial, awestruck, optimistic, feel-good |
| Production Companies | Epoch Film Co. |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $11,000,000
Budget: $100,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 04, 2026 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
![The Birth of a Nation (1915) [ 4K Ultra HD ] D.W. Griffith | Lillian Gish | Full Movie](/extra_thumbs/oikeRSja4kI.jpg)
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Lillian Gish | Stoneman's Daughter Elsie |
| Mae Marsh | Flora Cameron |
| Henry B. Walthall | Col. Ben Cameron |
| Miriam Cooper | Margaret Cameron |
| Mary Alden | Stoneman's Housekeeper Lydia |
| Ralph Lewis | Leader of the House Hon. Austin Stoneman |
| George Siegmann | Lieut. Governor Silas Lynch |
| Walter Long | Gus |
| Robert Harron | Tod |
| Wallace Reid | Jeff, the Blacksmith |
| Joseph Henabery | Abraham Lincoln |
| Elmer Clifton | Stoneman's Elder Son Phil |
| Josephine Crowell | Mrs. Cameron |
| Spottiswoode Aitken | Dr. Cameron |
| George Beranger | Wade Cameron |
| Maxfield Stanley | Duke Cameron |
| Jennie Lee | Mammy |
| Donald Crisp | Gen. U.S. Grant |
| Howard Gaye | Gen. Robert E. Lee |
| Sam De Grasse | Senator Charles Sumner (uncredited) |
| William De Vaull | Nelse (uncredited) |
| Willam Freeman | Jake / Sentry at Hospital (uncredited) |
| Tom Wilson | Stoneman's Servant (uncredited) |
| Fred Burns | Klansman (uncredited) |
| Allan Sears | Klansman (uncredited) |
| Elmo Lincoln | Blacksmith (uncredited) |
| Madame Sul-Te-Wan | Black Woman (uncredited) |
| Raoul Walsh | John Wilkes Booth (uncredited) |
| Monte Blue | (uncredited) |
| Harry Braham | Cameron's Male Servant (uncredited) |
| Bob Burns | Klan Leader (uncredited) |
| Edmund Burns | Klansman (uncredited) |
| Edward Burns | Klansman (uncredited) |
| Peggy Cartwright | Young Girl in Cabin (uncredited) |
| Dark Cloud | General (uncredited) |
| Leonore Cooper | Elsie's Maid (uncredited) |
| Charles Eagle Eye | Man Who Falls from Roof (uncredited) |
| John Ford | Klansman (uncredited) |
| Olga Grey | Laura Keene (uncredited) |
| Alberta Lee | Mrs. Lincoln (uncredited) |
| Betty Marsh | Child with Dr. Cameron (uncredited) |
| Donna Montran | Belle of 1861 (uncredited) |
| Eugene Pallette | Union Soldier (uncredited) |
| Alma Rubens | Belle of 1861 (uncredited) |
| Charles Stevens | Volunteer (uncredited) |
| Jules White | Confederate Soldier (uncredited) |
| Violet Wilkey | Young Flora Cameron (uncredited) |
| David Butler | Northern Soldier / Confederate Soldier (uncredited) |
| Mary Wynn |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Joseph Carl Breil | Music, Director of Photography |
| James Smith | Editor |
| Jon Mirsalis | Original Music Composer |
| Rose Smith | Editor |
| Clare West | Costume Design |
| Walter Hoffman | Special Effects, Special Effects Supervisor |
| Robert Goldstein | Costume Design |
| Thomas F. Dixon Jr. | Adaptation, Novel |
| Ralph M. DeLacy | Property Master |
| Charles Eagle Eye | Stunts |
| Joseph Nurnberger | Music |
| Baron von Winther | Assistant Director |
| Cash Shockey | Painter |
| Herbert Sutch | Assistant Director |
| Shorty English | Carpenter |
| Fireworks Wilson | Special Effects |
| Karl Brown | Camera Operator |
| Fred Hamer | Assistant Director |
| Thomas E. O'Brien | Assistant Director |
| Frank Wortman | Set Designer |
| Karl Malkames | Negative Cutter |
| Jim Kidd | Security |
| Hal Sullivan | Assistant Property Master |
| Leo Nomis | Stunts |
| Frank E. Woods | Screenplay |
| Billy Bitzer | Director of Photography |
| Joseph Henabery | Assistant Director, Editor |
| Raoul Walsh | Assistant Director, Editor |
| Monte Blue | Stunts, Assistant Director |
| Christy Cabanne | Assistant Director |
| Elmer Clifton | Assistant Director |
| Jack Conway | Assistant Director |
| Donald Crisp | Assistant Director |
| Allan Dwan | Assistant Director |
| Howard Gaye | Assistant Director |
| Robert Harron | Assistant Director |
| W.S. Van Dyke | Assistant Director |
| Erich von Stroheim | Assistant Director |
| Henry B. Walthall | Assistant Director |
| Tom Wilson | Assistant Director |
| Carli Elinor | Conductor |
| D.W. Griffith | Writer, Editor, Presenter, Original Music Composer, Director |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| H.E. Aitken | Executive Producer |
| D.W. Griffith | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 19 | 28 | 15 |
| 2024 | 5 | 19 | 30 | 12 |
| 2024 | 6 | 17 | 31 | 8 |
| 2024 | 7 | 19 | 35 | 10 |
| 2024 | 8 | 15 | 26 | 9 |
| 2024 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 7 |
| 2024 | 10 | 18 | 38 | 9 |
| 2024 | 11 | 15 | 33 | 7 |
| 2024 | 12 | 15 | 29 | 10 |
| 2025 | 1 | 16 | 33 | 9 |
| 2025 | 2 | 11 | 15 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| 2025 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 2026 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2026 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 822 | 822 |
prabhushakti
10.0
He achieved what no other known man has ever achieved. To watch his work is like being witness to the beginning of melody, or the first conscious use of the lever or the wheel; the emergence, coordination, and first eloquence of language; thebirth of an art: and to realize that this is all the work ... of one man. - James Agee Griffith demonstrated to every filmmaker and moviegoer who followed him what a movie was, and what a movie could be. - Roger Ebert
Jun 23, 2021