Film Studies Daily Log

Tuesday, October 6

We turned our attention to the next film we will watch, D.W. Griffith's monumental Birth of a Nation, and discussed why it is the most influential film in American cinematic history (both for its influence on other filmmakers and for its influence on American racial attitudes).

Students received a handout on the film.

We then watched several minutes of a PBS documentary on Reconstruction for historical background (and for a very different perspective on the subject from Griffith's).

HW due Wednesday:
Read the handout.

HW due Friday:
Single-scene analysis.