Seth Paxton
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Nov 5, 1998
- Messages
- 7,585
Kenneth, nice point about the "Why We Fight". I guess what Ken is saying is the kind of thing I'm talking about above.
Is this a film we should let quietly die in the dustbin of history? Or should we revere it for its technical genius, while overlooking somehow the racist content?
In the context of movie-making BOAN’s technical achievements should never be overlooked, but the films racist content should also never be overlooked. Acknowledging the technical innovations does not equal acceptance of the film’s message.
It is possible to discuss a film and break it down into form and content. With its' technical innovations BOAN’s form was ground breaking, while it’s content was garbage. Those who say they cannot separate the two, should come down off of their high horses and join the real world.
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Aside from its ugly racism, I have other quibbles with this film and Griffith's oeuvre in general. Unlike the great silent films by Dreyer and Murnau and Stroheim, this movie and his other movies do not rise to the level of art. Griffith's innovations are essentially a pastiche of pulp literary styles applied to cinema, rather than the purely cinematic innovations of someone like Dreyer. ... Clearly, it was never Griffith's intent to elevate cinema to the level of the fine arts, and nor was he influenced by the rest of the art world in the manner of Bunuel or Cocteau. He made big, dumb popcorn movies for big, dumb audiences and thus doesn't register for me as someone of all that much significance.
Your assessment of Griffith leads me to conclude that you haven't seen Broken Blossoms. If this film is not a work of art, then no film is. Dreyer, Murnau, and Stroheim produced movies that were more refined, but they were building on the influence of Griffith. Stroheim even worked under Griffith for a while. Griffith was very influenced by Victorian works-he loved the work of Charles Dickens for example. Wouldn't you also call some of Dickens' novels big, dumb books for big, dumb audiences? As DeborahK said, it all depends on your definition of art. I could go on and on about this, but I wouldn't want to wear out my welcome, so I will end by saying that Broken Blossoms is anything but a popcorn movie, so check it out (it's on DVD) if you haven't seen it. It also contains a storyline that sheds more light on Griffith's racism.
Jarod