WEBVTT KAREN: DW GRIFFIT'S 1915 FILMBIRTH OF A NATION DEBUTED AS THE-- APPAREL FULL BUT UNMISTAKABLYRACIST RETELLING ORRECONSTRUCTION POSITIONING THEKU KLUX KLAN AS HEROICPROTAGONISTS.A CLAIMED BY THE PRESS, HEBECAME THE FIRST FILM EVER TO BESHOWN IN THE WHITE HOUSE.AS THE FILM GAINED POPULARITYAROUND THE COUNTRY AND EARLYLARGELY FORGOTTEN CIVIL RIGHTSACTIVIST NAMED WILLIAM MUNROTROTTER FOUGHT A BATTLE OFRESISTANCE AGAINST THE FILM INNEW ENGLAND.HIS STORY IS UNCOVERED IN ADOCUMENTARY, THE BIRTH OF THEMOVEMENT.>> L ANGELES, FEBRUARY81915.3000 PEOPLE CROWDED THE CLINTONSAUDITORIUM TO WATCH IT -- CNE'S AUDITORIUM TO WATCH A FILM.♪>> WITHIN WEEKS IT WOULD BE THEFIRST MOVIE TO BE SHOWN INSIDETHE WHITE HOUSE UNDER ITS NEWNA "THE BIRTH OF A NATION.">> CINEMA IS SO IMPORTANT TOAMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE.THE GRAND SPECTACLE.THIS IS WHERE PEOPLE GO TO SEETHEIR FEARS AND FANTASIESREALIZED.IT'S ALSO WHERE THEY GO TO LEARNHISTORY.IT'S PROBABLY THE SINGLE MOSTIMPORTANT UNION IN AMERICANPOPULAR CULTURE AND BIRTH OF ANATION WAS THE MOST IMPORTANTAMERICAN FILM IN EARLY CINEMA.THE FILM IS ABOUT HISTORY WRITLARGE.IT'S ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR ANDRECONSTRUCTION AND THE NATION,THE BIRTH OF A NATION.IT JUST SO HAPPENS THAT THEAMERICAN NATION HAS TO BE BORNEOUT OF WHITE SUPREMACY.>> THE BIRTH OF A NATION HAS THEFLAWS OF BEING TERRIBLY RACIST,HISTORICALLY INACCURATE,PROPAGANDISTIC IN A WAY THATJEOPARDIZED THE LIVES OF BLACKPEOPLE.THERE WAS PURE HONEST UNFILTEREDDISTILLATION OF WHITE RACIALTHOUGHT AT THE TIME.♪>> GOT INTERESTED IN THE STORYWHEN I WAS READING ABOUT WILLIAMMUNRO TROTTER.RADICAL NEWSPAPE EDITOR.A CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER IN BOSTONMASSACHUSETTS.I DID NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT HIM.I THOUGHT, I SHOULD, I'M BASEDIN BOSTON, JOURNALIST AND HEREIS THIS GUY PART OF ALL OF THATIN THE EARLY 1900S.I CAME UPON HIS PROTEST AGAINSTAMERICA'S FIRST BLOCKBUSTEFILM, THE BIRTH OF A NATION.HE WAS AT THE FOREFRONT OF THISINTENSE AND DRAMATIC RATTLEAGAINST THE MOVIE THAT PLAYEDOUT FOR MORE THAN THREE MONTHSIN BOSTON.SAID THIS IS THE STORY TOTELL.>> THIS STORY OVERSHADOWED ANDNEWLY FORGOTTEN IN THE WAKE OFWORLD WAR IS THERADICALNEWSPAPER EDITOR AGAINST THEFATHER OF HOLLYWOOD FILM.IN THE SPRING OF 1915, THESEPASSIONATE, DRIVE HIM ANDFLAWED MEN REIGNITED THETENSIONS OF THE CIVIL WAR IN THEBATTLE OVER RACE THAT WILLCULMINATE IN A SHOWDOWN OF THESTREETS OF BOSTON.>> ARE YOUREADY?KAREN: JOINING US TODAY IN THESTUDIO IS MY LEICA WILL A, ASSOCIATE-- WITH HER IS MICHAEL CURRYARE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THEBOSTON NAACP AND BOARD MEMBERFOR NATIONAL NAACP WHO ALSOPORTRAYS TROTTER IN THE FILM.MTELL ME WHY NORTHERNLIGHT WANTED TO TAKE ON THEPROJECT.>> WE WERE WORKING WITH -- WROTETHIS BOOK, BIRTH OF A MOVEMENT.IT'S ABOUT WILLIAM TROTTER ANDTHE BATTLE THAT HE WAGED AGAINSTBIRTH OF A NATION.IT SUCH A NUANCED STORY WITHFOCU ON BATTLES AGAINSTCENSORSHIP AT THE START OF THE20TH CENTURY.WHEN ASTORY CAME TO US WEREALIZED AS FILMMAKERS PEOPLEAND JUSTIN FILM HISTORY ANDADOPTE BOSTONIANS THIS IS ANUNTOLD STORY THAT NEEDED TO BEOUT THERE.KAREN: OUR MEMBER AT BOSTONUNIVERSITY IN MY FILM SCHOOLCLASS ONE OF THE FIRST FILMS WEHAD TO WATCH WAS BIRTH OF ANATION AND IT WAS HERALDED ASTHIS WONDERFUL PIECE OFHOLLYWOOD MASTERPIECE.AS AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENT IWAS CONFLICTED WATCHING IT.WHAT IMPACT DID THE FILM HAVE ONSOCIETY WHEN IT WAS RELEASED ANDWHAT LINGERING IMPACT AS IT HADOVER THE YEARS?MICHAEL:THE RELEASE PLAYED INTOTHE BIGOTRY OF THE TIME.PART OF WHAT THENAACP, THEBOSTON NAACP, TROTTER WAS TRYINGTO DO AT THAT TIME, WAS FIGHTFOR EQUAL RIGHTS FOR RACIALJUSTICE IN THE COUNTRY AND THEREWERE OTHERS.THIS MOVIE WAS SEEN AS A SETBACKBECAUSE IT PLAYED INTO ALL THESTEREOTYPES OF BLACK MEN ANDBLACK WOMEN IN COMMUNITIE THATWOULD BE SOMETHING THAT COULDSET THE MOVEMENT BACK.AS TROTTER TALKED ABOUT IN THOSETIMES, THIS WAS A BIGOTEDFILM.IT WAS HIS RESPONSIBILITY TOSTAND AGAINST.UNFORTUNATELY WE SORT OF SEETHAT PLAY OUT TODAY.WE BRING THAT FORWARD.WHEN YOU HAVE IMAGES IN FILM ANDBOOKS THAT PORTRAY BIGOTRYPERPETUATE BIGOTRY, IT IS OURJOB TO FIGHT BACK.KAREN: FILM IS VERY POWERFUL.IMAGES THAT APPEAR IN MOVIES.VERY POWERFUL.AND HAVE A SUBCONSCIOUS EFFECTON PEOPLE.MALAIKA: ABSOLUTELY.ONE OF THE IMAGES IS THE IMAGEOF THE KKK BURNING THE CROSS.THAT HAS BEEN MENTIONED IN THEBOOK IS BASED ON, THOMAS DIXON'STHE KLANSMEN.THAT WAS NOT SOMETHING THE KUKLUX KLAN HAVE EVEN DONE.IT WAS NOT A PART OF THEM.FOLLOWING THE FILM THAT ISSOMETHING -- ONE OF THE MOSTIMMEDIATE VISUAL IMPACTS.THE KKK SUDDENLY BURNINGCROSSES.THINGS THAT ARE SEEN IN FILM ANDTHIS MEDIU THAT AMPLIFYEVERYTHING TO THE NEXT LEVELGETS SO EMBEDDED IN OURSUBCONSCIOUS AND MAKES ITS WAYINTO REALITY.KAREN: YOU PLAY TROTTER IN THEFILM.TELL ME WHAT YOU LEARNED OR WHATWE FIND OUT ABOUT WILLIAM MUNROTROTTER THROUGH WATCHING THISPIECE.MICHAEL: FOR ME, BEINGA STUDENTOF HISTORY AND BEING FAMILIARWITH THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER,LAUNCHED IN 1901, THAT FIVECENTS COPY NEWSLETTER THATREALLY WAS THE VOICE OFAFRICAN-AMERICAN AND THE BATTLEBETWEEN BOOKER T AND WILLIAMMUNROTROTTER OVER WHAT THEVOICE OF THE STRUGGLE, THE AFTSHOULD BE FOR OUR MOVEMENT, WASSOMETHING I WAS FAMILIAR WITH.THIS SORT OF BROUGHT TO LIFEWITH ME, THE DEEP DIVIDE WITHINOUR MOVEMENT.THERE'S A SCENE IN THE MOVIE IGOT TO PLAY WHERE WE SAID BUMRUTO AMITY ZION CHURCH AND WEPROTEST DURING THE BOOKER T.WASHINGTON SPEECH.I GET TO LEAD THAT PROTEST ANDBASICALLY CHALLENGE HIM.WHAT ABOUT THE CAUSE OF THENEGRO?CHALLENGING HIS CONCILIATORYAPPROACH TO OUR RACIAL DIVIDE.IT'S ONE THING TO READ ABOUT IT.KAREN: ANOTHER THING TO ACT ITOUT.WHAT WAS ONE STUNNING THING YOULEARNED ABOUT TROTTER IN THISINCIDENT TO DOING THE FILM?MALAIKA: TROTTER, I DID NOTREALIZE HE HAD BEEN SUCH APIONEER IN DIRECT ACTION ANDTHAT APPROACH TO PROTEST.THAT'S SOMETHING WE SEE IN THECIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.AS ANOTHER SEEM WHERE MICHAELPORTRAYS TROTTER IN THE FILM ANDHE IS LEAVING THIS MARCH ON THETREMONT THEATRE WHEN THEY'REGOING TO RELEASE BIRTH OF ANATION.3000 PEOPLE ARE JOINED FROM HISPROTEST IN BOSTON.THE AMOUNT OF OUTRAGE HE WASABLE TO CHANNEL.THE PEOPLE HE WAS ABLE TO GETBEHIND HIM IN THIS WAS SOIMPORTANT AND SOMETHING I HADNOT BEEN AWARE OF.KAREN: AN IMPORTANT PIECE OFWORK.I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR COMINGTO TELL US ABOUT IT.CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS TOWATCH BIRTH OF A MOVEMENT ON PBSON FEBRUARY 6 AT 10:00 P.M.