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The American Civil War was the most consequential conflict in United States history and has been powerfully depicted on screen countless times. From epic accounts of fierce battles to personal explorations of soldiers experiences, as a medium, film has the power to represent the full spectrum of this harrowing conflict, where brothers fought against brothers and communities turned on one another. This can often lead to emotional movie-viewing experiences, as, more so than any other art form, films allow audiences to witness the shocking, bloody, and uncomfortably graphic sides of warfare.

Like the best war movie, depictions of the Civil War highlight not just the challenges of society during that conflict but also today's social and political tensions. This can be seen through the racial representation in a movie like Glory or even as a thought experiment in the imagined dystopian conflict seen in Alex Garlands Civil War, which showcased...

It’s a CineSavant guest reviewer debut for journalist Sergio Alejandro Mims. In its first ever 2-disc set Twilight Time makes a bold statement with a domestic release of an important U.K. restoration. It’s without question extremely influential as filmmaking — techniques used in The Avengers: Infinity War can be traced back to D.W. Griffith’s classic. But this controversial picture is also one of the most vile, racist movies ever made. It has a lot of answer for, yet still makes an impact today. What other film released over a century ago can make that statement?

The Birth of a Nation

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1915 / Color tinted / 1:33 flat full frame / 191 min. / Street Date May 22, 2018 /Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store /

Starring: Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall, Ralph Lewis, George Siegman Walter Long, Joseph Henabery Jennie Lee, Mary Alden.

Cinematography: G.W. Bitzer

Film Editors: D.W.

Pillars of Society (1916) Direction: Raoul Walsh Screenplay: From a novel by Henrik Ibsen Cast: Henry B. Walthall, Mary Alden, Juanita Archer, George Beranger, Josephine Crowell, Olga Grey   Pillars of Society is a film about hypocrisy, having its basis on a story by Ibsen. The Birth of a Nation hero Henry B. Walthall (right) plays the son of a Norwegian shipping company; in his youth, he goes to Paris to study and has an affair with a married Bohemian actress. However, his brother-in-law is falsely accused of having said affair with the actress; he protects Walthall by accepting the blame and leaving for America. Years later, the brother-in-law returns and demands that Walthall clear his name. Fearing that if the [...]...