D.W Griffith and His Contributions to Film

 After delving deeper into the context of D.W. Griffith's life and career, what are your reflections on his contributions to film? How do you believe Griffith's influence should be perceived and evaluated in the context of 21st-century cinema?

Sometimes, there's a complex situation between the art vs the artist. And when the artwork is the first of its kind, and leads the way and opens the door for major innovations in film, the debate whether or not the film should be praised or not gets heated. D.W Griffith was an American filmmaker in the 1900's. In 1915, he released a film named "The Birth of a Nation." This film was extremely problematic as it was extremely racist and was pro KKK propaganda- but it was the first blockbuster feature film. While most films were a maximum of 15 minutes, this film was almost 3 entire hours long. I think that his influence should be perceived in the context of 21st-century cinema. While it was very racist, it was the first of its kind, that opened the eyes of thousands, and led the way for millions of films. It's unfortunate that this had to be the first, and I don't think the artist should be praised for it- only the art.