A Flipped Script

     Jason C. Apple’s “Re-mixed Histories” analyzes D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation and Paul D. Miller’s reiteration of the film, titled The Rebirth of a Nation. By looking at how Miller reworked the film,  by use of music and scene cutting, we can see the film through a new lens. What once was a story centered around championing The Klu Klux Klan as a heroic group of men who will save people from the violent negroes. Has now become a show of ugly hate. Miller pieces together titles cards and specific scenes to better illustrate how Birth of a Nation is a violent film, geared towards garnering sympathy for racist whites. By eliminating much of the first half of the film, the audience is no longer able to build a connection with the characters. Personal motivations and relationships are erased. This emphasizes the overt racism of the characters. Such as the way in which black people were depicted as violent, lazy, unscrupulous and lascivious. The fantasy of the film is more obvious; that fantasy being the subjugation or elimination of whites by black people. For whatever reason, racist whites dream about being in the same position that black Americans have faced. From being imprisoned to being unfairly treated based on phenotypes. This usually comes through in the creation of high fantasy stories. The use of elves and dwarves tend to be the choice of made up race that is used as a device for this unjustness. In this case however, its white southerners who are subject to fear of being killed because of who they are. Fear of retaliation by the enslaved peoples. It’s a bitter and sad attempt at trying to rewrite history as well. Being propped up as a true recount of what happened when enslaved African people were finally given autonomy to some degree. In modern speech this is something called “copium”. Bias is an apparent tool used in this film, and it can be said that Miller’s version also holds its own bias. That being the bias of someone whose ancestors were enslaved. Not wanting your own people to be shown in such a negative light is not uncommon for most people. The fact he re-mixed this particular film instead of fully creating his own and simply giving it the same title, shows that he wanted the original movie to be the medium. It became the device to help illustrate Miller’s views on the film and a way to highlight the original bias that way weaved into the film.