D.W. Griffith
David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance (1916). Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera and narrative techniques, and its immense popularity set the stage for the dominance of the feature-length film. It also proved extremely controversial at the time and ever since for its negative depiction of Black Americans and their supporters, and its positive portrayal of slavery and the Ku Klux Klan. Griffith responded to his critics with his next film, Intolerance, intended to show the dangers of prejudiced thought and behavior. The film was not the financial success that its predecessor had been, but was received warmly by critics. Several of his later films were also successful, but high production, promotional, and roadshow costs often made his ventures commercial failures. Even so, he is generally considered one of the most important figures of early cinema.
Known for
American Experience
Self
San Francisco
Orchestra Conductor (uncredited)
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
Self (archive footage)
'Ostler Joe
Lover
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
Self (archive footage)
The Kentuckian
Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies
Self (archive footage)
Professional Jealousy
Extra on stage
1776, or The Hessian Renegades
Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists
Self (archive footage)
The Black Viper
Rescuer
Two Daughters of Eve
At Stage Door
The Heart of O Yama
Footman
The Adventures of Billy
On Bench
Old Isaacs, the Pawnbroker
Doctor, Charity Worker
When Knights Were Bold
Her First Adventure
Father
Mary Pickford a Blessing and a Curse
Self
A Calamitous Elopement
Policeman
Caught by Wireless
Paddy
Hulda's Lovers
Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20)
Himself
The Stage Rustler
Phil Bowen
At the Crossroads of Life
Suitor
The Red Girl
Man on Footpath
The Music Master
A Famous Escape
Prisoner
Flashback: The First World War
Self (archive footage)
The Girls and Daddy
At Black & Tan Ball
Balked at the Altar
Cupid’s Pranks
Rescued from an Eagle's Nest
Father
1930 Prelude to "The Birth of a Nation"
Self
The Tramp and the Dictator
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Fatal Hour
Policeman
Enoch Arden
Mr. Ray
The King's Messenger
Messenger
Deceived Slumming Party
Reginald O.C. Wittington
Falsely Accused!
Cop in Court
At the Altar
Classmates
Extra
The Man in the Box
Station Agent
Yellow Peril
Mr. Phlipp
The Sculptor's Nightmare
The Politician's Love Story
Man - First Couple
At the French Ball
Husband
The Princess in the Vase
Lover
The Invisible Fluid
Mailman
The King of the Cannibal Islands
Cannibal in Top Hat