D. W. Griffith: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

D. W. Griffith built the grammar of narrative cinema out of Victorian literature, stage melodrama, and the Italian historical epic — and poured it into films whose racism remains inseparable from their technique. This mix traces the Dickens-and-Browning reading habits behind his cutting, the Biograph and early Hollywood scene around him, and the montage theorists and American directors who took his discoveries forward.

The Kynda mix for D. W. Griffith

• Key Influence · The Adventures of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (1838). Griffith famously defended his cross-cut, two-stories-at-once construction to skeptical Biograph bosses by citing Dickens, who told parallel narratives in alternating chapters. Eisenstein later built an entire essay, 'Dickens, Griffith, and the Film Today,' on the lineage. Dickens's crowded urban melodrama, orphan innocence and last-minute rescues supplied both Griffith's cutting logic and his moral universe of imperiled virtue.
• Influencia Obscura · Judith and Holofernes by Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1896). Griffith's first feature-length film, Judith of Bethulia (1914), was adapted from Aldrich's blank-verse treatment of the Apocryphal Book of Judith rather than from scripture directly. The now-forgotten New England poet thus supplied the bridge by which Griffith left the one- and two-reeler behind: a biblical siege, a seductress-heroine and a besieged city, the template he would scale up to Babylon in Intolerance.
• Local Roots · The Squaw Man by Cecil B. DeMille (1914). Griffith's company had been wintering in Los Angeles since 1910, shooting around Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley; DeMille's barn-studio production the same decade confirmed the migration from New York. The two men built the feature-length Hollywood industry in parallel on the same dusty streets, sharing crews, locations and the open-air light that made California the capital of American film.
• Beyond the Medium · Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman (1855). Griffith lifted Whitman's line 'Out of the cradle endlessly rocking' as the recurring intertitle and visual motif of Intolerance — Lillian Gish rocking a cradle between the film's four eras. Whitman's expansive, simultaneous vision of a whole people licensed Griffith's attempt to braid Babylon, Judea, St. Bartholomew's Day and modern America into one poem of humanity across time.
• Peer · Shoes by Lois Weber (1916). Weber was the most prominent American director besides Griffith in the mid-1910s and worked the same social-problem terrain he mined in A Corner in Wheat and Intolerance's modern story. Her study of a shopgirl driven toward prostitution by poverty uses close-ups and subjective inserts as argument. Both filmmakers treated the feature as moral instrument, which is why both drew censors and controversy.
• From the Canon · Intolerance by D. W. Griffith (1916). Griffith's answer to the outrage over The Birth of a Nation interweaves four stories across millennia, cutting ever faster between them until they collide in a single rhythm — the most radical structural experiment of the silent era and the film Soviet montage theorists studied closest. Its commercial failure ended his independence, but its Babylon set and accelerating parallel climax defined cinematic ambition.
• Key Collaborator · Greed by Erich von Stroheim (1924). Von Stroheim worked as an assistant director and bit player on Intolerance and Hearts of the World, learning crowd staging and production scale from Griffith before turning utterly against his sentimentality. His merciless adaptation of McTeague, mutilated by the studio from its original length, is the apprentice's rebuke: the same obsessive epic ambition, redirected toward naturalist cruelty.
• Legacy · Battleship Potemkin by Sergei Eisenstein (1925). Eisenstein and the Soviet montage school studied Intolerance frame by frame — Lenin had the film imported — and Eisenstein's essay 'Dickens, Griffith, and the Film Today' credits Griffith with discovering parallel montage while faulting its bourgeois moralism. The Odessa Steps sequence is the dialectical reply: Griffith's cross-cutting converted from individual rescue into collective, political collision.

What influenced D. W. Griffith

• Die Walküre by Richard Wagner (1870). Die Walküre (Richard Wagner) — culture for D. W. Griffith (also via The Birth of a Nation) “"American Valkyries: Richard Wagner, D.W.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan by Thomas Dixon Jr. (1905). The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan (Thomas Dixon Jr.) — titan for The Birth of a Nation (via The Birth of a Nation) “It was based on Thomas Dixon Jr. 's 1905 novel The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan” (Wikipedia)
• Mathew Brady. The film's battle scenes drew on Mathew Brady's Civil War photography for visual reference. (via The Birth of a Nation, Photographs of the Civil War (Brady's Album Gallery)) “The film's war scenes were influenced by Robert Underwood Johnson 's book Battles and Leaders of the Civil War , Harper's Pictorial History of the Civil War , The Soldier in Our Civil War , and Mathew Brady 's photography.” (Wikipedia)
• The Clansman (1911 Kinemacolor film) by William F. Haddock. Griffith was inspired to make Birth of a Nation after seeing Woods' script for the earlier Kinemacolor Clansman project. “Frank E. Woods , the film's scriptwriter, showed his work to Griffith, who was inspired to create his own film adaptation of the novel, titled The Birth of a Nation .” (Wikipedia)
• The Adventures of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (1838). The Adventures of Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens) — titan for D. W. Griffith “Among the films he directed in 1909 was The Cricket on the Hearth, an adaptation of Charles Dickens's novel.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Charles Dickens. The article explicitly identifies Dickens as an influence on Griffith’s film narrative. “Showing the influence of Dickens on his own film narrative, Griffith employed the technique of cross-cutting” (Wikipedia)
• The Fall of Troy by Giovanni Pastrone (1911). The Fall of Troy (Giovanni Pastrone) — ghost for The Birth of a Nation (via The Birth of a Nation) “He worked during the era of the silent film and influenced many important directors in the international cinema with Cabiria, such as David Wark Griffith in The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916).” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Leopard's Spots by Thomas Dixon Jr. (1902). The Leopard's Spots (Thomas Dixon Jr.) — culture for The Birth of a Nation (via The Birth of a Nation) “The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and play The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Clansman by Thomas Dixon Jr.. The film's screenplay was directly adapted from Dixon's novel and play. (via The Birth of a Nation) “The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr. 's 1905 novel and play The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan .” (Wikipedia)
• Battles and Leaders of the Civil War by Robert Underwood Johnson. The film's Civil War battle scenes drew on this book as source material. (via The Birth of a Nation) “The film's war scenes were influenced by Robert Underwood Johnson 's book Battles and Leaders of the Civil War , Harper's Pictorial History of the Civil War , The Soldier in Our Civil War , and Mathew Brady 's photography.” (Wikipedia)
• Harper's Pictorial History of the Civil War. The film's Civil War battle scenes drew on this book as source material. (via The Birth of a Nation) “The film's war scenes were influenced by Robert Underwood Johnson 's book Battles and Leaders of the Civil War , Harper's Pictorial History of the Civil War , The Soldier in Our Civil War , and Mathew Brady 's photography.” (Wikipedia)
• The Great Train Robbery by Edwin S. Porter (1903). The Great Train Robbery (Edwin S. Porter) — titan for D. W. Griffith (themoviedb.org)
• Judith and Holofernes by Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1896). Judith and Holofernes (Thomas Bailey Aldrich) — ghost for D. W. Griffith (openlibrary.org)
• Pippa Passes by Robert Browning (1841). Pippa Passes (Robert Browning) — ghost for D. W. Griffith (openlibrary.org)
• Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman (1855). Leaves of Grass (Walt Whitman) — culture for D. W. Griffith (openlibrary.org)
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (1859). A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens) — titan for The Birth of a Nation (via The Birth of a Nation) (openlibrary.org)
• Photographs of the Civil War (Brady's Album Gallery) by Mathew Brady (1862). Photographs of the Civil War (Brady's Album Gallery) (Mathew Brady) — ghost for The Birth of a Nation (via The Birth of a Nation) “The film's war scenes were influenced by Robert Underwood Johnson's book Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Harper's Pictorial History of the Civil War, The Soldier in Our Civil War, and Mathew Brady's photography.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Uncle Tom's Cabin by Edwin S. Porter (1903). Uncle Tom's Cabin (Edwin S. Porter) — ghost for The Birth of a Nation (via The Birth of a Nation) (themoviedb.org)
• The Holy Bible illustrations by Gustave Doré (1866). The Holy Bible illustrations (Gustave Doré) — culture for D. W. Griffith

Peers and kindred spirits

• The Wind by Victor Sjöström (1928). The Wind (Victor Sjöström) — collaborator for D. W. Griffith (also via The Birth of a Nation) “Her other major films and performances from the silent era included Intolerance (1916), Broken Blossoms (1919), Way Down East (1920), Orphans of the Storm (1921), The White Sister (1923), La Bohème (1926), and The Wind (1928).” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Cabiria by Giovanni Pastrone (1914). Cabiria was screened alongside Birth of a Nation at the White House event, indicating shared cultural context. (also via The Birth of a Nation) “The Italian film Cabiria (1914) was shown on the lawn.” (Wikipedia)
• Mack Sennett. Griffith’s company and Sennett were partners within Triangle. (also via Tillie's Punctured Romance) “His new production company became an autonomous production unit partner in the Triangle Film Corporation along with Thomas H. Ince and Keystone Studios ' Mack Sennett .” (Wikipedia)
• United Artists. Griffith was one of United Artists’ founders. “Together with Charlie Chaplin , Mary Pickford , and Douglas Fairbanks , Griffith founded the studio United Artists in 1919” (Wikipedia)
• Thomas H. Ince. Griffith’s company and Ince were partners within Triangle. (also via Civilization) “His new production company became an autonomous production unit partner in the Triangle Film Corporation along with Thomas H. Ince and Keystone Studios ' Mack Sennett .” (Wikipedia)
• Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon. Lucile supplied costumes for Griffith’s film. (via Way Down East) “Way Down East. Dir.: D.W. Griffith, sc.: Anthony Paul Kelly, cost.: Lucy Duff-Gordon (D.W. Griffith, Inc. US 1920)” (Women Film Pioneers Project)
• Tillie's Punctured Romance by Mack Sennett (1914). Tillie's Punctured Romance (Mack Sennett) — geography for D. W. Griffith (also via The Birth of a Nation) “Ince and Keystone Studios' Mack Sennett.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Squaw Man by Cecil B. DeMille (1914). The Squaw Man (Cecil B. DeMille) — geography for D. W. Griffith (also via The Birth of a Nation) (themoviedb.org)
• Greed by Erich von Stroheim (1924). Greed (Erich von Stroheim) — collaborator for D. W. Griffith (also via The Birth of a Nation) (themoviedb.org)
• Edwin Porter. Porter gave Griffith an acting role in a film. “although Porter rejected the script, he gave Griffith an acting part in Rescued from an Eagle's Nest instead.” (Wikipedia)
• Billy Bitzer. The article places Griffith and cameraman Bitzer together at Biograph. “In 1908, Griffith accepted a role as a stage extra in Professional Jealousy for the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company , where he met cameraman Billy Bitzer .” (Wikipedia)
• American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. Griffith worked for the named film company. “In 1908, Griffith accepted a role as a stage extra in Professional Jealousy for the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company” (Wikipedia)
• Mutual Film Corporation. Griffith joined Mutual Film Corporation. “He took his company of actors with him and joined the Mutual Film Corporation .” (Wikipedia)
• Harry Aitken. Griffith and Aitken formed a studio together. “He formed a studio with Majestic Studios manager Harry Aitken , [ 14 ] which became known as Reliance-Majestic Studios” (Wikipedia)
• Reliance-Majestic Studios. The studio Griffith formed with Aitken became Reliance-Majestic Studios. “He formed a studio with Majestic Studios manager Harry Aitken , [ 14 ] which became known as Reliance-Majestic Studios” (Wikipedia)
• Triangle Film Corporation. Griffith’s production company was a partner in Triangle. “His new production company became an autonomous production unit partner in the Triangle Film Corporation along with Thomas H. Ince and Keystone Studios ' Mack Sennett .” (Wikipedia)
• Hal Roach. Roach hired Griffith for production work on two films. “In 1939, the producer Hal Roach hired Griffith to produce Of Mice and Men (1939) and One Million B.C. (1940).” (Wikipedia)
• Civilization by Thomas H. Ince (1916). Civilization (Thomas H. Ince) — peer for The Birth of a Nation (via The Birth of a Nation) “Triangle (so named because from an aerial point of view the property had a triangular shape) was built at 10202 West Washington Boulevard (which became the Ince/Triangle Studios, before becoming Lot 1 of the prestigious MGM Studios, and …” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Italian by Reginald Barker (1915). The Italian (Reginald Barker) — geography for D. W. Griffith (themoviedb.org)
• Shoes. Shoes (Lois Weber) — peer for D. W. Griffith (themoviedb.org)
• The Phantom Carriage by Victor Sjöström (1921). The Phantom Carriage (Victor Sjöström) — peer for D. W. Griffith (themoviedb.org)
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos (1925). Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Anita Loos) — collaborator for D. W. Griffith (openlibrary.org)
• The Cheat by Cecil B. DeMille (1915). The Cheat (Cecil B. DeMille) — peer for The Birth of a Nation (via The Birth of a Nation) (themoviedb.org)
• The Cheat by Oscar Apfel (1915). The Cheat (Oscar Apfel) — peer for D. W. Griffith

Who D. W. Griffith influenced

• Sergei Eisenstein. Eisenstein is reported to have called Griffith an outstanding master. (also via Intolerance, Battleship Potemkin) “Sergei Eisenstein expressed his admiration for Griffith as an "outstanding master", but criticized Birth of a Nation” (Wikipedia)
• Carl Theodor Dreyer by Carl Theodor Dreyer. Dreyer is listed among filmmakers who praised Griffith. “Filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock , [ 35 ] Lev Kuleshov , [ 36 ] Jean Renoir , [ 37 ] Cecil B. DeMille , [ 38 ] King Vidor , [ 39 ] Victor Fleming , [ 40 ] Raoul Walsh , [ 41 ] Carl Theodor Dreyer , [ 42 ] and Stanley Kubrick have prai…” (Wikipedia)
• Raoul Walsh by Raoul Walsh. Walsh is listed among filmmakers who praised Griffith. “Filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock , [ 35 ] Lev Kuleshov , [ 36 ] Jean Renoir , [ 37 ] Cecil B. DeMille , [ 38 ] King Vidor , [ 39 ] Victor Fleming , [ 40 ] Raoul Walsh , [ 41 ] Carl Theodor Dreyer , [ 42 ] and Stanley Kubrick have prai…” (Wikipedia)
• Cecil B. DeMille. DeMille is listed among filmmakers who praised Griffith. (also via The Squaw Man, The Cheat) “Filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock , [ 35 ] Lev Kuleshov , [ 36 ] Jean Renoir , [ 37 ] Cecil B. DeMille , [ 38 ] King Vidor , [ 39 ] Victor Fleming , [ 40 ] Raoul Walsh , [ 41 ] Carl Theodor Dreyer , [ 42 ] and Stanley Kubrick have prai…” (Wikipedia)
• Alfred Hitchcock (1899). States Hitchcock watched and admired Griffith's work as a young man. “he watched Charlie Chaplin , D. W. Griffith and Buster Keaton , and particularly liked Fritz Lang 's Der müde Tod (released in Britain in 1921 as Destiny )” (Wikipedia)
• Woody Van Dyke. Van Dyke is described as Griffith’s apprentice. “In 1936, director Woody Van Dyke , who had worked as Griffith's apprentice on Intolerance , asked Griffith to help him shoot the famous earthquake sequence” (Wikipedia)
• Shōzō Makino. The article explicitly likens Makino to Griffith and reports Griffith’s nickname for him. “Shōzō Makino - a Japanese film director entitled as the "Father of the Japanese film" liken to D. W. Griffith, and was nicknamed by Griffith as "Griffith Makino".” (Wikipedia)
• Stanley Kubrick by Stanley Kubrick (1928). Kubrick is listed among filmmakers who praised Griffith. “Filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock , [ 35 ] Lev Kuleshov , [ 36 ] Jean Renoir , [ 37 ] Cecil B. DeMille , [ 38 ] King Vidor , [ 39 ] Victor Fleming , [ 40 ] Raoul Walsh , [ 41 ] Carl Theodor Dreyer , [ 42 ] and Stanley Kubrick have prai…” (Wikipedia)
• Citizen Kane by Orson Welles (1941). Intolerance (D. W. Griffith) — titan for Citizen Kane (via Intolerance, The Birth of a Nation) “Before RKO cut the film's budget, Ferguson's designs were more elaborate and resembled the production designs of early Cecil B. DeMille films and Intolerance” (Wikipedia)
• Within Our Gates by Oscar Micheaux (1920). Within Our Gates (Oscar Micheaux) — legacy for The Birth of a Nation (via The Birth of a Nation) “In 1920, African-American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux released Within Our Gates , a response to The Birth of a Nation .” (Wikipedia)
• John Ford. The Birth of a Nation (D. W. Griffith) — titan for John Ford (via The Birth of a Nation, The Searchers) “In addition to credited roles, he appeared uncredited as a Klansman in D. W. Griffith 's 1915 The Birth of a Nation .” (Wikipedia)
• Battleship Potemkin by Sergei Eisenstein (1925). Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein) — legacy for D. W. Griffith (also via The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance) “Sergei Eisenstein expressed his admiration for Griffith as an "outstanding master", but criticized Birth of a Nation, calling it "disgraceful propaganda of racial hatred towards the colored people".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• BlacKkKlansman by Spike Lee (2018). BlacKkKlansman (Spike Lee) — legacy for D. W. Griffith (also via The Birth of a Nation) “Clips from Griffith's film are shown in Robert Zemeckis's Forrest Gump (1994), where the footage is meant to portray the titular character's ancestor and namesake Nathan Bedford Forrest The closing montage of Spike Lee's Bamboozled (2000…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin explicitly characterized Griffith as a teacher to filmmakers. (also via Intolerance) “Performer and director Charlie Chaplin called Griffith "The Teacher of Us All".” (Wikipedia)
• Jean Renoir (1894). Renoir is listed among filmmakers who praised Griffith. (also via Broken Blossoms) “Filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock , [ 35 ] Lev Kuleshov , [ 36 ] Jean Renoir , [ 37 ] Cecil B. DeMille , [ 38 ] King Vidor , [ 39 ] Victor Fleming , [ 40 ] Raoul Walsh , [ 41 ] Carl Theodor Dreyer , [ 42 ] and Stanley Kubrick have prai…” (Wikipedia)
• Trey Parker (1969). Their production company was named after a D.W. Griffith film they disliked. “In 1992, Parker, Stone, McHugh and Ian Hardin founded a production company, Avenging Conscience, named after D. W. Griffith 's film , which all four hated.” (Wikipedia)
• One Wonderful Sunday. Article states One Wonderful Sunday shows influence of D.W. Griffith. “The movie bears the influence of Frank Capra , D. W. Griffith and F. W. Murnau , each of whom was among Kurosawa's favorite directors.” (Wikipedia)
• Lillian Gish. Griffith is described as Gish and Barrymore’s mentor. “Gish and Barrymore found their mentor's presence distracting, and they became self-conscious; in response, Griffith hid behind the scenery” (Wikipedia)
• Lionel Barrymore. Griffith is described as Gish and Barrymore’s mentor. “Gish and Barrymore found their mentor's presence distracting, and they became self-conscious; in response, Griffith hid behind the scenery” (Wikipedia)
• Lev Kuleshov. Kuleshov is listed among filmmakers who praised Griffith. “Filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock , [ 35 ] Lev Kuleshov , [ 36 ] Jean Renoir , [ 37 ] Cecil B. DeMille , [ 38 ] King Vidor , [ 39 ] Victor Fleming , [ 40 ] Raoul Walsh , [ 41 ] Carl Theodor Dreyer , [ 42 ] and Stanley Kubrick have prai…” (Wikipedia)
• King Vidor. Vidor is listed among filmmakers who praised Griffith. “Filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock , [ 35 ] Lev Kuleshov , [ 36 ] Jean Renoir , [ 37 ] Cecil B. DeMille , [ 38 ] King Vidor , [ 39 ] Victor Fleming , [ 40 ] Raoul Walsh , [ 41 ] Carl Theodor Dreyer , [ 42 ] and Stanley Kubrick have prai…” (Wikipedia)
• Victor Fleming. Fleming is listed among filmmakers who praised Griffith. “Filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock , [ 35 ] Lev Kuleshov , [ 36 ] Jean Renoir , [ 37 ] Cecil B. DeMille , [ 38 ] King Vidor , [ 39 ] Victor Fleming , [ 40 ] Raoul Walsh , [ 41 ] Carl Theodor Dreyer , [ 42 ] and Stanley Kubrick have prai…” (Wikipedia)
• The Birth of the Movies. The television episode depicted Griffith’s career and portrayed him as a character. “In the 1951 Philco Television Playhouse episode " The Birth of the Movies ", events from Griffith's film career were depicted. Griffith was played by John Newland .” (Wikipedia)
• The Birth of a Race. The Birth of a Race was made as a direct response to Griffith's film. (via The Birth of a Nation) “In 1918, an American silent drama film directed by John W. Noble called The Birth of a Race was released as a direct response to The Birth of a Nation .” (Wikipedia)
• Rebirth of a Nation. DJ Spooky created a remix of the original film. (via The Birth of a Nation) “Griffith's film was remixed in 2004 as Rebirth of a Nation by DJ Spooky .” (Wikipedia)
• Django Unchained. Tarantino explicitly said he made Django Unchained to counter Birth of a Nation's falsehoods. (via The Birth of a Nation) “Quentin Tarantino has said that he made his film Django Unchained (2012) to counter the falsehoods of The Birth of a Nation .” (Wikipedia)
• Gone with the Wind. Gone with the Wind eventually surpassed Birth of a Nation as highest-grossing film, sharing subject matter. (via The Birth of a Nation) “The film was the highest-grossing film until it was overtaken by Gone with the Wind (1939), another film about the Civil War and Reconstruction era.” (Wikipedia)
• Nickelodeon. Nickelodeon incorporates footage from The Birth of a Nation. (via The Birth of a Nation) “The 1976 American comedy film Nickelodeon in part pays homage to silent film makers, and includes footage from The Birth of a Nation .” (Wikipedia)
• Unbroken Blossoms. The play concerns the making of Griffith’s film. (via Broken Blossoms) “East West Players in Los Angeles produced Unbroken Blossoms, a world premier play by Philip W. Chung about the making of Broken Blossoms .” (Wikipedia)
• Pauline Kael (1919). Kael named Intolerance as a film she held in exceptional esteem. (via Intolerance) “D. W. Griffith 's Intolerance (1916) was "the greatest movie ever made"” (Wikipedia)
• The Searchers by John Ford (1956). The Searchers (John Ford) — legacy for D. W. Griffith (themoviedb.org)
• Akira Kurosawa (1910). The Birth of a Nation (D. W. Griffith) — titan for Akira Kurosawa (via The Birth of a Nation) (themoviedb.org)
• The Fall of a Nation. The Fall of a Nation was produced as a sequel to The Birth of a Nation. (via The Birth of a Nation)