This is the first film I've purchased from Alpha and I'm pleasantly surprised.

I'll pass on reviewing the content of the film because its all been done before.

For the most part pd dvds are released with one thing in mind...put as little time/money/effort into a release and get profit by keeping the price in the bargain bin.

Not this dvd! The film comes on a dual layer dvd with the movie clocking in at about 5.4ish GB by itself. With a running time of over 3 hours the extra space of the disc help greatly with the image quality. By no means is this a perfect/restored film...it has its flaws but at this price point you can't complain.

Oh and the cover art is a cut above most pd dvds.

Good job Alpha!

The Lowdown:

Film: 4/5
Video: 4/5 (Note that it is interlaced)
Sound: 3/5 (Does the job)
Extras: 2.5/5 (Some hilariously bad trailers)
Overall: 13.5/20

Yes, there is still a lot of controversy around this film nearly 100 years after it premiered. But on a cinematic level, this was the first real "movie". It is surprisingly effective and for a silent movie the acting is amazingly subdued. Techniques devised by Griffith are still in use today. The long shots here are sweeping and every close-up has a meaning. Politics right or wrong, this film is about people first. A word about this DVD: I state without reservation that this is absolutely the best print of Birth of a Nation that I have ever seen. Clearly pieced together from several available prints, some of it is crystal clear; all of it is easy to watch and in the correct speed. For $5, own a piece of cinema - and American - history. Show this film to the kids and then use it to launch a discussion on some very dark times in our nation's past.

Having given this film a mediocre rating, I should tell you that there is nothing mediocre about it.

First, the movie-making firsts in this movie are astounding. Search the web and you'll doubtless find lists from around the world, including major universities, declaring the many innovative techniques that were used in this film. The one item that I didn't find listed was that this movie had an ensemble cast, long before that genre became common. Each member rises to the forefront of the film's action when called upon, then fades into the background as another story line is given attention. And this version of the film is in incredibly good shape for a 90-year old film.

But sadly, this movie is blatantly racist. The intertitles try to disclaim the racism, but those claims are simply unbelievable. Historically, it is fact that this movie spurred renewed interest in the Ku Klux Klan at a time when it was destined for obscurity. The hate and suffering fostered by this movie cannot be denied or dismissed; the Klan still uses this film as a recruiting tool.

D. W. Griffith, like Woodrow Wilson, had the misfortune of seeing the evils of reconstruction in the post-war South without first seeing the greater evils of slavery. It gave them both a distorted view of race relations in America (Wilson is credited with renewing segregation in the executive branch after every president since Lincoln had tried to reverse it). And thanks in part to this movie, those distorted views survive among us to this day. But avoiding this movie, or demanding that no one else ever see it, will not make anything better. It is a landmark film in movie-making history and should be treated as such; however, while pointing out its incredible accomplishments, the racism it portrays should be exposed for what it is. And don't be surprised if it makes you feel angry.

As for me, I was stunned. Completely. On both counts.