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{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = D. W. Griffith
| image = David Wark Griffith portrait.jpg
| caption = Griffith in 1922
| birth_name = David Wark Griffith
| birth_date = {{Birth date|mf=yes|1875|01|22}}
| birth_place = [[Oldham County, Kentucky]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|mf=yes|1948|07|23|1875|01|22}}
| death_place = [[Hollywood, California]], U.S.
| resting_place = Mount Tabor Methodist Church Graveyard,<br />[[Centerfield, Kentucky]], U.S.
| death_cause = [[Cerebral hemorrhage]]
| occupation = Director, writer, producer
| years_active = 1908–1931
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Linda Arvidson]]|1906|1936|end=divorced}}<br />{{marriage|Evelyn Baldwin|1936|1947|end=divorced}}
}}
'''David Wark''' "'''D. W.'''" '''Griffith''' (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948)<ref name="britannica.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/246084/DW-Griffith|title=D.W. Griffith|work=Encyclopædia Britannica|accessdate=March 30, 2015}}</ref> was an American director, writer, and producer who pioneered modern filmmaking techniques.

Griffith is best remembered for ''[[The Birth of a Nation]]'' (1915) and ''[[Intolerance (film)|Intolerance]]'' (1916).<ref name=obit>{{cite news |coauthors= |title=David W. Griffith, Film Pioneer, Dies; Producer Of 'Birth Of Nation,' 'Intolerance' And 'America' Made Nearly 500 Pictures Set, Screen Standards Co-Founder Of United Artists Gave Mary Pickford And Fairbanks Their Starts. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 24, 1948}}</ref> ''The Birth of a Nation'' made use of advanced camera and narrative techniques, and its popularity set the stage for the dominance of the feature-length film in the United States. Since its release, the film has sparked significant controversy surrounding [[Racism in the United States|race in the United States]],<ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://www.historynet.com/the-birth-of-a-nation-when-hollywood-glorified-the-kkk.htm
| title = 'The Birth of a Nation': When Hollywood Glorified the KKK {{!}} HistoryNet
| website = HistoryNet
| language = en-US
| access-date = February 27, 2016
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news
| url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/jul/29/birth-of-a-nation-dw-griffith-masterpiece
| title = The Birth of a Nation: a gripping masterpiece … and a stain on history
| last = Brooks
| first = Xan
| date = July 29, 2013
| newspaper = The Guardian
| language = en-GB
| issn = 0261-3077
| access-date = February 27, 2016
}}</ref> focusing on its negative depiction of [[African Americans]] and its glorification of the [[Ku Klux Klan]]. Today, it is both noted for its radical technique and condemned for its inherently [[racist]] philosophy.<ref name="britannica.com"/> The film was subject to boycotts by the [[NAACP]] and, after screenings of the film had caused riots at several theaters, the film was censored in many cities, including New York City. ''Intolerance'', his next film, was, in part, an answer to his critics.<ref name="britannica.com"/>

Several of Griffith's later films, including ''[[Broken Blossoms]]'' (1919), ''[[Way Down East]]'' (1920), and ''[[Orphans of the Storm]]'' (1921), were also successful, but his high production, promotional, and [[Roadshow theatrical release|roadshow]] costs often made his ventures commercial failures. By the time of his final feature, ''[[The Struggle (film)|The Struggle]]'' (1931), he had made roughly 500 films.<ref name=obit/>

Griffith is one of the founders of the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] and widely considered among the most important figures in the [[History of film|history of cinema]]. He is credited with popularizing the use of the [[Close-up|close-up shot]].<ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://sensesofcinema.com/2006/great-directors/griffith/
| title = D.W. Griffith
| website = Senses of Cinema
| language = en-US
| access-date = February 27, 2016
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://sabotagetimes.com/tv-film/up-close-and-personal-the-history-of-the-close-up-in-film
| title = History of the Close Up in film
| last =
| first =
| date =
| website =
| publisher =
| access-date =
}}</ref>

==Early life==
[[File:GriffithDW.jpg|thumb|Griffith ({{circa|1907}})|left|167x167px]]
Griffith was born on a farm in [[Oldham County, Kentucky]], the son of Mary Perkins (''née'' Oglseby) and Jacob Wark "Roaring Jake" Griffith.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gildasattic.com/dwgriffith.html|title=D. W. Griffith (1875-1948)|publisher=|accessdate=December 3, 2016}}</ref> Jacob was a [[Confederate States Army|Confederate Army]] colonel in the [[American Civil War]] and was elected as a Kentucky state legislator. Griffith was raised a [[Methodist]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Blizek|first1=William L.|title=The Continuum Companion to Religion and Film|date=2009|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=0-826-49991-0|page=126}}</ref> He attended a one-room schoolhouse where he was taught by his older sister, Mattie. After his father died when he was ten, the family struggled with poverty.

When Griffith was 14, his mother abandoned the farm and moved the family to [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]], where she opened a boarding house. It failed shortly after. Griffith then left high school to help support the family, taking a job in a dry goods store and later in a bookstore. Griffith began his creative career as an actor in touring companies. Meanwhile, he was learning how to become a playwright, but had little success—only one of his plays was accepted for a performance.<ref name="DWPlay">{{cite web|url=http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAgriffith.htm |title=D. W. Griffith |publisher=Spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk |accessdate=June 5, 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605080400/http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAgriffith.htm |archivedate=June 5, 2011 |df=mdy }}</ref> Griffith then decided to become an actor, and appeared in many films as an extra.<ref name="DWG">{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pickford/peopleevents/p_griffith.html |title=American Experience | Mary Pickford |publisher=PBS |accessdate=June 5, 2011}}</ref>

Griffith began making short films in 1908, and released his first feature film, ''[[Judith of Bethulia]]'', in 1914. A few years earlier, in 1907, Griffith, still struggling as a playwright, traveled to New York in an attempt to sell a script to [[Edison Studios]] producer [[Edwin Porter]].<ref name="DWPlay" /> Porter rejected Griffith's script, but gave him an acting part in ''[[Rescued from an Eagle's Nest]]'' instead.<ref name="DWPlay" />

Finding this attractive, Griffith began to explore a career as an actor in the motion picture business.

==Film career==
[[File:Walthall with DW Griiffith2.jpg|thumb|right|Griffith on the set of ''Birth of a Nation'' (1915) with actor [[Henry B. Walthall|Henry Walthall]] and others.|234x234px]]
In 1908, Griffith accepted a role as a stage extra in ''Professional Jealousy'' for the [[Biograph Company|American Mutoscope and Biograph Company]], commonly known as Biograph, where he would meet his future, favorite cameraman, [[Billy Bitzer|G. W. "Billy" Bitzer]]. At Biograph, Griffith's career in the film industry would change forever.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.starpulse.com/Actors/Griffith,_D.W./Biography/ |title=D.W. Griffith Biography |publisher=Starpulse.com |date=July 23, 1948 |accessdate=June 5, 2011}}</ref> In 1908, Biograph's main director [[Wallace McCutcheon, Sr.|Wallace McCutcheon]] grew ill, and his son, Wallace McCutcheon, Jr., took his place.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.victorian-cinema.net/mccutcheon.htm |title=Who's Who of Victorian Cinema |publisher=Victorian-cinema.net |accessdate=June 5, 2011}}</ref> McCutcheon, Jr., however, was not able to bring the studio any success.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> As a result, Biograph co-founder, [[Henry "Harry" Marvin]], decided to give Griffith the position;<ref name="autogenerated1" /> and the young man made his first short movie for the company, ''[[The Adventures of Dollie]]''. Griffith would end up directing forty-eight shorts for the company that year.

His short ''[[In Old California (1910 film)|In Old California]]'' (1910) was the first film shot in Hollywood, California. Four years later he produced and directed his first feature film ''[[Judith of Bethulia]]'' (1914), one of the earliest to be produced in the United States. At the time, Biograph believed that longer features were not viable. According to actress [[Lillian Gish]], the company thought that "a movie that long would hurt [the audience's] eyes".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kirsner|first1=Scott|title=Inventing the movies : Hollywood's epic battle between innovation and the status quo, from Thomas Edison to Steve Jobs|date=2008|publisher=CinemaTech Books|location=[s.l.]|isbn=1438209991|page=13|edition=1st}}</ref>

Because of company resistance to his goals, and his cost overruns on the film (it cost $30,000 to produce), Griffith left Biograph. He took his stock company of actors with him and joined the [[Mutual Film Corporation]]. He formed a studio with the Majestic Studio manager Harry Aitken;<ref name="Aitken">{{cite web|url=http://www.cobbles.com/simpp_archive/dwgriffith.htm |title=D. W. Griffith: Hollywood Independent |publisher=Cobbles.com |date=June 26, 1917 |accessdate=June 5, 2011}}</ref> it became known as Reliance-Majestic Studios (and was later renamed Fine Arts Studio).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://employees.oxy.edu/jerry/finearts.htm |title=Fine Arts Studio |publisher=Employees.oxy.edu |date=June 9, 1917 |accessdate=June 5, 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514153743/http://employees.oxy.edu/jerry/finearts.htm |archivedate=May 14, 2011 |df=mdy }}</ref> His new production company became an autonomous production unit partner in [[Triangle Film Corporation]] along with [[Thomas H. Ince|Thomas Ince]] and [[Keystone Studios]]' [[Mack Sennett]]; the Triangle Film Corporation was headed by Griffith's partner Harry Aitken, who was released from the Mutual Film Corporation,<ref name="Aitken" /> and his brother Roy.[[File:Intolerance production 1916.jpg|thumb|Left to right: Griffith, cameraman [[Billy Bitzer|G. W. "Billy" Bitzer]] (behind [[Pathé]] camera), [[Dorothy Gish]] watching from behind Bitzer, [[Karl Brown (cinematographer)|Karl Brown]] keeping script, and [[Miriam Cooper]] in profile, in a production still for ''[[Intolerance (film)|Intolerance]]'' (1916).|left|187x187px]][[File:Birth of a Nation (1915).webm|thumb|''[[Birth of a Nation]]'' (1915), perhaps the most famous silent movie directed by Griffith and considered a landmark by film historians. Adapted for the screen by Griffith and [[Frank E. Woods]], based on the novel and play ''[[The Clansman: An Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan]]'' by [[Thomas Dixon, Jr.]]. Collection [[National Film Registry]].|277x277px]]Through [[Reliance-Majestic Studios]], Griffith directed and produced ''[[The Birth of a Nation|The Clansman]]'' (1915), which would later be known as ''[[The Birth of a Nation]]''. Historically, ''The Birth of a Nation'' is considered important by film historians as one of the first [[feature length]] American films (most previous films had been less than one hour long), and it changed the industry's standard in a way still influential today.<ref>[http://www.moviejustice.com/vault/index.php?p=getitem&db_id=4&item_id=27 MJ Movie Reviews – Birth of a Nation, The (1915) by Dan DeVore] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707000000/http://www.moviejustice.com/vault/index.php?p=getitem&db_id=4&item_id=27 |date=July 7, 2009 }}</ref> Although the film was a success it also aroused much controversy due to its depiction of [[Slavery in the United States|slavery]], the [[Ku Klux Klan]], and [[race relations]] in both the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] and the [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction era]].

Like its source material, [[Thomas Dixon, Jr.]]'s 1905 novel ''[[The Clansman]]'', it depicts Southern pre-Civil War slavery as benign, the enfranchisement of [[freedmen]] as a corrupt [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] plot, and the Klan as a band of heroes restoring the rightful order. This view of the era was popular at the time, and was endorsed by historians of the [[Dunning School]] for decades, although it met with strong criticism from the [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]] (NAACP) and other groups.

The NAACP attempted to stop showings of the film; while they were successful in some cities, it was shown widely and became the most successful box office attraction of its time. Considered among the first "blockbuster" motion pictures, it broke virtually all box office records that had been set up to that point. "They lost track of the money it made", [[Lillian Gish]] once remarked in a [[Kevin Brownlow]] interview.{{citation needed|date=May 2012}} Some{{Who|date=January 2017}} have speculated that an adjustment of box office earnings for inflation would confirm it as the most profitable movie of all time.[[File:Intolerance (1916).ogv|thumb|''[[Intolerance (film)|Intolerance]]'' (1916), the second most famous silent movie directed by Griffith who co-wrote the screenplay with [[Frank E. Woods]], Hettie Grey Baker, [[Tod Browning]], [[Anita Loos]] and Mary H. O'Connor. Collection [[National Film Registry]].|left|200x200px]]Among the people who profited by the film was [[Louis B. Mayer]], who bought the rights to distribute ''[[The Birth of a Nation]]'' in [[New England]]. With the money he made, he was able to begin his career as a producer that culminated in the creation of [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] studios.[[File:Fairbanks - Pickford - Chaplin - Griffith.png|thumb|right|The first million dollar partners: Fairbanks, Pickford, Chaplin and Griffith.|270x270px]]After seeing the film, which was filled with action and violence, audiences in some major northern cities rioted over the film's racial content.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_birth.html |title=The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow . Jim Crow Stories . The Birth of a Nation |publisher=PBS |date=March 21, 1915 |accessdate=June 5, 2011}}</ref>

In his next film, ''[[Intolerance (film)|Intolerance]]'', Griffith believed he was responding to critics. He portrayed the effects of intolerance in four different historical periods: the [[Battle of Opis|Fall of Babylon]]; the [[Crucifixion of Jesus]]; the events surrounding the [[St. Bartholomew's Day massacre]] (during religious persecution of French [[Huguenot]]s); and a modern story. During its release ''Intolerance'' was not a financial success; although it had good box office turn-outs, the film did not bring in enough profits to cover the lavish road show that accompanied it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cinemaweb.com/silentfilm/bookshelf/7_dwg_2.htm |title="Griffith's 20 Year Record", ''Variety'' (September 25, 1928), as edited by David Pierce for ''The Silent Film Bookshelf,'' on line |publisher=Cinemaweb.com |date=September 5, 1928 |accessdate=June 5, 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712184505/http://www.cinemaweb.com:80/silentfilm/bookshelf/7_dwg_2.htm |archivedate=July 12, 2011 |df=mdy }}</ref> Griffith put a huge budget into the film's production, which could not be recovered in its box office.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/new/film.nsf/reviews/intolerance |title= Intolerance Movie Review |publisher=Contactmusic.com |date=May 29, 2011 |accessdate=June 5, 2011}}</ref> He mostly financed ''Intolerence'', contributing to his financial ruin for the rest of his life.<ref name="Sadoul">Georges Sadoul (1972 [1965]). ''Dictionary of Films'', P. Morris, ed. & trans., [https://books.google.com/books?id=_CL5zCKR2PgC&pg=PA158=false#v=onepage&q&f=false p. 158.] University of California Press.</ref>[[File:Griffith intolerance.jpg|thumb|Griffith's ''Intolerance'']]

When his production partnership was dissolved in 1917, Griffith went to [[Artcraft]] (part of [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]), then to [[First National Pictures|First National]] (1919–1920). At the same time he founded [[United Artists]], together with [[Charlie Chaplin]], [[Mary Pickford]], and [[Douglas Fairbanks]]. At United Artists, Griffith continued to make films, but never could achieve box office grosses as high as either ''The Birth of a Nation'' or ''Intolerance.''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/griffith_d.html |title=American Masters . D.W. Griffith |publisher=PBS |date=December 29, 1998 |accessdate=June 5, 2011}}</ref> He was also a producer on the 1915 film ''[[Martyrs of the Alamo]].''

==Later film career==
Though [[United Artists]] survived as a company, Griffith's association with it was short-lived. While some of his later films did well at the box office, commercial success often eluded him. Griffith features from this period include ''[[Broken Blossoms]]'' (1919), ''[[Way Down East]]'' (1920), ''[[Orphans of the Storm]]'' (1921), ''[[Dream Street (film)|Dream Street]]'' (1921), ''[[One Exciting Night]]'' (1922) and ''[[America (1924 film)|America]]'' (1924). Of these, the first three were successes at the box office.<ref>{{cite news|title=Last Dissolve|date=August 2, 1948|work=Time Magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,888442,00.html|accessdate=August 14, 2008}}</ref> Griffith was forced to leave United Artists after ''[[Isn't Life Wonderful]]'' (1924) failed at the box office.[[File:United Artists contract signature 1919.jpg|thumb|[[United Artists]] founders, Griffith, [[Mary Pickford|Pickford]], [[Charles Chaplin|Chaplin]], and [[Douglas Fairbanks|Fairbanks]] sign their contract for the cameras (1919).|left|285x285px]]He made a part-talkie, ''[[Lady of the Pavements]]'' (1929), and only two full-sound films, ''[[Abraham Lincoln (1930 film)|Abraham Lincoln]]'' (1930) and ''[[The Struggle (film)|The Struggle]]'' (1931). Neither was successful, and after ''The Struggle'' he never made another film.

In 1936, director [[Woody Van Dyke]], who had worked as Griffith's apprentice on ''[[Intolerance (film)|Intolerance]]'', asked Griffith to help him shoot the famous earthquake sequence for ''[[San Francisco (1936 film)|San Francisco]]'', but did not give him any film credit. Starring [[Clark Gable]], [[Jeanette MacDonald]] and [[Spencer Tracy]], it was the top-grossing film of the year.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

In 1939, the producer [[Hal Roach]] hired Griffith to produce ''[[Of Mice and Men (1939 film)|Of Mice and Men]]'' (1939) and ''[[One Million B.C.]]'' (1940). He wrote to Griffith: "I need help from the production side to select the proper writers, cast, etc. and to help me generally in the supervision of these pictures."<ref>Richard Lewis Ward, ''A History of the Hal Roach Studios'', p. 109-110. Southern Illinois University, 2005. ISBN 0-8093-2637-X. In his [[Biograph Company|Biograph]] days, Griffith had directed two films with prehistoric settings: ''Man's Genesis'' (1912) and ''[[Brute Force (1914 film)|Brute Force]]'' (1914).</ref>

Although Griffith eventually disagreed with Roach over the production and parted, Roach later insisted that some of the scenes in the completed film were directed by Griffith. This would make the film the final production in which Griffith was actively involved. But, cast members' accounts recall Griffith directing only the [[screen test]]s and costume tests. When Roach advertised the film in late 1939 with Griffith listed as producer, Griffith asked that his name be removed.<ref>Ward, p. 110.</ref>

Mostly forgotten by movie-goers of the time, Griffith was held in awe by many in the film industry. In the mid-1930s, he was given a special Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 1946, he made an impromptu visit to the film location of [[David O. Selznick]]'s epic western ''[[Duel in the Sun (film)|Duel in the Sun]]'', where some of his veteran actors, Lillian Gish, Lionel Barrymore and Harry Carey, were cast members. Gish and Barrymore found their old mentor's presence distracting and became self-conscious. While the two were filming their scenes, Griffith hid behind set scenery.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Green|first1=Paul|title=Jennifer Jones: The Life and Films|date=2011|publisher=McFarland|isbn=0-786-48583-3|page=69}}</ref>

==Death==
On the morning of July 23, 1948, Griffith was discovered unconscious in the lobby at the [[Knickerbocker Hotel (Los Angeles)|Knickerbocker Hotel]] in [[Los Angeles, California]], where he had been living alone. He died of a [[cerebral hemorrhage]] at 3:42 PM on the way to a [[Hollywood]] hospital.<ref name=obit/> A large public service was held in his honor at the [[Hollywood Masonic Temple]], but few stars came to pay their last respects. He is buried at Mount Tabor Methodist Church Graveyard in [[Centerfield, Kentucky]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Schickel|first1=Richard|title=D.W. Griffith: An American Life|date=1996|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=0-879-10080-X|page=31}}</ref> In 1950, The [[Directors Guild of America]] provided a stone and bronze monument for his gravesite.<ref>Schickel 1996 p. 605</ref>

==Legacy==
{{refimprove section|date=December 2016}}
[[File:Stamp US 1975 10c Griffith.jpg|thumb|right|Stamp issued by the [[United States Postal Service]] commemorating D. W. Griffith|231x231px]]
Performer and director [[Charlie Chaplin]] called Griffith "The Teacher of us All". Filmmakers such as [[John Ford]], [[Alfred Hitchcock]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Leitch|first1=Thomas|last2=Poague|first2=Leland|title=A Companion to Alfred Hitchcock|date=2011|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=1-444-39731-1|page=50}}</ref> [[Orson Welles]], [[Lev Kuleshov]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flickeralley.biz/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25&Itemid=43 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423120949/http://www.flickeralley.biz:80/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25&Itemid=43 |dead-url=yes |archive-date=April 23, 2012 |title=Landmarks of Early Soviet Film |accessdate=October 18, 2012 }}</ref> [[Jean Renoir]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://biography.yourdictionary.com/jean-renoir|title=Jean Renoir Biography |publisher=biography.yourdictionary.com|accessdate=October 18, 2012}}</ref> [[Cecil B. DeMille]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1990-07-06/entertainment/ca-39_1_intolerance|title=Movie Review: Restored 'Intolerance' Launches Festival of Preservation |publisher=latimes.com|accessdate=October 18, 2012}}</ref> [[King Vidor]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/198681%7C94180/King-Vidor/|title=Overview for King Vidor |publisher=tcm.com|accessdate=October 18, 2012}}</ref> [[Victor Fleming]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cineaste.com/articles/emvictor-fleming-an-american-movie-masterem |title=Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master |accessdate=April 24, 2013 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914012745/http://www.cineaste.com/articles/emvictor-fleming-an-american-movie-masterem |archivedate=September 14, 2013 |df=mdy }}</ref> [[Raoul Walsh]],<ref>{{cite book|last1=Moss|first1=Marilyn|title=Raoul Walsh: The True Adventures of Hollywood's Legendary Director|date=2011|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=0-813-13394-7|pages=181, 242}}</ref> [[Carl Theodor Dreyer]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://matineeclassics.com/celebrities/directors/carl_dreyer/details |title=Matinee Classics - Carl Dreyer Biography & Filmography |publisher=matineeclassics.com |accessdate=October 9, 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215020339/http://matineeclassics.com/celebrities/directors/carl_dreyer/details |archivedate=December 15, 2013 |df=mdy }}</ref> [[Sergei Eisenstein]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leninimports.com/sergei_eisenstein.html|title=Sergei Eisenstein - Biography|publisher=leninimports.com|accessdate=October 9, 2012}}</ref> and [[Stanley Kubrick]] have spoken of their respect for the director of ''[[Intolerance (film)|Intolerance]].'' Welles said "I have never really hated Hollywood except for its treatment of D. W. Griffith. No town, no industry, no profession, no art form owes so much to a single man."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://matineeclassics.com/celebrities/directors/dw_griffith/details/ |title=MintyTees @ Amazon.com: vintage/celebrities/directors/dw_griffith/details/ |publisher= |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215020321/http://matineeclassics.com/celebrities/directors/dw_griffith/details/ |archivedate=December 15, 2013 |df=mdy }}</ref>

[[File:DW Griffith star HWF.JPG|thumb|Griffith's Star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6535 Hollywood Blvd.|left|200x200px]]Griffith seems to have been the first to understand how certain film techniques could be used to create an expressive language; it gained popular recognition with the release of his ''[[The Birth of a Nation]]'' (1915). His early shorts—such as Biograph's ''[[The Musketeers of Pig Alley]]'' (1912), the first "gangster film"—show that Griffith's attention to camera placement and lighting heightened mood and tension. In making ''Intolerance'', the director opened up new possibilities for the medium, creating a form that seems to owe more to music than to traditional narrative.
* In the 1951 ''[[The Philco Television Playhouse|Philco Television Playhouse]]'' episode "The Birth of the Movies", events from Griffith's film career were depicted. Griffith was played by [[John Newland]].
* In 1953, the [[Directors Guild of America]] (DGA) instituted the D. W. Griffith Award, its highest honor. On December 15, 1999, DGA President [[Jack Shea (director)|Jack Shea]] and the DGA National Board announced that the award would be renamed as the "DGA Lifetime Achievement Award". They stated that, although Griffith was extremely talented, they felt his film ''The Birth of a Nation'' had "helped foster intolerable racial stereotypes", and that it was thus better not to have the top award in his name.
* In 1975, Griffith was honored on a ten-cent postage stamp by the United States.
* D.W. Griffith Middle School in Los Angeles is named after Griffith.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://griffithms-lausd-ca.schoolloop.com|title=Griffith Middle School: Home Page|publisher=|accessdate=December 3, 2016}}</ref> Because of the association of Griffith and the racist nature of ''The Birth of a Nation'', attempts have been made to rename the 100% minority-enrolled school.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://laschoolreport.com/petition-calls-for-griffith-middle-school-name-change-over-racism/|title=Petition calls for Griffith Middle School name change over racism - LA School Report|publisher=|accessdate=December 3, 2016}}</ref>
* In 2008 the [[Hollywood Heritage Museum]] hosted a screening of Griffith's earliest films, to commemorate the centennial of his start in film.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hollywoodheritage.org/events.html |title=Hollywood Heritage |publisher=Hollywood Heritage |accessdate=June 5, 2011}}</ref>
*On January 22, 2009 the Oldham History Center in [[La Grange, Kentucky|La Grange]], Kentucky opened a 15-seat theatre in Griffith's honor. The theatre features a library of available Griffith films.

==Film preservation==
Griffith has five films preserved in the United States [[National Film Registry]] deemed as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." These are ''[[Lady Helen's Escapade]]'' (1909), ''[[A Corner in Wheat]]'' (1909), ''[[The Birth of a Nation]]'' (1915), ''[[Intolerance (film)|Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages]]'' (1916), and ''[[Broken Blossoms]]'' (1919).

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Film in the United States}}
* [[D. W. Griffith filmography]]
* [[D. W. Griffith House]]
* [[List of Freemasons]]
* [[List of people from the Louisville metropolitan area]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
*David W. Menefee, ''Sweet Memories'' (Dallas, Texas: Menefee Publishing Inc., 2012)
*Lillian Gish, ''The Movies, Mr. Griffith and Me'' (Englewood, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1969)
*Karl Brown, ''Adventures with D. W. Griffith'' (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1973)
*Richard Schickel, ''D. W. Griffith: An American Life'' (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1984)
*Robert M. Henderson, ''D. W. Griffith: His Life and Work'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 1972)
*William M. Drew, ''D. W. Griffith's "Intolerance:" Its Genesis and Its Vision'' (Jefferson, New Jersey: McFarland & Company, 1986)
*Kevin Brownlow, ''The Parade's Gone By'' (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1968)
*Seymour Stern, ''An Index to the Creative Work of D. W. Griffith'', (London: The British Film Institute, 1944–47)
*David Robinson, ''Hollywood in the Twenties'' (New York: [[A. S. Barnes]] & Co, Inc., 1968)
*Edward Wagenknecht and Anthony Slide, ''The Films of D. W. Griffith'' (New York: Crown, 1975)
*William K. Everson, ''American Silent Film'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 1978)
*{{cite journal|last1=Smith|first1=Matthew|title=American Valkyries: Richard Wagner, D. W. Griffith, and the Birth of Classical Cinema|journal=[[Modernism/modernity]]|date=April 2008|volume=15|issue=2|pages=221–42|url=http://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/modernism-modernity/v015/15.2smith_m.html|accessdate=September 14, 2014}}
*Iris Barry and Eileen Bowser, ''D. W. Griffith: American Film Master'' (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1965)
*{{cite web
| last = Drew
| first = William M.
| title = D.W. Griffith (1875–1948)
| url=http://www.gildasattic.com/dwgriffith.html
| accessdate =July 31, 2007 }}

==External links==
{{commons category|David Wark Griffith}}
* [http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/GriffithBib.html Bibliography of books and articles about Griffith] via UC Berkeley Media Resources Center
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=D. W. Griffith}}
* {{Librivox author |id=10314}}
* {{IMDb name|428}}
* [http://www.early-american-cinema.com/articles/griffith_tv.html "The Box in the Screen"] Griffith and television
* [https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Emq2iUBtLH8/V2u8G-J7PII/AAAAAAAAMuw/1ai-lSSOGroOIzpCinpsE5i_g_iwebRqgCLcB/s1600/d%2Bw%2Bgriffith%2Blate%2B1890s.jpg Photo of Griffith in the 1890s]

{{D. W. Griffith}}
{{Academy Honorary Award}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffith, D. W.}}
[[Category:D. W. Griffith| ]]
[[Category:American film directors]]
[[Category:American film producers]]
[[Category:Cinema pioneers]]
[[Category:1875 births]]
[[Category:1948 deaths]]
[[Category:Academy Honorary Award recipients]]
[[Category:American film production company founders]]
[[Category:Cinema of Southern California]]
[[Category:Hollywood history and culture]]
[[Category:Silent film directors]]
[[Category:Western (genre) film directors]]
[[Category:Artists from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Artists from Louisville, Kentucky]]
[[Category:American Methodists]]
[[Category:Burials in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Neurological disease deaths in the United States]]
[[Category:People from Oldham County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:United Artists]]

D. W. Griffith - Revision history

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