In this episode of Mjolnir at the Movies, we look at two thematically connected films: D W Griffith's epic masterpiece The Birth of a Nation and the equally majestic Gone with the Wind. Both concern the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era and both have courted their share of controversy, particularly The Birth of a Nation, in which the Ku Klux Klan are portrayed as liberating heroes. The film is rather topical, as last month, Bowling Green State University removed the pioneering star of the silent screen Lillian Gish's name from their theatre after a visit from Black Lives Matter co-founder Opal Tometi. The battle for the reinstatement of her name is still ongoing and supported even by actors like Helen Mirren and James Earl Jones. As the film is in the public domain, we have put it on the Mjolnir at the Movies channel for your viewing:
