The first reviews of “The Birth of a Nation” 1915

 

The first reviews of “The Birth of a Nation” 1915

The first reviews of “The Birth of a Nation” or “The Clansman” as it was then known ever published following its first screening to the public in Riverside, California on January 1, 1915.

Riverside Enterprise Sunday January 2 1915

“The Clansman” Receives Enthusiastic Approval

Crowded Houses Audibly Express Approbation of Spectacular and Gripping Photoplay Depicting Strong Story

The biggest thing in the way of a thrill producer that has ever been seen in Riverside, or probably anywhere, is now showing in the Loring Theater – D.W. Griffith’s “The Clansman,” a picturized version of the book and play of the same name by Thomas Dixon Jr. It would be difficult to imagine more exquisite photography than has been achieved in this production. Of marvelous beauty are the settings against which the swift action of the story is thrown. Whatever may be the attitude of the audience toward the pro-southern ideas of the play, there is no denying that it grips the attention from the start and that it works up into a tremendous climax.

Below are presented the articles in their entirety, including the original newspaper pages of that time.

Riverside_Independent_Enterprise_1915-01-02_2 One of the first reviews of The BirthDOWNLOAD
review of The Clansman Riverside_Daily_Press_1915-01-02_6DOWNLOAD
ad for The Clansman Riverside_Daily_Press_1915-01-02_9DOWNLOAD

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