I just 'signed' it. If you care to do the same - here is the link:
http://www.petitiononline.com/dwaward/petition.html
petition to restore D.W. Griffith's name to the DGA Award
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misspickford9
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Holy crap! My computer dies with 40 sigs on that thing and I come back a week later to find 109? I love you Mr. Verdoux!
I wish the site would let me edit the blurb. I want to correct the Intolerance bit. Let me just say this: Griffith's site will be coming by the end of the month, and umm...something major is going on next May. Shhh...its major and secret
I wish the site would let me edit the blurb. I want to correct the Intolerance bit. Let me just say this: Griffith's site will be coming by the end of the month, and umm...something major is going on next May. Shhh...its major and secret
Well it's like this Hala.....
I was doing a Google search and stumbled upon your petition. It was at 50 - and I made it 51. Then I sent out an e-mail to everyone I knew who I thought would care - AND posted about it on Nitrateville, SilentComedians.com (under 'Mary Pickford') and well as the film collecting sites, 16mm Talk and the 35mm Forum. I'm not only happy (as you are) with the results - but pleased as punch that I appear to have gotten both David Robinson and Kevin Brownlow to add their names! Whoo-hoo!
Question - when did you start the petition (how long has it been up?) and how many 'signatures' do you need before you approach the DGA with it?
I was doing a Google search and stumbled upon your petition. It was at 50 - and I made it 51. Then I sent out an e-mail to everyone I knew who I thought would care - AND posted about it on Nitrateville, SilentComedians.com (under 'Mary Pickford') and well as the film collecting sites, 16mm Talk and the 35mm Forum. I'm not only happy (as you are) with the results - but pleased as punch that I appear to have gotten both David Robinson and Kevin Brownlow to add their names! Whoo-hoo!
Question - when did you start the petition (how long has it been up?) and how many 'signatures' do you need before you approach the DGA with it?
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misspickford9
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Well its one of those 'you better do it but we really have no authority to make you do it' things. The DGA took his name off in 99 because the new head decided 'meh its racist' and the NAACP praised him though I dont believe they had been seeking the removal at that point (correct me if wrong anyone). The end.M Verdoux wrote:Well it's like this Hala.....
I was doing a Google search and stumbled upon your petition. It was at 50 - and I made it 51. Then I sent out an e-mail to everyone I knew who I thought would care - AND posted about it on Nitrateville, SilentComedians.com (under 'Mary Pickford') and well as the film collecting sites, 16mm Talk and the 35mm Forum. I'm not only happy (as you are) with the results - but pleased as punch that I appear to have gotten both David Robinson and Kevin Brownlow to add their names! Whoo-hoo!
Question - when did you start the petition (how long has it been up?) and how many 'signatures' do you need before you approach the DGA with it?
Well I think its bull crap personally. DeMille has an award!?!?!? Demille of the Male and Female?! Seriously? In addition to that many other silent luminaries have things named after them and this had literally been an original...I believe they named it after Griffith when they created the award, shortly after his death (Im going off memory so again correct if wrong).
I've had a lot of interest in Griffith, mainly because 1) he was fantastic and 2) it boggles my mind that someone so great and amazing has been done in by one film. True its his masterpiece, his whole reason for being known anymore. BUT the people who complain are the ones who have never seen it. A friend of a friend told them Birth was offensive. Much like Fatty Arbuckle and rape Griffith will always have racist attached to him...no matter how wrong it is (naive and not politically correct...yes. Out and out Klan card carrying racist with an agenda? No.) Hell at least SEE the full film before you critque it!
I started that petition probably what was it...August 08? So about a year ago. Its one of my ''honor projects'' (on FTT the list of Honor Projects is at the top, Valentino Fest and a Kindred of the Dust release are two other ones). I would like to see a large number of signatures, though with luminaries like that it definitly does not hurt! I really dont have a specific goal but I think what I'd do is gather my case, gather a few other people (especially those with clout), and then go present it to the DGA. Maybe in 2010, maybe later.
Im going to send you a PM with some top secret information. It might explain the plan a little better. And seriously thank you!
DGA and DWG
For the benefit of those few of you who do not understand the difference between the Directors Guild of America, which is primarily a labor union with many ancillary cultural activities; and honorary organizations with optional membership, such as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences or the American Society of Cinematographers, here's the key point:
Membership in the DGA is COMPULSORY for all who work in certain categories of film and televion production (director, assistant director, production manager, associate director, stage manager etc) as employees of companies which are signatory to the Guild's Basic Agreements. One cannot "opt out" of DGA and expect to earn a living in any of those capacities in front line "industry" work.
For many decades, DGA was basically a clubby organization of white males. Beginning about 1979, a great effort was made by DGA to obtain fair proportional employment and membership for women and various minorities. The Guild put itself on the line with major money and prestige to achieve this objective, and it has been rather successful. Since 1980 the number of DGA members has almost tripled.
DGA now has many African-American members who are uncomfortable with their mandatory dues and obligatory affiliation endorsing as DGA's highest level of recognition, the memory of the man who made THE BIRTH OF A NATION. However, these members also cannot "opt out" of their DGA membership and still continue to practice their craft.
The Award was re-named as a gesture of basic respect to the wishes and feelings of this substantial minority of members. This particular Award is about DGA, not DWG. It is not to diminish or deny Griffith's stature in the cinema, but to recognize that the organization which confers this lifetime achievement award upon one of itis members is a very different one, and part of a very different industry, than existed in 1940.
The Guild does, however, continue to maintain Griffith's memorial and grave at Mt. Tabor cemetrey in Kentucky.
David Shepard
Membership in the DGA is COMPULSORY for all who work in certain categories of film and televion production (director, assistant director, production manager, associate director, stage manager etc) as employees of companies which are signatory to the Guild's Basic Agreements. One cannot "opt out" of DGA and expect to earn a living in any of those capacities in front line "industry" work.
For many decades, DGA was basically a clubby organization of white males. Beginning about 1979, a great effort was made by DGA to obtain fair proportional employment and membership for women and various minorities. The Guild put itself on the line with major money and prestige to achieve this objective, and it has been rather successful. Since 1980 the number of DGA members has almost tripled.
DGA now has many African-American members who are uncomfortable with their mandatory dues and obligatory affiliation endorsing as DGA's highest level of recognition, the memory of the man who made THE BIRTH OF A NATION. However, these members also cannot "opt out" of their DGA membership and still continue to practice their craft.
The Award was re-named as a gesture of basic respect to the wishes and feelings of this substantial minority of members. This particular Award is about DGA, not DWG. It is not to diminish or deny Griffith's stature in the cinema, but to recognize that the organization which confers this lifetime achievement award upon one of itis members is a very different one, and part of a very different industry, than existed in 1940.
The Guild does, however, continue to maintain Griffith's memorial and grave at Mt. Tabor cemetrey in Kentucky.
David Shepard
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misspickford9
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Thanks! The Griffith site should be up soon, its just a matter of waiting for the design to come back.
David while I understand that opinion its exactly what annoys me. I know I (or anyone for that matter) cant make a private organization do anything but my feeling was they should at least hear there is some protest to it...and maybe *gods willing* rethink it someday.
I hate those people who deride Griffith and all his work and contributions because "he was that racist klan member who ate black babies". Okay maybe Im embellishing a bit but still there are a good number of people out there who have never seen the film, or only have seen the most offensive clips, and can tell you all about Griffith, Birth, and how terrible it was.
Personally Im a fan of 'remember history'. WATCH the WHOLE film, then be outraged. Read the history of the time, then be outraged. But dont rewrite a legacy because a bunch of people decided it makes them uncomfortable, while something as deragtory as Lil Wayne or Norbit is out there in this day and age. Personally I would dare to bet a chunk of those whining are a chunk of those perpetuating further stereotypes. Not all mind you, I could never say that without being familiar with all their works but there is a good chunk of Hollywood (or the entertainment industry as a whole) that is just downright offensive and yet no one cares.
So in short I will soldier on with it, whether I think it will do any good I dont know/slightly doubt it. But if I can make a dent in fixing the revisionist look at Griffith's legacy then I will be quite happy.
David while I understand that opinion its exactly what annoys me. I know I (or anyone for that matter) cant make a private organization do anything but my feeling was they should at least hear there is some protest to it...and maybe *gods willing* rethink it someday.
I hate those people who deride Griffith and all his work and contributions because "he was that racist klan member who ate black babies". Okay maybe Im embellishing a bit but still there are a good number of people out there who have never seen the film, or only have seen the most offensive clips, and can tell you all about Griffith, Birth, and how terrible it was.
Personally Im a fan of 'remember history'. WATCH the WHOLE film, then be outraged. Read the history of the time, then be outraged. But dont rewrite a legacy because a bunch of people decided it makes them uncomfortable, while something as deragtory as Lil Wayne or Norbit is out there in this day and age. Personally I would dare to bet a chunk of those whining are a chunk of those perpetuating further stereotypes. Not all mind you, I could never say that without being familiar with all their works but there is a good chunk of Hollywood (or the entertainment industry as a whole) that is just downright offensive and yet no one cares.
So in short I will soldier on with it, whether I think it will do any good I dont know/slightly doubt it. But if I can make a dent in fixing the revisionist look at Griffith's legacy then I will be quite happy.
DGA and DWG
Hala,
There probably are as many people who talk about DWG without actually looking at his work as there are those who talk about books having read only reviews or the copy on the flap of the dust jackets!
However, as one who has 33 years in DGA, I can tell you that Guild members mostly have quite a sophisticated knowledge of cinema. I was reminded of this again just last week when I ran into an old friend, Alexander Singer. We used to sit around discussing Vigo and Renoir in the evening, and during the day he would earn very good money directing episodes of KNOTT'S LANDING!
Here's a hypothetical: one day maybe Spike Lee will get the DGA Life Achievement Award. He'd certainly be a reasonable candidate. Do you think he would rather have it named in honor of DWG?
There probably are as many people who talk about DWG without actually looking at his work as there are those who talk about books having read only reviews or the copy on the flap of the dust jackets!
However, as one who has 33 years in DGA, I can tell you that Guild members mostly have quite a sophisticated knowledge of cinema. I was reminded of this again just last week when I ran into an old friend, Alexander Singer. We used to sit around discussing Vigo and Renoir in the evening, and during the day he would earn very good money directing episodes of KNOTT'S LANDING!
Here's a hypothetical: one day maybe Spike Lee will get the DGA Life Achievement Award. He'd certainly be a reasonable candidate. Do you think he would rather have it named in honor of DWG?
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silentfilm
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And in case there's any question about how Spike Lee feels about Birth of a Nation...
http://bdfn.blogspot.com/2009/05/spike- ... erver.html
During his first year, Lee was shown a number of classic movies by his professors, including the 1915 film The Birth of a Nation, by DW Griffith, who pioneered many cinematic techniques still in use today. But the film was notorious, even at the time of its release, for its endorsement of white supremacy and its glorification of the Ku Klux Klan. Lee felt that his professors put too much emphasis on Griffith's artistry and not enough on the film's racist message. "They taught that DW Griffith is the father of cinema," Lee told me. "They talk about all the 'innovations' - which he did. But they never really talked about the implications of Birth of a Nation, never really talked about how that film was used as a recruiting tool for the KKK." For one of his first-year projects, Lee wrote and directed a 20-minute film called The Answer, about an out-of-work African-American screenwriter who agrees to write a remake of Birth of a Nation. The screenwriter ultimately decides that he cannot go through with the project and is attacked by Klan members, who burn a cross in front of his house.
The Answer was shown at a screening of student films, and some members of the faculty were incensed. Roberta Hodes, a retired NYU film professor who took part in the debate over Lee's film, says that some faculty members recommended that he not be invited back for the final two years of the programme. After the first year, the school weeded out students who lacked promise. But talent was not an issue with The Answer, Hodes says. "I just think it offended everyone," she told me. "I felt offended, too, I'm ashamed to say."
Eleanor Hamerow, former head of the film department, said that the problem was not the film's content but its overweening ambition. "In first year, we're trying to teach them the basics, and certainly the idea was to execute exercises, make small films, but within limits," Hamerow said. "He was trying to solve a problem overnight - the social problem with the blacks and the whites. He undertook to fix the great film-maker who made that movie, DW Griffith." Hamerow says she was among those faculty members who voted to keep Lee in the programme, so that he could, "Go on and learn more."
http://bdfn.blogspot.com/2009/05/spike- ... erver.html
During his first year, Lee was shown a number of classic movies by his professors, including the 1915 film The Birth of a Nation, by DW Griffith, who pioneered many cinematic techniques still in use today. But the film was notorious, even at the time of its release, for its endorsement of white supremacy and its glorification of the Ku Klux Klan. Lee felt that his professors put too much emphasis on Griffith's artistry and not enough on the film's racist message. "They taught that DW Griffith is the father of cinema," Lee told me. "They talk about all the 'innovations' - which he did. But they never really talked about the implications of Birth of a Nation, never really talked about how that film was used as a recruiting tool for the KKK." For one of his first-year projects, Lee wrote and directed a 20-minute film called The Answer, about an out-of-work African-American screenwriter who agrees to write a remake of Birth of a Nation. The screenwriter ultimately decides that he cannot go through with the project and is attacked by Klan members, who burn a cross in front of his house.
The Answer was shown at a screening of student films, and some members of the faculty were incensed. Roberta Hodes, a retired NYU film professor who took part in the debate over Lee's film, says that some faculty members recommended that he not be invited back for the final two years of the programme. After the first year, the school weeded out students who lacked promise. But talent was not an issue with The Answer, Hodes says. "I just think it offended everyone," she told me. "I felt offended, too, I'm ashamed to say."
Eleanor Hamerow, former head of the film department, said that the problem was not the film's content but its overweening ambition. "In first year, we're trying to teach them the basics, and certainly the idea was to execute exercises, make small films, but within limits," Hamerow said. "He was trying to solve a problem overnight - the social problem with the blacks and the whites. He undertook to fix the great film-maker who made that movie, DW Griffith." Hamerow says she was among those faculty members who voted to keep Lee in the programme, so that he could, "Go on and learn more."
Bruce Calvert
http://www.silentfilmstillarchive.com
http://www.silentfilmstillarchive.com
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misspickford9
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David thats good to know, though some in Hollywood I doubt remember the name Griffith or Pickford. As for your hypothetical I stand by my feelings, its not like Griffith was a black baby eating klan member himself, to be honored with an award named after him for ones directing prowess should/would be an honor regardless of race. People still use the name Ford despite his rampatant anti semitism...same for Disney. You'd be hard pressed to find a black person or artiste (I would like to now cite the Frog Princess film coming out at the end of this year) or Jewish person who wouldnt work for Disney or watch a Disney film despite how offensive some of Disney's personal views (AND his love of McCarthyism) was. It doesnt make those opinions or viewpoints right, but to enjoy the work and honor the creativity should go beyond that. Ironically Griffith wasnt even that hardpressed in his racial views, he seemed to be no different then anyone else at the time.
As for the article Bruce posted Spike Lee's viewpoint is exactly what annoys me. YES Birth helped revive the Klan who used it as a promotional film for some time. BUT was Birth the ONLY thing that revived the Klan? Was Birth the only thing that caused a rise in racist views? NO! Two words Mary Phagan. Ironically had the truth came out about that case it would have been even worse than it was at the time.
Should one study the implications and history of Birth? Yes. Should they be outraged? To a reasonable point yet...but not so much JUST at the film...but for the views of the time that persisted right up to about the time Spike entered film himself. Even now Will Smith wont have a plain white or black love interest in his films...its always someone vaguely mixed (or Latina). We arent perfect today, and if we ignore our history, and spite Griffith for our assumptions about history, then we are just very very wrong.
I guess maybe I should just out and out say this: do I agree with Griffith's personal feelings or the ideas portrayed in Birth? No. But it is a good movie, the work of Griffith did not begin or end with Birth, and just very unfortanitly that is his glorifying moment, and it is controversial. But his whole legacy shouldnt be rewritten or ignored because of it. Just like Ford, and just like Disney.
As for the article Bruce posted Spike Lee's viewpoint is exactly what annoys me. YES Birth helped revive the Klan who used it as a promotional film for some time. BUT was Birth the ONLY thing that revived the Klan? Was Birth the only thing that caused a rise in racist views? NO! Two words Mary Phagan. Ironically had the truth came out about that case it would have been even worse than it was at the time.
Should one study the implications and history of Birth? Yes. Should they be outraged? To a reasonable point yet...but not so much JUST at the film...but for the views of the time that persisted right up to about the time Spike entered film himself. Even now Will Smith wont have a plain white or black love interest in his films...its always someone vaguely mixed (or Latina). We arent perfect today, and if we ignore our history, and spite Griffith for our assumptions about history, then we are just very very wrong.
I guess maybe I should just out and out say this: do I agree with Griffith's personal feelings or the ideas portrayed in Birth? No. But it is a good movie, the work of Griffith did not begin or end with Birth, and just very unfortanitly that is his glorifying moment, and it is controversial. But his whole legacy shouldnt be rewritten or ignored because of it. Just like Ford, and just like Disney.