Do the Right Thing

Considering his 1915 film The Birth of a Nation is still used as a recruiting tool for the Ku Klux Klan, it's no wonder that D. W. Griffith tried to redeem himself by making a film about the consequences of bigotry. The resulting work, Intolerance, presents four key moments in...

By Amanda McCorquodale

January 28, 2010

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "19274298",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17482312",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482310",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482313",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Considering his 1915 film The Birth of a Nation is still used as a recruiting tool for the Ku Klux Klan, it's no wonder that D. W. Griffith tried to redeem himself by making a film about the consequences of bigotry. The resulting work, Intolerance, presents four key moments in history when narrow-mindedness had disastrous results: the fall of Babylon, the crucifixion of Jesus, a bloody French massacre, and — alert the neocons, there's a socialist up in here — how ruthless capitalists crapped on working Americans. How far we've come since 1916. To really hit you over the head as a morality play, the characters in Intolerance are not named but referred to as simply the Dear One or the Boy. The Eternal Mother is played by Lillian Gish, a houseguest of James Deering, so it's fitting that the film will screen at Vizcaya.
Wed., Feb. 17, 7 p.m., 2010

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Miami, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.