Editing D. W. Griffith (section)

== Legacy ==
[[File:Stamp US 1975 10c Griffith.jpg|thumb|Stamp issued by the [[United States Postal Service]] in 1975 to commemorate the centennial of Griffith's birth<ref name="NYT75">"D.W. Griffith Honored by Issue of 10c Stamp", ''The New York Times'', 29 May 1975, p. 29.</ref>]]

Griffith has a controversial legacy. Despite criticism, he was a widely celebrated and respected public figure during his life, and modern film historians continue to recognize him for his contributions to the craft of filmmaking. Nevertheless, many critics during his lifetime, as well as in the decades since his death, have characterized him and his work (most notably ''The Birth of a Nation'') as upholding white supremacist ideals. Historians frequently cite ''The Birth of a Nation'' as a major factor in [[Ku Klux Klan#Second Klan|the KKK's revival in the 20th century]], and it remains controversial to this day.

Performer and director Charlie Chaplin called Griffith "The Teacher of Us All". Filmmakers such as [[Alfred Hitchcock]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Leitch |first1=Thomas |last2=Poague |first2=Leland |title=A Companion to Alfred Hitchcock |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |date=2011 |page=50 |isbn=978-1-4443-9731-4}}</ref> [[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/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25&Itemid=43|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 23, 2012 |title=Landmarks of Early Soviet Film|access-date=October 18, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[Jean Renoir]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://biography.yourdictionary.com/jean-renoir|title=Jean Renoir Biography|publisher=biography.yourdictionary.com|access-date=October 18, 2012}}</ref> [[Cecil B. DeMille]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-06-ca-39-story.html|title=Movie Review: Restored 'Intolerance' Launches Festival of Preservation|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=October 18, 2012|date=July 6, 1990}}</ref> [[King Vidor]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/198681%7C94180/King-Vidor/|title=Overview for King Vidor|publisher=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=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|access-date=April 24, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914012745/http://www.cineaste.com/articles/emvictor-fleming-an-american-movie-masterem|archive-date=September 14, 2013|df=mdy}}</ref> [[Raoul Walsh]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Moss |first=Marilyn |title=Raoul Walsh: The True Adventures of Hollywood's Legendary Director |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |date=2011 |pages=181, 242 |isbn=978-0-8131-3394-2}}</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|access-date=October 9, 2012|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215020339/http://matineeclassics.com/celebrities/directors/carl_dreyer/details|archive-date=December 15, 2013|df=mdy}}</ref> and [[Stanley Kubrick]] have praised Griffith.<ref name="britannica.com">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/246084/DW-Griffith|title=D.W. Griffith|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=March 30, 2015}}</ref> [[Sergei Eisenstein]] expressed his admiration for Griffith as an "outstanding master", but criticized ''Birth of a Nation'', calling it "disgraceful propaganda of racial hatred towards the colored people".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Neuberger |first=Joan |author-link=Joan Neuberger |title=Sergei Eisenstein on "The Birth of a Nation" |date=27 February 2017 |url=https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/b7bcee9b-9ab9-4290-9e85-a72dffd0e44c/content |magazine=Not Even Past |access-date=14 July 2024}}</ref>

[[File:DW Griffith star HWF.JPG|thumb|left|upright|Griffith's star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]]]

Griffith seems to have been one of the first to understand how certain film techniques could be used to create an expressive language; it gained popular recognition with the release of ''The Birth of a Nation'' (1915). His early shorts —such as Biograph's ''[[The Musketeers of Pig Alley]]'' (1912), show that Griffith's attention to camera placement and lighting heightened mood and tension. In making ''Intolerance'', Griffith opened new possibilities for the medium, creating a form that seems to owe more to music than to traditional narrative.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sensesofcinema.com/2006/great-directors/griffith/|title=D.W. Griffith|website=Senses of Cinema|date=February 13, 2001 |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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009170113/https://sabotagetimes.com/tv-film/up-close-and-personal-the-history-of-the-close-up-in-film|archive-date=October 9, 2017|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

* 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.&nbsp;W.&nbsp;Griffith Award, its highest honor. However, on December 15, 1999, then 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.
* On February 8, 1960, Griffith was posthumously awarded a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]], which is located at 6535 Hollywood Boulevard.<ref name="HWOF">{{cite web |title=D. W. Griffith |date=October 25, 2019 |url=https://walkoffame.com/d-w-griffith/ |publisher=[[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] |access-date=26 July 2023}}</ref>
* In 1975, Griffith was honored on a 10-cent postage stamp by the United States.<ref name="NYT75"/>
* The 1976 American comedy film ''[[Nickelodeon (film)|Nickelodeon]]'' in part pays homage to silent film makers, and includes footage from ''The Birth of a Nation''.
* 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|access-date=December 3, 2016}}</ref> 
* In 2008 the [[Hollywood Heritage Museum]] hosted a screening of Griffith's early films to commemorate the centennial of his start in film.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hollywood Heritage |url=http://hollywoodheritage.org/events.html |url-status=dead |publisher=Hollywood Heritage |access-date=June 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726153110/http://hollywoodheritage.org/events.html |archive-date=July 26, 2011}}</ref>
* On January 22, 2009, the Oldham History Center in La Grange, Kentucky, opened a 15-seat theatre in Griffith's honor. The theatre features a library of available Griffith films.
* In 2024, [[East West Players]] in Los Angeles produced Unbroken Blossoms, a world premier play by [[Philip W. Chung]] about the making of [[Broken Blossoms]]. Griffith was portrayed by actor [[Arye Gross]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Ashley |title=A Play Portrays the Making of D.W. Griffith's Broken Blossoms |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-07-03/d-w-griffith-racism-broken-blossoms-play-east-west-players |access-date=16 November 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 3, 2024}}</ref>