THE BIRTH OF A NATION

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3153, 3 August 1917, Page 7

THE BIRTH OF A NATION

David W. Griffith's most extraordinary achievement with his great spectacle "Tho Birth of a Nation," which is being speoially produced at the King's Theatre to-morrow (Saturday) iB that of making history live. He has touched tho high peaks of American historyslavery, the war of secession, the surrender of Appomattox, the death of Lincoln, the miseries of reconstruction, and tho reconciliation of the North and South.

These things, it would have seemed a year ago, were beyond the' scope of the motion picture camera, but the master producer has successfully combined, in 12,000 feet of celluloid, and , thrilling consecutive presentation of national greatness with a vital and human love story. According to experts who have viewed the work, Griffith has not only surpassed in many ways the art of tho "indoor" theatre, but he t lias also developed a new aTt-form far superior to tho old-fashioned , history or historical novel. A very eminent public man has nick-namcd it "history by lightning." Eighteen thousand people were employed in taking the historical pictures. Olio sees Lincoln among his counsellors issuing tho call for troops, the battles of tho conflict, Sherman's march, Grant and Lee shaking hands at Appomattox, the shot that .lohn Wilkes Booth fired, the South in tho throes of change, the car-pet-bagger's excesses, and the famous rides of the K.Iv.K. parties of war veterans and sons of veterans are coming in great numbers to the Tremont. It is difficult for many of them to refrain from shouting tho old war cries or from shuffling the feet to tho rhythm of the martial music. Scencs in tho latter half of tho picture are so skilfully managed, the interest is so tensely maintained, that often tho applause is practically continuous for half or thrcA-quar-tors of an hour. There will bo two performances daily, and the whole production of the film promises to be a revelation to Wellington picturegoers. (Published By Arrangement.)