February when was the date . February 17, 1915, a showing at the white house with Woodrow Wilson. Explain how it happened. The filmmakers, griffith being the director, but also the author of the book, the clansman, written by a man named tom dixon. Wilson and dixon went way back they knew each other. Dixon said lets get this movie screened in the white house. He pulled it off and thats what happened. In the east room of the white house, the first ever screening. Who was in the crowd . His family, some of his cabinet members, other highranking washington figures. As i read in your book, a former chief justice . A former chief justice and it went so well that night that very quickly put together a second screening for the Supreme Court of the United States and congressional leaders. Again, terrific sense of marketing and getting these powerbrokers behind the movie as being an awesome piece of filmmaking. You have to remember when you go back to 1915, the film industry, is in its infancy.
Starts off this way no redblooded american would favor censoring works of art. While reading dick lehrs book you may find yourself rooting for that with a clampdown of the 1915 film of the same name. Isnt that a great start . Why the birth of a nation and what is it . Its considered the first blockbuster film. The story i want to tell is not only the making and release of the film in 1915 but the controversy that it provoked. It is mainly a story about a civil rights leader from a boston by the name of William Monroe trotter, a radical newspaper editor as well who was at the forefront of extensive protest action against this bill film about civil war and reconstruction which is entirely racist portrayal of black america. If it were to come out today, what would happen . I hope it would not get censored but i hope there will be lots of protest drawing attention to the racism at the heart of the story and in griffiths hands. We are going to do a minute want to show the opening of this if
And get out fast. Passengers evacuate a bus moments before it swallowed up by a massive hole and swept away by flood waters. The frantic scene caught on camera wednesday, march 25, 2015. Announcer from nbc news this is today with matt lauer and Savannah Guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. Good morning. Welcome to today on a wednesday morning. Well tell you more about that bus video in a couple minutes. Incredible to see that. Well have more on that. Of course as we come on this morning this is the first full day of searching a remote treacherous crash site from the germanwings plane crash. Thats our top story, the tragic plane crash and the difficult work that is now facing investigators at that site. Nbcs keir simmons made his way to southern france. Good morning. What can you tell us . Reporter matt, good morning. This morning the ceo of the airline confirmed that two americans were on board the flight, he says that families will be given the opportunity to fly over the
This week on q a, our guest is dick lehr, author of the birth of a nation, how a legendary fille maker and crusading editor reignited americas civil war. Dick lehr, author of the birth of a nation in a recent Washington Post review, the gentleman that wrote it Dennis Drabelle starts out this way no red blooded american today would favor sensoring works of art, but while reading dick lehrs new book the birth of a nation, you may find yourself rooting for just that in the form of a clamp down on the landmark 1915 teen film of the same name. Boy, isnt that a great start to a review. Not bad to use the word fascinating fascinating. Why birth of a nation. Well birth of a nation by d. W. Griffith is considered americas first blockbuster film and i want to tell the making and releasing of the film in 1915 and the controversy that is provoked. And it is mainly a story about a civil rights leader a forgotten kriefl rights civil rights leader named William Trotter at the forefront of protest act
Role in getting the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed through the congress and the senate, which Lyndon Johnson signs on july 2 of 1964. We will look at that. That is where we will go from there. I will finish on one last note, and that has to do with africanamericans. There is a major anniversary coming up in two weeks and that anniversary is not on most peoples radar but it will be the 150th anniversary of congresss passage of the 13th amendment which ended slavery. That will happen saturday, december 31st. January. Im sorry january 31st. That will be coming up. In four years, slavery is obliterated from the United States in lincolns first term. If you saw the daniel daylewis movie of four years ago, that is really what that movie is about. It will take another hundred years before the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Any questions about anything . Well good. Well, thank you very much for being here. I appreciate it. [inaudible] know, and all the sources will tell you that. All