Instant Access To 100,000+ Essays!

Two Directors; One Mission Though there are many differences between the two silent films Birth of a Nation, directed by D.W. Griffith, and The Battleship Potemkin, directed by Sergei Eisenstein, it is their similarities that are most intriguing. Both directors were attempting to get the audience to take an active participatory role while watching these films. Both directors chose to integrate historical events as well as symbols into their storylines. Griffith in particular relies much on this method, while Eisenstein breaks new ground with his introduction of the montage. The portrayal of historical events in Birth of a Nation is intended to have a dual affect on the audience. First and foremost it forces them to become drawn into the film because of their own sense of history and how they personally relate to it.