The Dryden will screen The Birth of a Nation (D.W. Griffith, U.S. 1915, 189 min., 35mm) with live piano accompaniment by Philip C. Carli.

One hundred years ago, an American film, made at a time when European films dominated international screens (and even those of the United States), created unprecedented artistic, commercial, and moral astonishment throughout the world—a film which remains one of the most influential and controversial ever made, yet is rarely seen in optimal screening circumstances. George Eastman House is presenting The Birth of a Nation, showing a stunning 35mm print from its collections, to mark the centenary of an important cinematic milestone and to admit the public to experience the cultural and emotional conflicts that it still engenders. If the film were inept or ludicrously conceived, it would be only a footnote in film history—that it still elicits powerful reactions and discussion indicates that it is a crucial aesthetic creation in world history. Special introduction by Paolo Cherchi Usai, senior curator, Moving Image Department. Live piano by Philip C. Carli.

[source: Dryden website, 2015-Sep-7]