D. W. Griffith – 1875-1948

Often judged the first great genius of American film direction, Griffith pioneered many of the staple techniques of modern film making, including the use of dramatic camera angles, camera movement, lighting effects, and, most of all, effective pacing and storytelling through skillful editing. His masterpiece, the 1915 epic Birth of a Nation, was both praised for its ambition and artistry and condemned for its racist vision of the Civil War and its aftermath.