The Fall of a Nation

The Fall of a Nation is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by Thomas Dixon, Jr., and is a sequel to the 1915 film The Birth of a Nation, directed by D. W. Griffith. Dixon, Jr. attempted to cash in on the success of the controversial first film.[1] The Fall of a Nation is considered to be the first ever film sequel.[2] Based upon The Fall of a Nation, written by the director, the film is now considered lost.[3][4]

For the novel, see The Fall of a Nation (novel).
The Fall of a Nation
Directed byThomas Dixon, Jr.
Screenplay byThomas Dixon, Jr.
Based onThe Fall of a Nation
by Thomas Dixon, Jr.
StarringLorraine Huling
Percy Standing
Music byVictor Herbert
CinematographyJohn W. Boyle
Production
company
Dixon Studios
Distributed byV-L-S-E
Release date
  • June 6, 1916 (1916-06-06)
Running time
7–8 reels
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent
English intertitles

Plot

The Fall of a Nation is an attack on the pacifism of William Jennings Bryan and Henry Ford and a plea for American preparedness for war.[5]

America is unprepared for an attack by the "European Confederated Army", a European army headed by Germany. The army invades America and executes children and war veterans. However, America is saved by a pro-war Congressman who raises an army to defeat the invaders with the support of a suffragette. According to the Internet Movie Database, the film is split into three sections: "A nation falls", "The heel of the conqueror" and "The uprising two years later".

  • Film stills

Cast
  • Lorraine Huling – Virginia Holland
  • Percy Standing – Charles Waldron/Prince Karl Von Waldron
  • Arthur Shirley – John Vassar
  • Flora Macdonald – Angela Benda
  • Paul Willis – Billy
  • Phil Gastrock – Thomas (as Philip Gastrock)
  • Clarence Geldart – General Arnold (as C.H. Geld)

Production

Some battle scenes were filmed in the same location as The Birth of a Nation, at a cost of $31,000.[1]

Soundtrack

The film had a musical score produced by Victor Herbert. The Encyclopædia Britannica states that "this is probably the first original symphonic score composed for a feature film". An earlier music score was composed by Camille Saint-Saëns for the short (15-minute) film The Assassination of the Duke of Guise (1908).[6]

Reception and aftermath

Anthony Slide argues that the film was largely a commercial failure.[7] The production company, Dixon Studios, went bust in 1921, having produced only this film.[1]

See also

References
  1. Stokes, Melvyn. D.W. Griffith's the Birth of a Nation: A History of the Most Controversial Motion Picture of All Time. Oxford University Press. p. 268. ISBN 978-0-19-533678-8.
  2. Williams, Gregory Paul. The Story of Hollywood: An Illustrated History. p. 87.
  3. Slide, Anthony (2004). "American Racist: The Life and Films of Thomas Dixon (review)". Project MUSE. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  4. Jess-Cooke, Carolyn (February 2, 2009). Film Sequels: Theory and Practice from Hollywood to Bollywood. Edinburgh University Press. p. 30. ISBN 9780748689477. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  5. "AMERICA IS INVADED AGAIN IN THE FILMS". The New York Times. 1916-06-07. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  6. "The Fall of a Nation (film) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2009-05-25. Archived from the original on 2009-09-23. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  7. Slide, Anthony (2004). American Racist: The Life and Films of Thomas Dixon. University Press of Kentucky. p. 102. ISBN 0-8131-2328-3.
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