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{{For|the novel|The Fall of a Nation (novel)}}
{{short description|1916 film by Thomas Dixon, Jr.}}
{{short description|1916 film by Thomas Dixon, Jr.}}
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{{For|the novel by Thomas Dixon Jr.|The Fall of a Nation (novel)}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = The Fall of a Nation
| name = The Fall of a Nation
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}}
}}


'''''The Fall of a Nation''''' is a 1916 American [[silent film|silent]] [[drama film]] directed by [[Thomas Dixon Jr.]], and 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.<ref name="Stokes">{{cite book |last=Stokes |first=Melvyn |title=D.W. Griffith's the Birth of a Nation: A History of the Most Controversial Motion Picture of All Time |year=2007 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |page=268 |isbn=978-0-19-533678-8}}</ref> ''The Fall of a Nation'' is considered to be the first ever film [[sequel]], though the existence of examples such as [[The Little Train Robbery]] contradict this.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Story of Hollywood: An Illustrated History|first=Gregory Paul |last=Williams |year= 2005|page=87 |isbn= 9780977629909|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9W4R_CZtFe8C&q=the+fall+of+a+nation+first+sequel&pg=PA87}}</ref> Based upon ''[[The Fall of a Nation (novel)|The Fall of a Nation]]'', written by the director, the film is now considered [[lost film|lost]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/books/9780813171913 |title=American Racist: The Life and Films of Thomas Dixon (review) |first=Anthony |last=Slide |publisher=[[Project MUSE]] |year=2004 |access-date=March 2, 2013}}</ref> The Fall of a Nation (1916): the movie "reached more than thirty million people and was, therefore, thirty times more effective than any book I might have written."[2]
'''''The Fall of a Nation''''' is a 1916 American [[silent film|silent]] [[drama film]] directed by [[Thomas Dixon Jr.]], and 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.<ref name="Stokes">{{cite book |last=Stokes |first=Melvyn |title=D.W. Griffith's the Birth of a Nation: A History of the Most Controversial Motion Picture of All Time |year=2007 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |page=268 |isbn=978-0-19-533678-8}}</ref> ''The Fall of a Nation'' is considered to be the first ever ''feature-length'' film [[sequel]], though it was predated by ''short'' film sequels such as [[The Little Train Robbery]]<ref>{{cite book |title=The Story of Hollywood: An Illustrated History|first=Gregory Paul |last=Williams |year= 2005|page=87 |publisher=www.storyofhollywood.com |isbn= 9780977629909|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9W4R_CZtFe8C&q=the+fall+of+a+nation+first+sequel&pg=PA87}}</ref> and ''Sherlock Holmes II: Raffles Escaped from Prison''. Based upon Dixon's novel ''[[The Fall of a Nation (novel)|The Fall of a Nation]]'', the film is now [[lost film|lost]], although the complete score survives.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/books/9780813171913 |title=American Racist: The Life and Films of Thomas Dixon (review) |first=Anthony |last=Slide |publisher=[[Project MUSE]] |year=2004 |access-date=March 2, 2013}}</ref>


==Plot==
==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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D06E1D6163BE633A25754C0A9609C946796D6CF |title=AMERICA IS INVADED AGAIN IN THE FILMS|work=[[The New York Times]] |date= 1916-06-07|access-date=2009-10-30}}</ref>
''The Fall of a Nation'' is an attack on the [[Pacifism in the United States|pacifism]] of [[William Jennings Bryan]] and [[Henry Ford]] and a plea for American preparedness for war.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D06E1D6163BE633A25754C0A9609C946796D6CF |title=AMERICA IS INVADED AGAIN IN THE FILMS|work=[[The New York Times]] |date= 1916-06-07|access-date=2009-10-30}}</ref> America is unprepared for an attack by the "European Confederated Army", a European army headed by [[German Empire|Germany]]. The army [[Invasion of the United States|invades America]] and executes children and war veterans. Charles Waldron, a millionaire collaborator, accepts a title as prince of a [[Puppet state|puppet government]]. However, America is saved by pro-war Congressman John Vassar who raises an army to defeat the invaders with the support of the [[suffragette]] Virginia Holland. Holland forms the "Daughters of Jael," who seduce and then kill the soldiers of the occupation force. Eventually the [[insurgency]] gains the upper hand and drives out the Europeans.

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]]. The


==Cast==
==Cast==
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==Soundtrack==
==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).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/200811/The-Fall-of-a-Nation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923215158/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/200811/The-Fall-of-a-Nation |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-09-23 |title=The Fall of a Nation (film) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]] |date=2009-05-25 |access-date=2009-10-30 }}</ref>
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); the complete soundtrack is available on YouTube.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/200811/The-Fall-of-a-Nation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923215158/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/200811/The-Fall-of-a-Nation |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-09-23 |title=The Fall of a Nation (film) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]] |date=2009-05-25 |access-date=2009-10-30 }}</ref>


==Reception and aftermath==
==Reception and aftermath==
[[Anthony Slide]] argues that the film was largely a commercial failure.<ref>{{cite book |title=American Racist: The Life and Films of Thomas Dixon |first=Anthony |last=Slide |year=2004 |publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]] |page=102 |isbn=0-8131-2328-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ng_fyVJVMz4C }}</ref> The production company, Dixon Studios, went bust in 1921, having produced only this film.<ref name="Stokes"/>
[[Anthony Slide]] argues that the film was largely a commercial failure.<ref>{{cite book |title=American Racist: The Life and Films of Thomas Dixon |first=Anthony |last=Slide |year=2004 |publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]] |page=102 |isbn=0-8131-2328-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ng_fyVJVMz4C }}</ref> The film was widely shown as [[Propaganda in World War I|propaganda]] by [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] governments in Europe during [[World War I]], especially the [[Russian Empire]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Fall of a Nation|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/1850-THE-FALLOFANATION?sid=2e45c983-f2ac-49ac-a8ef-230ddd714de1&sr=0.10834439&cp=1&pos=1|access-date=2021-12-08|website=catalog.afi.com}}</ref> The production company, Dixon Studios, went bust in 1921, having produced only this film.<ref name="Stokes"/>


==See also==
==See also==
*[[The Birth of a Nation]]
*[[The Fall of a Nation (novel)]]
*[[List of lost films]]
*[[List of lost films]]
*[[Invasion literature]]
*[[Invasion literature]]
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[[Category:1916 films]]
[[Category:1916 films]]
[[Category:1916 drama films]]
[[Category:1916 drama films]]
[[Category:American drama films]]
[[Category:Silent American drama films]]
[[Category:American silent feature films]]
[[Category:American silent feature films]]
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[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
[[Category:Films based on works by Thomas Dixon Jr.]]
[[Category:Films based on works by Thomas Dixon Jr.]]
[[Category:Lost American films]]
[[Category:Lost American drama films]]
[[Category:American sequel films]]
[[Category:American sequel films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Thomas Dixon Jr.]]
[[Category:Films directed by Thomas Dixon Jr.]]
[[Category:1916 lost films]]
[[Category:1916 lost films]]
[[Category:Lost drama films]]
[[Category:1910s American films]]
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[[Category:1910s English-language films]]
[[Category:English-language drama films]]

Revision as of 16:06, 16 June 2024

For the novel by Thomas Dixon Jr., see The Fall of a Nation (novel).
The Fall of a Nation
Print advertisement
Directed byThomas Dixon, Jr.
Screenplay byThomas Dixon, Jr.
Based onThe Fall of a Nation
by Thomas Dixon, Jr.
StarringLorraine Huling
Percy Standing
CinematographyJohn W. Boyle
Music byVictor Herbert
Production
company
Dixon Studios
Distributed byV-L-S-E
Release date
  • June 6, 1916 (1916-06-06)
Running time
7–8 reels
CountryUnited States
LanguagesSilent
English intertitles
Budget$31,000[1]

The Fall of a Nation is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by Thomas Dixon Jr., and 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 feature-length film sequel, though it was predated by short film sequels such as The Little Train Robbery[2] and Sherlock Holmes II: Raffles Escaped from Prison. Based upon Dixon's novel The Fall of a Nation, the film is now lost, although the complete score survives.[3]

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.[4] 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. Charles Waldron, a millionaire collaborator, accepts a title as prince of a puppet government. However, America is saved by pro-war Congressman John Vassar who raises an army to defeat the invaders with the support of the suffragette Virginia Holland. Holland forms the "Daughters of Jael," who seduce and then kill the soldiers of the occupation force. Eventually the insurgency gains the upper hand and drives out the Europeans.

Cast

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); the complete soundtrack is available on YouTube.[5]

Reception and aftermath

Anthony Slide argues that the film was largely a commercial failure.[6] The film was widely shown as propaganda by Allied governments in Europe during World War I, especially the Russian Empire.[7] The production company, Dixon Studios, went bust in 1921, having produced only this film.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Stokes, Melvyn (2007). 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 (2005). The Story of Hollywood: An Illustrated History. www.storyofhollywood.com. p. 87. ISBN 9780977629909.
  3. ^ Slide, Anthony (2004). "American Racist: The Life and Films of Thomas Dixon (review)". Project MUSE. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  4. ^ "AMERICA IS INVADED AGAIN IN THE FILMS". The New York Times. 1916-06-07. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ Slide, Anthony (2004). American Racist: The Life and Films of Thomas Dixon. University Press of Kentucky. p. 102. ISBN 0-8131-2328-3.
  7. ^ "The Fall of a Nation". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
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