1017

"The problem of the Negro."

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:45.00 USD Estimated At:90.00 - 120.00 USD
 The problem of the Negro.
Printed playbill for small-town screening of D.W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation," Gardner (probably Mass.) Theatre, Apr. 3-5, 1916, 5 x 12, black on ivory. Likely displayed on exterior of theatre. "By Arrangement with American Feature Film Co., Louis B. Meyer, Pres. and Gen. Mgr...A Historical Drama in Two Acts, Founded on Thomas Dixon's Story, 'The Clansman'...." With synopsis of storyline, and cast, including Lillian Gish; characters include Lincoln, Booth, Grant, Lee, "Gus, a renegade negro...Generals...Abolitionists, Ku Klux Klansmen, Plantation Crowds and Mobs." Local imprint, with sponsoring advertisement at bottom for Renew-It Polish, available at town pharmacy for 90C/. Wear at parts of parallel folds and blank bottom edge, light toning, some wrinkles, else V.G. plus. Despite its inflammatory content, Griffith's film - pioneering panoramic shots, night photography, and battle scenes - became a seminal production in modern entertainment history. Rare ephemera.