Birth Of A Nation, The (Madacy) (1915) Rating: Starring: Donald Crisp, Lillian Gish, Robert Harron, Joseph Henabery, Mae Marsh, Wallace Reid, Eric von Stroheim, Raoul Walsh, Henry B. Walthall Director: D.W. Griffith Category: Classics, Classics Studio: Madacy Subtitles: [None] Length: 175 mins     This lavish Civil War epic, based on the play The Clansmen and the book The Leopard's Spots by Thomas Dixon, was the first feature length silent film.Gish and Walhall have some of the most moving scenes ever filmed and the masterful battle sequences brought the art of cinematography to new heights. Birth Of A Nation is still today the cornerstone of the art of filmmaking and brought instant credibility to the entire industry.