i wait until the 4th of july to write this because . . . well . . . because it just feel right to be do it on this day . in 1924 d. w. griffith need a hit and he have not have a big one since orphan of the storm ( 1921 ) . he would be work steadily since then but his movie have be small in scope and have fail to hit the right chord with audience . he be plan a film about patrick henry when he be contact by member of the daughter of the american revolution ( dar ) who ask if he might expand his idea to encompass more of the american revolution . this movie be the result . by the time he have finish he have a 14 reel history lesson and there wasn not a trace of patrick henry anywhere . we all know the story of the revolutionary war but griffith threw in a love story with patriot farmer nathan ( neil hamilton ) fall in love with tory aristocrat nancy montague ( carol dempster and a leading lady for griffith for many year ) . complicate matter be the fact that nancy father hat nathan . . . well not just nathan and he hat all rebel . it do not help matter when and during a skirmish on the street of lexington someone jostle nathan arm cause him to discharge his gun and accidentally wound nancy dad . paralelling the love story be the ( mostly true but partially embellish ) story of capt . walter butler ( lionel barrymore ) a renegade british officer who feel he owe allegiance to no one . with thousand of indian form the six nation on his side he hop to crush the colonial and become monarch of his own empire . comparison with birth of a nation ( 1915 ) be inevitable . the montague family might just as well be the cameron from the early film while nathan could be a part of the stoneman family . the sequence of the battle of bunker hill be stag very similarly to a scene in birth of a nation with the attack army and in this case the redcoat and storm a trench pack with patriot . the only thing miss be henry walthall charge across no man land to stuff a flag into the muzzle of a cannon . amazingly enough the battle scene in america seem to lack the energy of the battle scene in birth and fail to draw the audience in . something be clearly miss . it isn not scope and g. w. billy bitzer camera work be quite good . maybe what be miss be . . . dare i say it . . . sincerity . the brutality of capt . butler and his men be well underscored although much of it happen in long shot or offscreen . don not expect any head to be lop off in closeup like we saw in intolerance ( 1916 ) . in one scene butler second in command and capt . hare ( louis wolhiem ) gouge out the eye of a captive colonist . we see only the beginning of the deed and for the remainder the camera focus on hare face a he obviously have a good time do this . lionel have be work with griffith on and off since 1912. a story go that he approach griffith for work and d. w. and know the reputation of his famous family and say i be not hire stage actor . to which lionel reply and i be nothing of the kind and sir . he make a very good and quite believable villain . louis wolhiem appear with lionel old brother john three time while in sherlock holmes and dr. jekyll and mr. hyde ( both 1920 ) and later in the tempest ( 1927 ) . a capt . hare his wild staring eye and dishevel hair not only mark him a a villain but make you think he be quite mad also . neil hamilton later remark that america be his first time on horseback and i be scar to death . he hide his displeasure very well though and we can believe he be quite the equestrian by the time shooting be over . mr. griffith be very much in love with carol dempster and at one point ask her to marry him . she refuse and soon leave his stock company and after which her star status gradually wan . speaking of horse and one accidentally amuse moment which have to be unscripted come during the depiction of paul revere ride . he rid his horse right up on the front porch of a family to announce to arm . the regular be come . but a he try to leave the horse can not negotiate the step backwards and stumble spill his rider on the ground . i be amaze griffith do not do another take . so be america a classic . yes . don not wait for july 4th to see it and it be enjoyable anytime .