D.W. Griffith – Intolerance

Thinking Through Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831)’s Philosophy on the Art Essence

D.W. Griffith’s Intolerance is an ambitious cinematic project that interweaves four distinct stories across different historical epochs. As Hegel, I perceive this film as a profound aesthetic endeavor that encapsulates the dialectic of human suffering and reconciliation. It embodies the essence of art as the unfolding of Spirit through historical progression, illustrating how the contradictions inherent in human experience are mediated through artistic form.

Art as the Historical Unfolding of Spirit

In my philosophy, art evolves as a process of the Spirit becoming conscious of itself through historical manifestations. Intolerance exemplifies this evolution by juxtaposing four narratives from ancient Babylon, Judea, Renaissance France, and modern America. These stories, presented in parallel, illustrate the universality of human conflict and the enduring struggle for justice. The film’s thematic focus on intolerance, regardless of temporal or cultural context, reveals the Spirit’s continuous striving for freedom amid oppression.

Dialectics of Conflict and Reconciliation

Griffith’s film is an exploration of the dialectic between oppression and liberation, presenting a thesis of human suffering confronted by the antithesis of resistance. The synthesis emerges in the film’s portrayal of love as a counterforce to intolerance, suggesting that reconciliation lies in human solidarity. This aligns with my notion of the Absolute, where truth manifests through the resolution of contradictions. Each storyline, while temporally distinct, contributes to a unified thematic whole, much like the Spirit’s progressive self-realization across historical epochs.

Symbolic Unity through Montage

The film’s aesthetic structure is integral to its philosophical depth. The use of montage, intercutting scenes from disparate stories, serves as a symbolic representation of the interconnectedness of human experience. As I posit, art must transcend mere representation and reveal the dynamic interplay between form and content. Here, the montage technique embodies the dialectical movement of history itself—fragmented yet unified, diverse yet directed toward a singular truth.

The Symbol of the Eternal Mother

The recurring image of the “Eternal Mother” rocking the cradle serves as a symbolic anchor, emphasizing the continuity of human experience. In my classification, this motif aligns with symbolic art, where abstract ideas are presented through concrete, sensuous forms. The cradle symbolizes both vulnerability and the potential for rebirth, mirroring the Spirit’s resilience amid historical turmoil. The mother figure, present throughout all four narratives, signifies the universal human capacity for compassion and renewal.

The Tragic Form and the Pathos of Existence

Griffith’s film is inherently tragic, reflecting the Romantic spirit’s confrontation with suffering. Tragic art, in my philosophy, presents the finite human condition against the infinite demands of moral idealism. The crucifixion in Judea, the massacre in Babylon, the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, and the struggle of the modern working-class family all portray the conflict between human aspiration and brutal reality. Through these portrayals, the film transcends mere historical documentation to become an allegory of the human spirit’s quest for moral redemption.

Visual Grandeur and Aesthetic Sublimation

The film’s grandeur—manifested in elaborate sets, epic battle scenes, and sweeping camera movements—serves as a sensuous manifestation of the Spirit’s striving toward self-realization. In the Babylonian segment, colossal architecture and grandiose processions reflect the human desire to embody power and cultural achievement. Yet, the collapse of the city underscores the inherent fragility of human constructs when intolerance prevails. The aesthetic of grandeur thus mirrors the dialectic of creation and destruction inherent in historical progress.

Moral Confrontation and the Sublation of Suffering

While the film portrays the cyclical recurrence of violence and prejudice, it also suggests the possibility of transcending such cycles through moral awakening. The modern segment, in particular, highlights the potential for social justice through collective action, portraying the victory of love over hatred. This narrative closure embodies the Hegelian principle of sublation (Aufhebung), where suffering is not merely negated but transformed into a higher understanding of human solidarity.

Cinematic Innovation as Artistic Evolution

Intolerance represents a transformative moment in cinema, wherein the medium itself evolves from simple storytelling to a complex, philosophical form of art. As cinema merges narrative complexity with visual spectacle, it exemplifies how art progresses toward expressing the inner movements of the human spirit. Griffith’s use of cross-cutting, epic scale, and thematic cohesion exemplifies how film, as a modern art form, articulates the dialectical tension between history’s violence and humanity’s striving for compassion.

Critique and the Paradox of Moral Vision

Despite its visionary scope, the film paradoxically embodies both the critique of intolerance and the unintentional perpetuation of moral ambiguity, as seen in Griffith’s controversial portrayal of race and class. This paradox highlights the inherent contradiction in the human endeavor to represent moral truths within the constraints of subjective perception. Such a contradiction aligns with my assertion that art, even when striving for the ideal, remains bound by the finite nature of human thought.

Conclusion: The Spirit’s Struggle and Cinematic Redemption

Ultimately, Intolerance serves as a monumental attempt to encapsulate the essence of human struggle within the aesthetic framework of cinema. It exemplifies how film, as a synthesis of narrative, visual art, and thematic ambition, becomes a vessel for the Spirit’s quest for moral comprehension. The portrayal of suffering and redemption across epochs underscores the universal dialectic of freedom and constraint, reminding viewers that the path toward reconciliation is perpetually marked by conflict and resolution.

In this monumental work, Griffith’s vision transcends mere historical depiction, seeking instead to present a cinematic philosophy of human existence, where art mediates between the transient and the eternal, embodying the Spirit’s tireless endeavor to overcome its own contradictions.