Edith Stein Book

Front Cover

Title: Edith Stein: Philosopher, Carmelite Nun, Holocaust Martyr
Author: Jean de Fabregues
Translated from the original French by Donald M Antoine
English Edition (c)1965 by Society of St. Paul (Daughters of St. Paul)
This copy: 1993 printing
103 total pages

Strangely, I did not plan to read this book nor did I seek it out. A few weeks ago, I was at a used book sale and spied it. I immediately thought of my niece, Maria, who had written a blog post or two about Edith Stein. On the spur of the moment, it occurred to me to buy it and send it to her.

When I was not able to immediately mail it to her, I was moved to read it since I really had no knowledge of Edith Stein other than she was a "recent" Roman Catholic Saint. It took me almost two weeks to get through the book. It was not an easy read for me. There was a considerable mention of psychology and philosophy of which I was unfamiliar. Another aspect that challenged me was the saintly treatment of the subject. The character of this book was not portrayed as a real person but transcendent.

A short, easy overview of Edith Stein is at EWTN as well as this one. EWTN appears to have numerous writings on Edith Stein.

The best part of the book for me was the last chapter (9): "The Message of Edith Stein." Below are some excerpts that moved me:

[Conversion] means "a turning toward." For the religious, conversion is a turning toward the Love which is the creative act of the entire universe, expressed at every moment in keeping the universe and all creatures in the sate of being.

To convert [to Catholicism] is to understand the beginning and the end of every created being.

One cannot enter into being, without sympathy, without participation and communion.

She [Edith] wanted to enter into existence with others, in the fellowship of destinies which do not have their full existence, which only come to fully know themselves as beings if each projects on the other the "image" of a love that becomes knowledge because it is participation in a birth in being.

If we do not welcome others in existence with love, we reduce them to nothingness, we annihilate them, while reducing our own selves to nothingness 

If [love] disappears, all that could be is reduced to the nothingness of darkness. But with an act of love, all comes into being.

Our being is not ours; it is parceled out one instant at a time.

 "I (Edith) find myself constantly on the verge of annihilation and I must receive being at every instant."

 And so I finished reading the book and shipped it off to my niece. I wonder what she will make of it?

I feel that the book has had a strange effect on me. I am intrigued with Edith's view of being, God, and the Cross of Christ. These are all mysteries to me. However, there is an intersection here.

I am currently plowing through the Book of Deuteronomy. The "Great Commandment" [Deut 6:4-5] runs through this book:

"Listen, Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You must love the LORD your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength."

On the surface, this seems rather prudent but how does one actually LIVE this?

Similar, at church we are studying the Epistle to the Philippians. Today's sermon was on Phil 1:21

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

For a Christian, the above seems prudent and yet idealistic. How does one arrive at both these places? All these (three topics) seem to me to be connected somehow. I am trying to connect the dots. I am so flawed and imperfect and ignorant that the above seem impossible for me. I am aware that with God all things are possible, but....

-------------------------------------------------------------
Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Stein
https://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/TERESBEN.HTM
https://www.ewtn.com/faith/edith_stein.htm
http://classic.net.bible.org/bible.php?book=Deu&chapter=1
http://classic.net.bible.org/passage.php?search=Deuteronomy%206:4-5&passage=deuteronomy%206:4-5
http://www.freebiblecommentary.org/new_testament_studies/VOL08/VOL08D_introduction.html
http://www.biblestudytools.com/nas/philippians/1-21.html
-------------------------------------------------------------

Written Sunday 26 February 2017

The Most Controversial Motion Picture of All Time

I just completed reading a book by Melvyn Stokes: D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation: A History of "The Most Controversial Motion Picture of All Time."

Front cover of the book.

Below is the publisher's description of the book:

In this deeply researched and vividly written volume, Melvyn Stokes illuminates the origins, production, reception and continuing history of this ground-breaking, aesthetically brilliant, and yet highly controversial movie.

By going back to the original archives, particularly the NAACP and D. W Griffith Papers, Stokes explodes many of the myths surrounding "The Birth of a Nation" (1915). Yet the story that remains is fascinating: the longest American film of its time, Griffith's film incorporated many new features, including the first full musical score compiled for an American film. It was distributed and advertised by pioneering methods that would quickly become standard. Through the high prices charged for admission and the fact that it was shown, at first, only in "live" theaters with orchestral accompaniment, "Birth" played a major role in reconfiguring the American movie audience by attracting more middle-class patrons.

But if the film was a milestone in the history of cinema, it was also undeniably racist. Stokes shows that the darker side of this classic movie has its origins in the racist ideas of Thomas Dixon, Jr. and Griffith's own Kentuckian background and earlier film career.

The book reveals how, as the years went by, the campaign against the film became increasingly successful. In the 1920s, for example, the NAACP exploited the fact that the new Ku Klux Klan, which used Griffith's film as a recruiting and retention tool, was not just anti-black, but also anti-Catholic and anti-Jewish, as a way to mobilize new allies in opposition to the film.

This crisply written book sheds light on both the film's racism and the aesthetic brilliance of Griffith's filmmaking. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the cinema.

Why did I read this book?

In early October 2016, I heard about a new movie that appropriated the title of the silent movie classic, The Birth of a Nation. The new movie was actually about the 1831 Nat Turner slave rebellion and was reputed to encourage contemporary African-Americans to a new revolt.

Since I had never seen the original D.W. Griffith "Birth of A Nation", I thought it would be worthwhile to watch it in order to understand the controversy. Fortunately, the local public library had a DVD copy of the 2011 Kino Video production.

Cover of Kino DVD

The movie is long: 192 minutes. It is divided into two parts: the civil war and post war reconstruction. The DVD set contains two versions: 1993 restoration with a soundtrack adapted from the original score by Joseph Carl Breil and the 2011 restoration with a new score by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. I watched the 2011 restoration over at least two evenings.

The library description: 

Nearly 100 years after its initial release, this film remains one of the most controversial films ever made and a landmark achievement in film history that continues to fascinate and enrage audiences. It is the epic story of two families, one Northern and one Southern, during and after the Civil War. D.W. Griffith's masterful direction combines brilliant battle scenes and tender romance with a vicious portrayal of African-Americans.

In addition to the challenge of watching a long, silent movie, the print quality of this 100 year old movie was disappointing and difficult to watch. Modern eyes likely would reject the movie merely because of its technical obsolescence. The first half was relatively tame while the second part was melodramatic and the center of controversy.

1915 Original movie poster

I was frustrated because there was little supplemental material in the Kino package to put any context or significance to the film. Of course, there were some additional material but no commentary by film historian or similar. Also a short documentary added little information to better appreciate the significance of the film.

In seeking more information, I found several references to the Stokes book and was delighted to find it at my local library.

Table of Contents

Introduction (p.3)
1. Premiere in Los Angeles (p.15)
2. Thomas Dixon, Jr. (p.27)
3. David Wark Griffith (p.55)
4. Making The Birth of a Nation (p.81)
5. Transforming the American Movie Audience (p.111)
6. Fighting a Vicious Film (p.129)
7. Griffith's View of History (p.171)
8. After Birth (p.227)
9. Conclusion (p.277)
Notes (p.287)
Bibliography (p.373)
Index (p.395)
432 pages total

This certainly satisfied my objective of more details about the film, its production, and the controversy. The book has lots of foot notes. At first, I read all of these but after a couple chapters I skipped them unless there was a comment (rather than a reference).

I read the book slowly taking about 12 weeks (renewed 3 times). It was not light reading.

I was surprised at the early opposition by the NAACP and the degree of success. There seemed little regard for free speech. The ACLU took up the cause briefly in the 1940s but apparently abandoned the movie against the onslaught of the charge of racism.

While the book is academic, it does not take an objective approach. The book is not vitriolic but contains a subtle assumption that the movie is inherently racist and therefore evil.

After viewing the original silent movie and reading this book, I have an increased understanding of the issues involved with today's charges of racism and "white privilege."

--------------------------------------------------------
Links: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/festival-of-the-arts/foa-people-publication/melvyn-stokes

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/dw-griffiths-the-birth-of-a-nation-9780195336795?cc=us&lang=en&#
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_for_the_Advancement_of_Colored_People
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._W._Griffith
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Dixon_Jr.
http://www.naacp.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ku_Klux_Klan#Second_Klan:_1915.E2.80.931944
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nat_Turner
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_privilege
-------------------------------------------------------

Written Saturday 4 February 2017