[Condor51]

"Ever" is not that long in 'Movie Time' since 'motion pictures' was invented in the late 1880's.

Ergo, these EW 'geniuses' must be really STOO-PID^™ as the "most controversial film ever" is undoubtedly D. W. Griffith's, "Birth of a Nation" in 1915.

It was a Major hit, a "Blockbuster" in holly-weird speak and Klan membership subsequently skyrocketed. Now that is "controversial".

[xp38]

It is also the most important one in Hollywood history since the fortunes the theatre owners made on it went toward the founding of the major Hollywood studios.

[Clemenza]

Birth of a Nation actually caused riots and fights in the theatres when it first opened. Down south, there was a problem with folks shooting pistols at the screen whenever "lascivious, corrupt" black political figures (played in blackface by white actors) were on the screen, particularly when one attempts to rape a white woman.

My favorite "controversial" film is the Searchers. Politically incorrect in both its language and themes, it was also one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to treat such issues as rape, interracial relationships, and the effects of war on veterans (think of Ethan Edwards as being an extreme example of the effects of post traumatic stress syndrome).

[Doctor Stochastic]

I agree. "Birth of a Nation" was far and away the most controversial.