This book examines the ways that filmmakers have depicted lynch mobs from the earliest days of American cinema. From the pro-lynching silent shorts of the early 20th century, through the controversies of Birth of a Nation , and onto the more recent Till , it details both the on-screen events and the historical events that they depict. It covers the production backgrounds, stars, directors, authors, and historical figures that made their mark on this controversial genre. It also features contemporary reviews and correspondence from the Production Code files that show the contrast between the off-screen events and what was allowed on-screen at the time.