The Movies Begin…

A Fascination with Moving Shadows…

Late 5 th Century BC – Chinese philosopher Mo-Ti describes the phenomenon of an upside down image beamed thru a small hole in the opposite wall of a darkened roomMo-Ti 350 BC - Aristotle tells of watching an image of an eclipse beamed onto the ground through a sieve.350 BCAristotle eclipsesieve c Leonardo DaVinci describes a structure that would produce this effect.1490Leonardo DaVinci c Johannes Kepler refers to a construction that utilizes this phenomenon as a camera obscura.1610Johannes Keplercamera obscura The Earliest Messing Around with Shadow and Light Camera Obscura (“Dark room”)

The Earliest Messing Around with Shadow and Light Shadow Plays Ombres Chinoise Balinese Shadow Plays (Wayang)

The Earliest Messing Around with Shadow and Light

Visual Toys and Amusements: Magick Lantern

Visual Toys and Amusements: Magick Lantern

Visual Toys and Amusements Phenakistoscope (1833) Joseph Plateau (Brussels ) The Zoetrope (Daedalum -- "wheel of the Devil") - credited to William George Horner (1834) Thaumatrope (1825) - Peter Roget (US), Dr. John Ayrton (Paris), and Dr. Fitton (London)

Louis Daguerre (France) Rise of Photography: 1820s and 30s Thomas Wedgewood (Britain) Joseph Niépce (France)

Sequence Photograph: Etienne-Jules Marey

Sequence Photograph: Eadweard Muybridge

The Pre-history of Documentary Film Thomas A. Edison Black Maria

The Pre-history of Movies, The Pre-history of Documentary Film Auguste and Louis Lumière

Films of Travel and Exploration Robert J. Flaherty Edward S. Curtis

Films of Travel and Exploration Herbert Ponting

Origins of Soviet Documentary Dziga Vertov Sergei Eisenstein

1920’s Experimentation: Dada and Surrealism A Young girl commits suicide. Because of What? DADA The spirits are telephoned. Who invented it? DADA Someone walks on your feet. It's DADA If you have serious ideas about life, If you make artistic discoveries and if all of a sudden your head begins to crackle with laughter, If you find all your ideas useless and ridiculous, know that IT IS DADA BEGINNING TO SPEAK TO YOU

1920’s Experimentation

British Documentary Movement John Grierson

The Great Depression Dorothea Lange Ben Shahn Walker Evans

Documenting the Depression Pare Lorentz Paul Strand

Documentaries go to War: Britain Humphrey Jennings

Documentaries go to War: Spanish Civil War Ernest Hemingway & Joris Ivens

Documentaries go to War: Germany

Documentaries go to War: US Frank Capra 1.To foster a firm belief in the right for which we fight. 2.To foster a realization that we are up against a tough job. 3.To initiate a determined confidence in our own ability and the ability of our comrades and leaders to do the job that has to be done 4.To instill a feeling of confidence, insofar as is possible under the circumstances, in the integrity and fighting ability of our allies 5.To create resentment, based on knowledge of the facts, against our enemies who have made it necessary for us to fight 6.To foster a belief that through military victory, the political achievement of a better world order is possible.

Post-War Documentary Edward R. Murrow Italian Neo-Realism British Free Cinema

Jean Rouch Al & Dave Maysles Fred Wiseman Robert Drew Cinema Verite / Direct Cinema Ricky Leacock

War in Vietnam 1965 to 1968 —Escalation of the war; mass protests at home —Tet Offensive; US embassy compound in Saigon seized by NLF 1968 —Lyndon Johnson declines to run another term; Nixon elected. "The greatest honor history can bestow is the tittle of 'peacemaker'... after a period of confrontation we are entering an era of negotiation." 1969—Draft lottery instituted —“Vietnamization program: gradual withdrawal of US troops; military aid to South Vietnam. US invasion of Cambodia and Laos; renewed bombing of North; mass protests at home. 23 Jan 73 - President Nixon announced an agreement "to end the war and bring peace with honor in Vietnam and S.E. Asia."

Feminist Documentary: Reclaiming History