The History of Film

Thomas Edison Kinetoscope debuted in 1893 at the Chicago world’s fair 1894, Fred Ott’s Sneeze is the 1 st copyrighted film Robert William Paul invented the film projector, 1895 –Edison then invented the Vitoscope

Nickelodeons People went to amusement parks, carnivals, or storefronts to watch short films Cost a nickel Initially were individual viewing machine –Moving pictures lasted about a minute Later, they were theatres with pianos or organs Movies were of every day activities, sporting events, or misc. movies

The Silent Era Georges Melies’ A Trip to the Moon, 1902 –Pioneered editing, special effects, and story telling Edwin S. Potter’s The Great Train Robbery, 1903 –1 st western –Had a story, action, and editing

The Silent Era cont. Standard length of films was about one reel or minutes Feature films started in Australia D.W. Griffith picked up on it –Made Birth of a Nation in 1915 –Most popular film of the 1910s –Extremely racist 1911, 1 st animated film released –Winsor McCay’s Little Nemo in Slumberland

The Silent Era cont. New York (Queens) led early film making By the 1920s, Hollywood emerged as the world’s film leader –Almost 800 films a year –Great climate and room to work Era dominated by Tom Mix, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Douglas Fairbanks, and Clara Bow Safety Last

Talkies Al Jolson’s The Jazz Singer was the 1 st film with sound, 1927 –Used the Vitaphone system By 1929, almost all films were “talkies” –Many silent film stars and directors couldn’t adapt Started the Golden Age of Hollywood –Lasted until the 1950s

The Golden Era Of Hollywood 1929, the 1 st Academy Awards are given out –The Oscars 1929, the 1 st full-length all color films are released Movies thrived during the Great Depression –Offered Realism or Escapism

The Golden Era Of Hollywood King Kong, 1933 It Happened One Night, 1934 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937 Gone With the Wind, 1939 The Wizard of Oz, 1939 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 1939 Wuthering Heights, 1939 Stagecoach, 1939 Citizen Kane, 1941 Casablanca, 1942 HUAC investigates Hollywood for communist activities –19 are blackballed TV emerges in the 1950s as studios are broken up for being monopolies –Ends the Golden Era

The 1950s Decline in popularity led to innovations to lure audiences back –More color, wide angle shots, 3D films, sex appeal, and epic films –The Ten Commandments, 1956 – Ben-Hur, 1959 –Spartacus, 1960

The 1950s Decline in popularity led to innovations to lure audiences back –More color, wide angle shots, 3D films, sex appeal, and epic films –The Ten Commandments, 1956 – Ben-Hur, 1959 –Spartacus, 1960

The 1960s Hollywood declines more –More films made on location –Still family oriented early in the decade Innovators led to a rekindling of film –Dr. Strangelove, 1964 –The Graduate, 1967 –2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968 –Midnight Cowboy, 1968 –Easy Rider, 1969 Led to a New Hollywood

The 1970s and the New Hollywood A New Group of filmmakers emerged –Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Brian de Palma –The Godfather, 1972 –The Exorcist, 1973 –Jaws, 1975 –Star Wars, 1977 –Animal House, 1978 Jaws and Star Wars led to blockbuster films

The 1980s to the Present Blockbusters continue to be made The industry has adapted to home viewing: VCR and DVD Digital effects More sequels, remakes, and adaptations recently Independent films are gaining larger audiences