Five Defining Moments from pre 1930's Cinema

Pre 1930’s cinema played a massive role in developing films and filming techniques, shaping them, over many years, into what we see on the big screen today. There are many defining moments from this era of cinema. Here are five of these moments that stand out.

1. l'Arroseur Arrosé (1895) 

In 1895, the Lumière Brothers, from France, created their own innovative filming device; a movie camera and projector combined. This device made it possible for multiple people to view a film simultaneously. They patented their invention in February 1895 and named it the ‘Cinematographe’. December 28th 1895 saw the dawn of commercial cinema. The brothers presented the first projected showing of a motion picture to a paying audience, in a theatre designed purely to show movies. The screening consisted of ten short films. The programme lasted about twenty minutes. l'Arroseur Arrosé was one of these films. It became the first famous comedy, and is still renowned worldwide today.

2. Le Voyage Dans la Lune (1902)

George Méliès was known as the ‘Magician of the Cinema’.(Thompson, 2003, p.24) In 1902 his film, “A Trip to the Moon” saw the beginning of special effects and a whole host of photographic techniques that are still used today. He used slow motion, stop-motion, and dissolves, to name a few. These were a real first for cinematography. Méliès produced his Science Fiction film using techniques that had never been used in cinema before to create complex fantasy and magic scenes that would capture the audience. In addition, Méliès also introduced the concept of narrative storylines, characters and how they develop in films.

3. The Birth of a Nation (1915)

1915 saw the creation of the first American epic feature film. “The Birth of a Nation” lasted over three hours and took cinema to a new level. It contained structured and complicated battle scenes. D.W. Griffith’s masterpiece also saw innovative use of photographic techniques; he used dolly shots and incorporated flashbacks into the action. “The Birth of a Nation” caused great controversy due to its racist message and the Ku Klux Klan even experienced a resurgence of popularity due to the film. This was the first time film was seen as a powerful tool that could merit and evoke a powerful response from society.

4. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

The German Expressionist Movement saw the first real relationship between film and art, film art. The stylistic, distorted sets and dramatic lighting make this movement very interesting and recognisable. Robert Wiene’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” is possibly the best known and influential film from this movement. The actors make no attempt at a ‘realistic’ performance. They move in a jerky, unnatural way to add to the effect of the piece. “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” was the first horror film ever made and it captivated audiences. The sets, characters and costumes are still echoed in modern day film, Tim Burton’s films are a prime example of this.

5. Don Juan (1926)

Although early movies were called ‘Silent Films’, they always had music that accompanied the action, usually played live by a pianist/organist in the cinema. “Don Juan” was the first feature-length film that contained synchronised music and sound effects recorded using Vitaphone, but still no speech at this stage. Although the film failed to gain the positive response that Warner Bros. had wanted it still paved the way, and showed the need, for advances in sound in films. It inevitably led to the first ‘talkie’ “The Jazz Singer” (1927) which highlighted the redundancy of Silent Films and took film into a new era.


Sources 

• Film History An Introduction. 2nd Edition by Kristin Thompson and David Bordwell. 2003, McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

• Film. An International History of the Medium by Robert Sklar. 1993, Thames & Hudson Ltd.

• FilmSite