Sunday, September 6, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
The Stranger 1946
Director : Orson Welles
Screen Play : Anthony Veiller
Cinematography : Russell Metty
Music : Bronislau Kaper
The setting is post-World War II and The Stranger opens with Nazi hunter Wilson (Edward G. Robinson) following Konrad Meinike (Konstantine Shayne), as he embarks on a cruise boat headed for the United States. Meinike’s final destination is the town of Harper, Connecticut. Meinike has arrived in Harper to meet his former colleague, Franz Kindler (Orson Welles). The audience discover that Kindler is a notorious Nazi war criminal living under the assumed identity of Charles Rankin. It turns out Rankin is a well respected professor who is days away from marrying Mary Longstreet (Loretta Young), a woman from a local, prominent family.
The audience also discovers that Meinike was purposely set free by the authorities to identify Franz Kindler, since no photographs of Kindler exist. Unfortunately for Meinike, his reunion with Kindler does not go as planned.
For the remainder of the film, Wilson is on a mission to convince those around him that Rankin is the man he is looking for.
OSCAR Nominee for BEST Original Screenplay
The artistic and critical success of Citizen Kane left Orson Welles in a unique and ultimately unenviable situation. Every film he would make after Kane would be unfairly compared to it. By this standard, The Stranger does not hold up very well. However, The Stranger is still a grade above most of the crime dramas produced during this period.
Most crime dramas produced during this period of time are identified as film noir. At best, the criteria of what classifies a movie as film noir is very fluid. So while The Stranger has noir-ish elements, I feel it is missing some of the grittiness and latent sexuality often associated with film noir. On the other hand, Orson Welles’ next feature The Lady from Shanghai is a much more stylized and sincere attempt at capturing noir’s aesthetic.
The solid central performances are essential to making The Stranger a watchable film. In a role reminiscent of his turn as Barton Keyes in Double Indemnity, Edward G. Robinson is in fine form as Wilson. Loretta Young captures the essence a woman whose world is eventually shattered by the revelation of her husband’s true identity. Orson Welles is equally believable as a man who on one hand is an affable small town professor and on the other hand is a ruthless, cold-blooded criminal.
Among the supporting players, Mr. Potter, as portrayed by Billy House, is worth noting. He provides comic relief to a narrative that is generally somber in atmosphere and tone.
As a director, Welles ably deploys low-key lighting and non-traditional camera angles. These are cinematographic devices that became his trademark in Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons. In addition it is as established fact that he co-wrote the script with John Huston, although they did not receive screen credit.
In conclusion, while not one of Welles’ finest works, The Stranger will keep you engaged until the very end. Therefore I recommend it.
Note: I see many parallels between this film and Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt. Each film begins with an ensuing chase. It is followed by an outsider or set of outsiders arriving in an idyllic town and concludes with the actions of the outsider forever disrupting the lives of the town’s inhabitants. Even the fact that there are no photographs of Charles Oakley or Franz Kindler is similar. The only difference is how the antagonists’ identity is revealed. In Shadow, the identity of Charles Oakley as the “Merry Widow Murderer” is only revealed to and the two cops tailing him. In The Stranger, the Kindler’s identity is revealed to the entire town in the final, climatic clock tower scene.
Technical Information .
Film negative format (mm/video inches) 35mm
Cinematographic process Spherical
Printed film format35 mm
Aspect ratio1.37:1
Screen Play : Anthony Veiller
Cinematography : Russell Metty
Music : Bronislau Kaper
The setting is post-World War II and The Stranger opens with Nazi hunter Wilson (Edward G. Robinson) following Konrad Meinike (Konstantine Shayne), as he embarks on a cruise boat headed for the United States. Meinike’s final destination is the town of Harper, Connecticut. Meinike has arrived in Harper to meet his former colleague, Franz Kindler (Orson Welles). The audience discover that Kindler is a notorious Nazi war criminal living under the assumed identity of Charles Rankin. It turns out Rankin is a well respected professor who is days away from marrying Mary Longstreet (Loretta Young), a woman from a local, prominent family.
The audience also discovers that Meinike was purposely set free by the authorities to identify Franz Kindler, since no photographs of Kindler exist. Unfortunately for Meinike, his reunion with Kindler does not go as planned.
For the remainder of the film, Wilson is on a mission to convince those around him that Rankin is the man he is looking for.
OSCAR Nominee for BEST Original Screenplay
The artistic and critical success of Citizen Kane left Orson Welles in a unique and ultimately unenviable situation. Every film he would make after Kane would be unfairly compared to it. By this standard, The Stranger does not hold up very well. However, The Stranger is still a grade above most of the crime dramas produced during this period.
Most crime dramas produced during this period of time are identified as film noir. At best, the criteria of what classifies a movie as film noir is very fluid. So while The Stranger has noir-ish elements, I feel it is missing some of the grittiness and latent sexuality often associated with film noir. On the other hand, Orson Welles’ next feature The Lady from Shanghai is a much more stylized and sincere attempt at capturing noir’s aesthetic.
The solid central performances are essential to making The Stranger a watchable film. In a role reminiscent of his turn as Barton Keyes in Double Indemnity, Edward G. Robinson is in fine form as Wilson. Loretta Young captures the essence a woman whose world is eventually shattered by the revelation of her husband’s true identity. Orson Welles is equally believable as a man who on one hand is an affable small town professor and on the other hand is a ruthless, cold-blooded criminal.
Among the supporting players, Mr. Potter, as portrayed by Billy House, is worth noting. He provides comic relief to a narrative that is generally somber in atmosphere and tone.
As a director, Welles ably deploys low-key lighting and non-traditional camera angles. These are cinematographic devices that became his trademark in Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons. In addition it is as established fact that he co-wrote the script with John Huston, although they did not receive screen credit.
In conclusion, while not one of Welles’ finest works, The Stranger will keep you engaged until the very end. Therefore I recommend it.
Note: I see many parallels between this film and Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt. Each film begins with an ensuing chase. It is followed by an outsider or set of outsiders arriving in an idyllic town and concludes with the actions of the outsider forever disrupting the lives of the town’s inhabitants. Even the fact that there are no photographs of Charles Oakley or Franz Kindler is similar. The only difference is how the antagonists’ identity is revealed. In Shadow, the identity of Charles Oakley as the “Merry Widow Murderer” is only revealed to and the two cops tailing him. In The Stranger, the Kindler’s identity is revealed to the entire town in the final, climatic clock tower scene.
Technical Information .
Film negative format (mm/video inches) 35mm
Cinematographic process Spherical
Printed film format35 mm
Aspect ratio1.37:1
Friday, August 14, 2009
The Magnificent Ambersons - 1942
Directed by Orson Welles
ScreenPlay by Orson Welles based on the novel by Booth Tarkington
Cinematography by Stanley Cortez
Music by Bernard Herrmann
Starring : Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello, Anne Baxter, Tim Holt, Agnes Moorehead, Ray Collins
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) is the legendary Orson Welles' second film - another audacious masterpiece. It was produced, directed, and scripted (but not acted in) by Welles, a follow-up film one year after his masterful classic Citizen Kane (1941). It was based on Booth Tarkington's 1918 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, and had been filmed earlier as a black and white silent film from Vitagraph under the title Pampered Youth (1925).
This film's screenplay was written by Welles in only nine days.
The Magnificent Ambersons is about the proud and celebrated Amberson family. The story shows how the family refuses to change with the times, and the subsequent deterioration of the Amberson name as a result.
The story is set in Indianapolis in the late 1800's/early 1900's, and shows how the beauty of a small town was slowly destroyed by the advent of the automobile. A number of dramas carry the movie along. Isabel Amberson is the town beauty and is courted by various beaus, one of whom is the brash and handsome Eugene Morgan. Eugene plans an elaborate serenade for Isabel in front of the Amberson mansion, but makes a fool of himself by falling on his bass viol in a drunken stupor. Eugene tries repeatedly to win Isabel, but she refuses. Even though she is in love with Eugene, the embarrassment from this one incident and the social customs of the time prohibit her from having anything to do with him. Isabel eventually marries Wilbur Minafer, who is less flashy than Eugene, but respectable. Isabel isn't in love with Wilbur, however, and their one child George is incredibly spoiled by Isabel and grows up to be extremely arrogant, righteous and self-absorbed. George has an air of entitlement because he is an Amberson, and has no use for anyone who wants to work for a living. This includes Isabel's true love, Eugene, who left town after losing Isabel. Eugene returns twenty years later with his daughter Lucy, having made his fortune by developing one of the first automobiles. After Wilbur's death, Eugene pursues Isabel again. Wilbur's sister Fanny is also in love with Eugene, though this is not returned by Eugene. Even though Isabel and Eugene are both still in love, their plans are thwarted by George. George hates Eugene not just because of his profession, but because he has to share his mother's attention for the first time. When George learns that the townspeople are talking about Eugene's love for Isabel, George becomes enraged by this supposed scandal and does whatever he can to prevent Isabel and Eugene from marrying. George and Isabel leave on a trip around the world and are gone for five years. Despite Isabel's poor health and longing for Eugene, George insists that they both stay abroad, returning only when Isabel is colse to death. George's attitudes and actions help to ruin his family, as well as his chances of having a relationship with Eugene's daughter Lucy. Eventually George receives his "comeuppance", learning humility after suffering the tragic consequences of his own devices. George reconciles with Lucy, and asks for Eugene's forgiveness. By then all of the members of the Amberson family have either died, moved away or become destitute.
Technical Information
camera : mitchell BNC
Film negative format (mm/video inches): 35 mm
Cinematographic process : Spherical
Printed film format : 35 mm
Aspect ratio : 1.37 : 1
According to Peter Bogdanovich, Orson Welles said many times that this film could've been "much better than Citizen Kane (1941)." Also, while Welles always refused to watch any of his films, he was in a hotel room in the 70s with many friends and ‘The Magnificent Ambersons’ was on TV, and he was talked into watching the rest of it. It is said that he was teary throughout, and confessed that although the ending didn't work, he still liked the film.
ScreenPlay by Orson Welles based on the novel by Booth Tarkington
Cinematography by Stanley Cortez
Music by Bernard Herrmann
Starring : Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello, Anne Baxter, Tim Holt, Agnes Moorehead, Ray Collins
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) is the legendary Orson Welles' second film - another audacious masterpiece. It was produced, directed, and scripted (but not acted in) by Welles, a follow-up film one year after his masterful classic Citizen Kane (1941). It was based on Booth Tarkington's 1918 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, and had been filmed earlier as a black and white silent film from Vitagraph under the title Pampered Youth (1925).
This film's screenplay was written by Welles in only nine days.
The Magnificent Ambersons is about the proud and celebrated Amberson family. The story shows how the family refuses to change with the times, and the subsequent deterioration of the Amberson name as a result.
The story is set in Indianapolis in the late 1800's/early 1900's, and shows how the beauty of a small town was slowly destroyed by the advent of the automobile. A number of dramas carry the movie along. Isabel Amberson is the town beauty and is courted by various beaus, one of whom is the brash and handsome Eugene Morgan. Eugene plans an elaborate serenade for Isabel in front of the Amberson mansion, but makes a fool of himself by falling on his bass viol in a drunken stupor. Eugene tries repeatedly to win Isabel, but she refuses. Even though she is in love with Eugene, the embarrassment from this one incident and the social customs of the time prohibit her from having anything to do with him. Isabel eventually marries Wilbur Minafer, who is less flashy than Eugene, but respectable. Isabel isn't in love with Wilbur, however, and their one child George is incredibly spoiled by Isabel and grows up to be extremely arrogant, righteous and self-absorbed. George has an air of entitlement because he is an Amberson, and has no use for anyone who wants to work for a living. This includes Isabel's true love, Eugene, who left town after losing Isabel. Eugene returns twenty years later with his daughter Lucy, having made his fortune by developing one of the first automobiles. After Wilbur's death, Eugene pursues Isabel again. Wilbur's sister Fanny is also in love with Eugene, though this is not returned by Eugene. Even though Isabel and Eugene are both still in love, their plans are thwarted by George. George hates Eugene not just because of his profession, but because he has to share his mother's attention for the first time. When George learns that the townspeople are talking about Eugene's love for Isabel, George becomes enraged by this supposed scandal and does whatever he can to prevent Isabel and Eugene from marrying. George and Isabel leave on a trip around the world and are gone for five years. Despite Isabel's poor health and longing for Eugene, George insists that they both stay abroad, returning only when Isabel is colse to death. George's attitudes and actions help to ruin his family, as well as his chances of having a relationship with Eugene's daughter Lucy. Eventually George receives his "comeuppance", learning humility after suffering the tragic consequences of his own devices. George reconciles with Lucy, and asks for Eugene's forgiveness. By then all of the members of the Amberson family have either died, moved away or become destitute.
Technical Information
camera : mitchell BNC
Film negative format (mm/video inches): 35 mm
Cinematographic process : Spherical
Printed film format : 35 mm
Aspect ratio : 1.37 : 1
According to Peter Bogdanovich, Orson Welles said many times that this film could've been "much better than Citizen Kane (1941)." Also, while Welles always refused to watch any of his films, he was in a hotel room in the 70s with many friends and ‘The Magnificent Ambersons’ was on TV, and he was talked into watching the rest of it. It is said that he was teary throughout, and confessed that although the ending didn't work, he still liked the film.
Citizen Kane - 1941
Directed by Orson Welles
Screenplay by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz
Cinematography by Gregg Toland
Music by Bernard Herrmann
Starring : Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Everett Sloane, Dorothy Comingore, Ruth Warrick, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford, William Alland, George Couloris
Citizen Kane is Orson Welles's greatest achievement -- and a landmark of cinema history. The story charts the rise and fall of a newpaper publisher whose wealth and power ultimately isolates him in his castle like refuge. The film's protagonist, Charles Foster, was based on a composite of Howard Hughes and William Randolph Hearst - so much so that Hearst tried to have the film suppressed. Every aspect of the production marked an advance in film language: the deep focus and deeply shadowed cinematography; the discontinuous narrative, relying heavily on flashbacks and newsreel footage; and the ensemble acting forged in the fires of Welles's Mercury Theatre. Every moment of the film, every shot, has been choreographed to perfection. The film is essential viewing, quite possibly the greatest film ever made and, along with The Birth of a Nation, certainly the most influential.
Technical Information
Camera : Mitchell BNC
Film negative format (mm/video inches) : 35 mm
Cinematographic process : Spherical
Printed film format : 35 mm
Aspect ratio : 1.37 : 1
In America in the Dark, David Thomson writes that Citizen Kane is "the key work of the first American director to identify comprehensive fraud as a topic central to his culture."
The movie is unquestionably great even if the Hearst similarities did not exist. Its use of unusual angles, dramatic lighting, unusual transitions and tracking shots, and deep-focus shots is sensational and the narrative is more "circular," to borrow a description from Roger Ebert’s fine review, than linear. Indeed, the movie begins at its story’s end, the death of Charles Foster Kane, whose last word is "Rosebud."
The movie received 9 Oscar nominations, but only one for the screenplay, which was shared by Welles and Mankiewicz. Its performers, including Welles, came from the Mercury Theater and had never before acted in a movie. Welles took a relative modest salary for the film, but obtained almost complete creative control over the movie, which was reportedly without precedent in Hollywood.
Screenplay by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz
Cinematography by Gregg Toland
Music by Bernard Herrmann
Starring : Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Everett Sloane, Dorothy Comingore, Ruth Warrick, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford, William Alland, George Couloris
Citizen Kane is Orson Welles's greatest achievement -- and a landmark of cinema history. The story charts the rise and fall of a newpaper publisher whose wealth and power ultimately isolates him in his castle like refuge. The film's protagonist, Charles Foster, was based on a composite of Howard Hughes and William Randolph Hearst - so much so that Hearst tried to have the film suppressed. Every aspect of the production marked an advance in film language: the deep focus and deeply shadowed cinematography; the discontinuous narrative, relying heavily on flashbacks and newsreel footage; and the ensemble acting forged in the fires of Welles's Mercury Theatre. Every moment of the film, every shot, has been choreographed to perfection. The film is essential viewing, quite possibly the greatest film ever made and, along with The Birth of a Nation, certainly the most influential.
Technical Information
Camera : Mitchell BNC
Film negative format (mm/video inches) : 35 mm
Cinematographic process : Spherical
Printed film format : 35 mm
Aspect ratio : 1.37 : 1
In America in the Dark, David Thomson writes that Citizen Kane is "the key work of the first American director to identify comprehensive fraud as a topic central to his culture."
The movie is unquestionably great even if the Hearst similarities did not exist. Its use of unusual angles, dramatic lighting, unusual transitions and tracking shots, and deep-focus shots is sensational and the narrative is more "circular," to borrow a description from Roger Ebert’s fine review, than linear. Indeed, the movie begins at its story’s end, the death of Charles Foster Kane, whose last word is "Rosebud."
The movie received 9 Oscar nominations, but only one for the screenplay, which was shared by Welles and Mankiewicz. Its performers, including Welles, came from the Mercury Theater and had never before acted in a movie. Welles took a relative modest salary for the film, but obtained almost complete creative control over the movie, which was reportedly without precedent in Hollywood.
Orson Welles Filmography as Director
Films directed by Orson Welles
1940's
Citizen Kane (1941) · The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) ·
The Stranger (1946) · The Lady from Shanghai (1947) ·
Macbeth (1948)
1950's
Othello (1952) · Mr. Arkadin (1955) · Touch of Evil (1958)
1960's
The Trial (1962) · Chimes at Midnight (1965) · The Immortal Story (1968)
1970's
F for Fake (1974)
Unfinished Projects
It's All True (1942) · Vienna (1968) · Don Quixote (1956~1969) ·
The Deep (1970) ·
The Other Side of the Wind (1972) ·
The Dreamers (1980~1982)
Shorts
The Hearts of Age (1934) · Too Much Johnson (1938) ·
The Fountain of Youth (1958)
Other
Filming Othello (1978)
1940's
Citizen Kane (1941) · The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) ·
The Stranger (1946) · The Lady from Shanghai (1947) ·
Macbeth (1948)
1950's
Othello (1952) · Mr. Arkadin (1955) · Touch of Evil (1958)
1960's
The Trial (1962) · Chimes at Midnight (1965) · The Immortal Story (1968)
1970's
F for Fake (1974)
Unfinished Projects
It's All True (1942) · Vienna (1968) · Don Quixote (1956~1969) ·
The Deep (1970) ·
The Other Side of the Wind (1972) ·
The Dreamers (1980~1982)
Shorts
The Hearts of Age (1934) · Too Much Johnson (1938) ·
The Fountain of Youth (1958)
Other
Filming Othello (1978)
Orson Welles
Orson Welles (1915-1985) was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, radio actor, and film director. His earliest film production, Citizen Kane, was his most famous, although most of his other productions were notable.
Orson Welles was born George Orson Welles in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on May 6, 1915, the second son of Richard Welles, an inventor, and Beatrice Ives, a concert pianist. The name George was soon dropped. The family moved to Chicago when Welles was four; two years later his parents separated formally. The comfortable circumstances in which Welles was born gradually diminished. An important early influence on his life was Maurice Bernstein, an orthopedist and passionate admirer of his mother until her death in 1926. That year he was enrolled in the progressive Todd School (Woodstock, Illinois). His formal education ended with graduation in 1931.
After a sojourn to Ireland, where he was involved in the theater as an actor, Welles returned to Chicago where he briefly served as a drama coach at the Todd School and coedited four volumes of Shakespeare's plays. He made his Broadway debut with Katharine Cornell's company in December 1934. He and John Houseman joined forces the next year to manage a unit of the Federal Theatre Project, one of the work-relief arts projects established by the New Deal. Welles' direction was inspired, injecting new life into various classics, including an all-African American Macbeth, the French farce The Italian Straw Hat, and the Elizabethan morality play Dr. Faustus.
Welles and Houseman broke with the Federal Theatre Project over its attempt to censor their June 1937 production of Marc Blitzstein's pro-labor The Cradle Will Rock. They organized the Mercury Theatre, which over the next two seasons had a number of extraordinary successes, including a modern dress anti-Fascist Julius Caesar (with Welles playing Brutus), an Elizabethan working-class comedy Shoemaker's Holiday (re-written by Welles), and Shaw's Heartbreak House (with the 24-year-old Welles convincingly playing an octogenerian). Welles also found time to play "The Shadow" on radio and to supervise a "Mercury Theatre on the Air," whose most notorious success was an adaptation of H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, which resulted in panic as many listeners believed that Martians were invading New Jersey.
In 1939 the Mercury Theatre collapsed as a result of economic problems; Welles went to Hollywood to find the cash to resurrect it. Except for a stirring dramatization of Richard Wright's Native Son in 1940, an unhappy attempt to stage Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days (music and lyrics by Cole Porter) in 1946, and an unsatisfactory King Lear in 1956, his Broadway career was over. He did continue theater activity overseas: during the 1950s he successfully staged Moby Dick in England, directed Laurence Olivier in the London production of Ionesco's Rhinoceros , and wrote a script for a Roland Petit ballet.
Following an early flirtation with movies and after casting around some months for a subject, Welles filmed Citizen Kane in 1939-1940. Since its release in 1941 this film has generally been awarded accolades and in recent years has been acclaimed as one of the best movies of all time. It is a fascinating study of a newspaper publisher (obviously modeled on William Randolph Hearst, despite Welles' disclaimers). Controversy surrounds the production of this film, which Welles is credited with producing, directing, and co-scripting. He also played the leading role. However one views the making of this film, there is no doubt about his role as catalyst.
Years later Welles declared "I began at the top and have been making my way down ever since." All the films he directed are of interest, but none matched his initial achievement. Among his other films are The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), The Lady From Shanghai (1946), Othello (1952), Touch of Evil (1958), The Trial (1962), and F Is for Fake (1973). Most of these films have been marked by disputes; Welles often disowned the final version. His critics argue that a self-destructive tendency caused these problems and cite his experiences with the unfinished It's All True, which he embarked on in Brazil in 1942 before finishing the final editing of The Magnificent Ambersons. But his partisans called it a destroyed masterpiece (in his absence 131 minutes were edited down to a final release print of 88 minutes).
A somewhat hammy actor with a magnificent voice, Welles appeared in over 45 films besides his own. In some of these films, such as The Third Man (1949) and Compulsion (1959), he was superb. But all too many were junk movies such as Black Magic (1949) and The Tarters (1960); he accepted these so that he might earn the funds necessary to finance films of his own such as Chimes at Midnight (released in 1966, an exciting film based on various Shakespeare plays and dealing with Falstaff).
For various reasons Welles left the United States after World War II and for three decades lived a kind of gypsy existence abroad, with occasional visits back to America for movie assignments or other work. An intelligent, multifaceted individual, Welles during World War II had put in a stint as a columnist at the liberal New York Post and later gave some thought to a political career. During the latter part of his life, despite being dogged by ill health, he earned a comfortable living doing television commercials for companies such as Paul Masson wines, putting much of what he earned into the production of various films, including The Other Side of the Wind (which dealt with an old film-maker and which was unfinished at the time of his death as well as being involved in litigation). A superb racontuer, Welles--after moving back to the United States in the mid-1970s--was much in demand as a guest on television talk shows.
Welles was found dead in early October 1985 in his Los Angeles home. Married three times, he had children with each wife: Virginia Nicolson (Christopher), Rita Hayworth (Rebecca), and his widow Paola Mori (Beatrice). He had many friends in his lifetime, including Oja Kodar, a Yugoslav artist who was his companion and assistant from the mid-1960s onward. Welles shared an Academy Award for the script of Citizen Kane and in 1975 was honored by the American Film Institute with a Life-Achievement Award. Welles' other awards include a 1958 Peabody Award for a TV pilot.
Orson Welles was born George Orson Welles in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on May 6, 1915, the second son of Richard Welles, an inventor, and Beatrice Ives, a concert pianist. The name George was soon dropped. The family moved to Chicago when Welles was four; two years later his parents separated formally. The comfortable circumstances in which Welles was born gradually diminished. An important early influence on his life was Maurice Bernstein, an orthopedist and passionate admirer of his mother until her death in 1926. That year he was enrolled in the progressive Todd School (Woodstock, Illinois). His formal education ended with graduation in 1931.
After a sojourn to Ireland, where he was involved in the theater as an actor, Welles returned to Chicago where he briefly served as a drama coach at the Todd School and coedited four volumes of Shakespeare's plays. He made his Broadway debut with Katharine Cornell's company in December 1934. He and John Houseman joined forces the next year to manage a unit of the Federal Theatre Project, one of the work-relief arts projects established by the New Deal. Welles' direction was inspired, injecting new life into various classics, including an all-African American Macbeth, the French farce The Italian Straw Hat, and the Elizabethan morality play Dr. Faustus.
Welles and Houseman broke with the Federal Theatre Project over its attempt to censor their June 1937 production of Marc Blitzstein's pro-labor The Cradle Will Rock. They organized the Mercury Theatre, which over the next two seasons had a number of extraordinary successes, including a modern dress anti-Fascist Julius Caesar (with Welles playing Brutus), an Elizabethan working-class comedy Shoemaker's Holiday (re-written by Welles), and Shaw's Heartbreak House (with the 24-year-old Welles convincingly playing an octogenerian). Welles also found time to play "The Shadow" on radio and to supervise a "Mercury Theatre on the Air," whose most notorious success was an adaptation of H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, which resulted in panic as many listeners believed that Martians were invading New Jersey.
In 1939 the Mercury Theatre collapsed as a result of economic problems; Welles went to Hollywood to find the cash to resurrect it. Except for a stirring dramatization of Richard Wright's Native Son in 1940, an unhappy attempt to stage Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days (music and lyrics by Cole Porter) in 1946, and an unsatisfactory King Lear in 1956, his Broadway career was over. He did continue theater activity overseas: during the 1950s he successfully staged Moby Dick in England, directed Laurence Olivier in the London production of Ionesco's Rhinoceros , and wrote a script for a Roland Petit ballet.
Following an early flirtation with movies and after casting around some months for a subject, Welles filmed Citizen Kane in 1939-1940. Since its release in 1941 this film has generally been awarded accolades and in recent years has been acclaimed as one of the best movies of all time. It is a fascinating study of a newspaper publisher (obviously modeled on William Randolph Hearst, despite Welles' disclaimers). Controversy surrounds the production of this film, which Welles is credited with producing, directing, and co-scripting. He also played the leading role. However one views the making of this film, there is no doubt about his role as catalyst.
Years later Welles declared "I began at the top and have been making my way down ever since." All the films he directed are of interest, but none matched his initial achievement. Among his other films are The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), The Lady From Shanghai (1946), Othello (1952), Touch of Evil (1958), The Trial (1962), and F Is for Fake (1973). Most of these films have been marked by disputes; Welles often disowned the final version. His critics argue that a self-destructive tendency caused these problems and cite his experiences with the unfinished It's All True, which he embarked on in Brazil in 1942 before finishing the final editing of The Magnificent Ambersons. But his partisans called it a destroyed masterpiece (in his absence 131 minutes were edited down to a final release print of 88 minutes).
A somewhat hammy actor with a magnificent voice, Welles appeared in over 45 films besides his own. In some of these films, such as The Third Man (1949) and Compulsion (1959), he was superb. But all too many were junk movies such as Black Magic (1949) and The Tarters (1960); he accepted these so that he might earn the funds necessary to finance films of his own such as Chimes at Midnight (released in 1966, an exciting film based on various Shakespeare plays and dealing with Falstaff).
For various reasons Welles left the United States after World War II and for three decades lived a kind of gypsy existence abroad, with occasional visits back to America for movie assignments or other work. An intelligent, multifaceted individual, Welles during World War II had put in a stint as a columnist at the liberal New York Post and later gave some thought to a political career. During the latter part of his life, despite being dogged by ill health, he earned a comfortable living doing television commercials for companies such as Paul Masson wines, putting much of what he earned into the production of various films, including The Other Side of the Wind (which dealt with an old film-maker and which was unfinished at the time of his death as well as being involved in litigation). A superb racontuer, Welles--after moving back to the United States in the mid-1970s--was much in demand as a guest on television talk shows.
Welles was found dead in early October 1985 in his Los Angeles home. Married three times, he had children with each wife: Virginia Nicolson (Christopher), Rita Hayworth (Rebecca), and his widow Paola Mori (Beatrice). He had many friends in his lifetime, including Oja Kodar, a Yugoslav artist who was his companion and assistant from the mid-1960s onward. Welles shared an Academy Award for the script of Citizen Kane and in 1975 was honored by the American Film Institute with a Life-Achievement Award. Welles' other awards include a 1958 Peabody Award for a TV pilot.
Greatest Of All Time
The Most Influential Of All Time ...
1 Orson Welles 12 films
1 Orson Welles 12 films
2 Alfred Hitchcock 14 films
3 Federico Fellini 12 films
4 John Ford 18 films
5 Stanley Kubrick 11 films
6 Jean Renoir 11 films
7 Akira Kurosawa 11 films
8 Ingmar Bergman 13 films
9 Jean-Luc Godard 13 films
10 Luis Buñuel 15 films
11 Francis Ford Coppola 5 films
12 Charles Chaplin 10 films
13 Billy Wilder 8 films
14 Martin Scorsese 9 films
15 Howard Hawks 11 films
16 Carl Dreyer 5 films
17 Sergei Eisenstein 7 films
18 F.W. Murnau 6 films
19 Yasujiro Ozu 7 films
20 Robert Bresson 8 films
21 Andrei Tarkovsky 7 films
22 Fritz Lang 16 films
23 Kenji Mizoguchi 10 films
24 François Truffaut 7 films
25 David Lean 6 films
26 Buster Keaton 7 films
27 Michelangelo Antonioni 6 films
28 D.W. Griffith 5 films
29 Roberto Rossellini 8 films
30 Max Ophüls 7 films
31 Steven Spielberg 7 films
32 Vittorio De Sica 4 films
33 Satyajit Ray 6 films
34 Luchino Visconti 9 films
35 Woody Allen 8 films
36 Ernst Lubitsch 7 films
37 John Huston 8 films
38 Roman Polanski 5 films
39 Jean Vigo 2 films
40 Robert Altman 8 films
41 Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly 2 films
42 Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger 7 films
43 Frank Capra 6 films
44 Alain Resnais 6 films
45 Sergio Leone 3 films
46 Michael Curtiz 2 films
47 Sam Peckinpah 7 films
48 Bernardo Bertolucci 7 films
49 Preston Sturges 5 films
50 Carol Reed 3 films
51 Victor Fleming 2 films
52 John Cassavetes 7 films
53 Marcel Carné 3 films
54 Erich von Stroheim 4 films
55 Ridley Scott 4 films
56 Werner Herzog 5 films
57 Jacques Tati 3 films
58 George Cukor 5 films
59 David Lynch 7 films
60 Krzysztof Kieslowski 7 films
61 Rainer Werner Fassbinder 6 films
62 Leo McCarey 5 films
63 Josef von Sternberg 8 films
64 Vincente Minnelli 5 films
65 Douglas Sirk 6 films
66 Nicholas Ray 6 films
67 Elia Kazan 6 films
68 Pier Paolo Pasolini 5 films
69 Abbas Kiarostami 6 films
70 Joseph L. Mankiewicz 4 films
71 William Wyler 5 films
72 Terrence Malick 3 films
73 King Vidor 6 films
74 Jacques Tourneur 4 films
75 Chris Marker 2 films
76 David Cronenberg 3 films
77 Wong Kar-Wai 5 films
78 Jacques Rivette 4 films
79 Milos Forman 4 films
80 Wim Wenders 4 films
81 Eric Rohmer 7 films
82 Quentin Tarantino 2 films
83 Hou Hsiao-Hsien 4 films
84 Joel Coen & Ethan Coen 5 films
85 Alexander Dovzhenko 2 films
86 Jean Cocteau 4 films
87 Jacques Demy 4 films
88 Robert Flaherty 4 films
89 Clint Eastwood 3 films
90 Nicolas Roeg 4 films
91 Sidney Lumet 4 films
92 Jean-Pierre Melville 6 films
93 George Lucas 2 films
94 Raoul Walsh 3 films
95 James Cameron 3 films
96 Andrzej Wajda 3 films
97 Otto Preminger 3 films
98 Brian De Palma 3 films
99 Chantal Akerman 2 films
100 George Stevens 3 films
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Edwin S. Porter
Edwin S. Porter joined the Vitascope Marketing Company in 1895 where his experience with electrical engineering was called into use.
Whilst at Vitascope, Porter was central in the organisation of the first projected movie show in New York on the 23rd April 1896. He continued to use his engineering skills in the laboratory at Edison’s Manufacturing Company but left to become a freelance projectionist at the Eden Musee Theatre in 1898.
Whilst working as a projectionist, one of Porter’s many duties included the illegal duplication of Méliès films. He would take apart one act reels and combine several of these into a fifteen minute programme.
In addition, he attempted to create his own camera and projector but his efforts were in vain and in 1900 he returned to Edison’s Company not in an engineering capacity but as a producer and director at Edison’s East 21st Street Skylight studio.
A fan of the films of Georges Méliès, Porter tried to emulate the trick photography which Méliès had introduced to the world and had proved incredibly successful, in films such as 'The Finish of Bridget McKeen' (1901) and 'Jack and the Beanstalk' (1902). Porter was also one of the first directors to shoot at night in his 'Pan-American Exposition by Night'.
Porter’s skill with editing and methods of projection were used to great effect in some of his earliest films. He combined documentary footage with his own footage in films like 'The Execution of Czoyosz' (which he made with actor and set painter George S. Fleming); in 'Life of an American Fireman' he adopted a documentary style of filmmaking .
'Life of an American Fireman' combined stock actuality footage of fires, firemen and fire engines with dramatised scenes which Porter shot, this juxtaposition added tension and release to the film making it truly dramatic in contemporary setting, unlike Méliès whose filmatic drama was derived from his films’ fantasy settings.
Porter was convinced, from the audience reaction that he had discovered a new way of telling stories and developed his ideas the following year with the release of 'The Great Train Robbery', perhaps the most influential film of that decade.
'The Great Train Robbery' benefited from a strong storyline, well composed, sophisticated camera work and an excellent climax, joined together by Porter’s excellent use of editing.
Although it was not the first 'Western', 'The Great Train Robbery' was the first Epic Western, which boasted a cast of forty actors working to an actual script.
During his time at Edison, he made many films for the company, in fact he was the mainstay of their film production for over five years. He left in 1909 and took senior production posts with a number of new independent companies.
Six years later, In 1915 Porter returned to his firs enthusiasm - projectors and remained involved with projection for the rest of his working life.
Whilst at Vitascope, Porter was central in the organisation of the first projected movie show in New York on the 23rd April 1896. He continued to use his engineering skills in the laboratory at Edison’s Manufacturing Company but left to become a freelance projectionist at the Eden Musee Theatre in 1898.
Whilst working as a projectionist, one of Porter’s many duties included the illegal duplication of Méliès films. He would take apart one act reels and combine several of these into a fifteen minute programme.
In addition, he attempted to create his own camera and projector but his efforts were in vain and in 1900 he returned to Edison’s Company not in an engineering capacity but as a producer and director at Edison’s East 21st Street Skylight studio.
A fan of the films of Georges Méliès, Porter tried to emulate the trick photography which Méliès had introduced to the world and had proved incredibly successful, in films such as 'The Finish of Bridget McKeen' (1901) and 'Jack and the Beanstalk' (1902). Porter was also one of the first directors to shoot at night in his 'Pan-American Exposition by Night'.
Porter’s skill with editing and methods of projection were used to great effect in some of his earliest films. He combined documentary footage with his own footage in films like 'The Execution of Czoyosz' (which he made with actor and set painter George S. Fleming); in 'Life of an American Fireman' he adopted a documentary style of filmmaking .
'Life of an American Fireman' combined stock actuality footage of fires, firemen and fire engines with dramatised scenes which Porter shot, this juxtaposition added tension and release to the film making it truly dramatic in contemporary setting, unlike Méliès whose filmatic drama was derived from his films’ fantasy settings.
Porter was convinced, from the audience reaction that he had discovered a new way of telling stories and developed his ideas the following year with the release of 'The Great Train Robbery', perhaps the most influential film of that decade.
'The Great Train Robbery' benefited from a strong storyline, well composed, sophisticated camera work and an excellent climax, joined together by Porter’s excellent use of editing.
Although it was not the first 'Western', 'The Great Train Robbery' was the first Epic Western, which boasted a cast of forty actors working to an actual script.
During his time at Edison, he made many films for the company, in fact he was the mainstay of their film production for over five years. He left in 1909 and took senior production posts with a number of new independent companies.
Six years later, In 1915 Porter returned to his firs enthusiasm - projectors and remained involved with projection for the rest of his working life.
Cecil Hepworth
Cecil Hepworth came to moving pictures from a background of Magic Lanterns. His father was a popular magic lantern entertainer and it was here that a young Hepworth developed an interest in projecting pictures.
His childhood was spent assisting his father with his lantern shows and toured the country attending many lectures. His interest in the projection of both still and moving picture continued when in 1896 he began touring with his own mixed slide and film show.
His technical knowledge of photography equipment and the art of moving pictures, built up from the many lectures he attended as a child, led Hepworth to publish the first handbook on the medium of film entitled 'Animated Photography' and it was in 1898 when he began making films for Charles Urban, who had recently arrived in London as manager of what would eventually become the Warwick Trading Company.
Hepworth set up a laboratory in 1899 and by 1900 he was releasing a hundred films a year. He was primarily a producer more than an actual film-maker but did on occasion, write, direct, edit, photograph and star in many films, however many of the films credited to him were in fact the work of his associated Percy Slow and Lewin Fitzhamon, the latter co-directed perhaps Hepworth’s most celebrated work 'Rescued by Rover' (1905) as well as other inventive comic films such as 'The Other Side of the Hedge'(1905) and 'That Fatal Sneeze' (1907).
Hepworth was a dedicated film pioneer and the driving force, many believe, behind the origins of the British Film Industry.
Hepworth’s skill with publicity and his ability to charm his stars to appear in many of his films made his company the only British Film Company to compete well with the wealth of foreign imported films.
He returned to directing in 1914 and continued into the 1920’s where he began to fall behind the times in terms of film techniques - it was this that contributed to his bankruptcy in 1924. He ended his film career directing trailers and advertisements.
Hepworth died in 1953 aged 79.
His childhood was spent assisting his father with his lantern shows and toured the country attending many lectures. His interest in the projection of both still and moving picture continued when in 1896 he began touring with his own mixed slide and film show.
His technical knowledge of photography equipment and the art of moving pictures, built up from the many lectures he attended as a child, led Hepworth to publish the first handbook on the medium of film entitled 'Animated Photography' and it was in 1898 when he began making films for Charles Urban, who had recently arrived in London as manager of what would eventually become the Warwick Trading Company.
Hepworth set up a laboratory in 1899 and by 1900 he was releasing a hundred films a year. He was primarily a producer more than an actual film-maker but did on occasion, write, direct, edit, photograph and star in many films, however many of the films credited to him were in fact the work of his associated Percy Slow and Lewin Fitzhamon, the latter co-directed perhaps Hepworth’s most celebrated work 'Rescued by Rover' (1905) as well as other inventive comic films such as 'The Other Side of the Hedge'(1905) and 'That Fatal Sneeze' (1907).
Hepworth was a dedicated film pioneer and the driving force, many believe, behind the origins of the British Film Industry.
Hepworth’s skill with publicity and his ability to charm his stars to appear in many of his films made his company the only British Film Company to compete well with the wealth of foreign imported films.
He returned to directing in 1914 and continued into the 1920’s where he began to fall behind the times in terms of film techniques - it was this that contributed to his bankruptcy in 1924. He ended his film career directing trailers and advertisements.
Hepworth died in 1953 aged 79.
Georges Méliès
Maries Georges Jean Méliès was born in Paris in 1861 and from a very early age he showed a particular interest in the arts which led, as a boy, to a place at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris where Méliès showed particular interest in stage design and puppetry.
In 1884, Méliès continued his studies abroad, in London at the request of his parents - they insisted he learn English after which they intended him to work at his father’s footwear business. While in London, he developed a keen interest in stage conjury after witnessing the work of Maskelyne and Cooke.
On his return to Paris he worked at his father’s factory and took over as manager when his father retired. His position meant that he was able to raise enough money to buy the famous Theatre Robert Houdin when it was put up for sale in 1888.
From that point on Méliès worked full time as a theatrical showman whose performances revolved around magic and illusionist techniques which he studied while in London as well as working on his own tricks.
When the Lumière brothers unveiled their Cinématographe to the public on December 28 1895 Méliès was a member of the audience. What he witnessed clearly had a profound effect upon him. After the show he approached the Lumière Brothers with a view to buying their machine - they turned him down.
Determined to investigate moving pictures, Méliès sought out Robert Paul in London and viewed his camera - projector building his own, soon afterwards. He was able to present his first film screening on April 4th 1896.
Méliès began by screening other peoples films - mainly those made for the Kinetoscope but within months he was making and showing his own work, his first films being one reel, one shot views lasting about a minute.
Méliès’ principle contribution to cinema was the combination of traditional theatrical elements to motion pictures - he sought to present spectacles of a kind not possible in live theatre.
In the Autumn of 1896, an event occurred which has since passed into film folklore and changed the way Méliès looked at filmmaking. Whilst filming a simple street scene, Méliès camera jammed and it took him a few seconds to rectify the problem. Thinking no more about the incident, Méliès processed the film and was struck by the effect such a incident had on the scene - objects suddenly appeared, disappeared or were transformed into other objects.
Méliès discovered from this incident that cinema had the capacity for manipulating and distorting time and space. He expanded upon his initial ideas and devised some complex special effects.
He pioneered the first double exposure (La caverne Maudite, 1898), the first split screen with performers acting opposite themselves (Un Homme de tete, 1898), and the first dissolve (Cendrillon, 1899).
Méliès tackled a wide range of subjects as well as the fantasy films usually associated with him, including advertising films and serious dramas. He was also one of the first filmmakers to present nudity on screen with “Apres le Bal”.
Faced with a shrinking market once the novelty of his films began to wear off, Méliès abandoned film production in 1912. In 1915 he was forced to turn his innovative studio into a Variety Theatre and resumed his pre-film career as a Showman.
In 1923 he was declared bankrupt and his beloved Theatre Robert Houdin was demolished. Méliès almost disappeared into obscurity until the late 1920’s when his substantial contribution to cinema was recognised by the French and he was presented with the Legion of Honour and given a rent free apartment where he spent the remaining years of his life.
Georges Méliès died in 1938 after making over five hundred films in total - financing, directing, photographing and starring in nearly every one.
In 1884, Méliès continued his studies abroad, in London at the request of his parents - they insisted he learn English after which they intended him to work at his father’s footwear business. While in London, he developed a keen interest in stage conjury after witnessing the work of Maskelyne and Cooke.
On his return to Paris he worked at his father’s factory and took over as manager when his father retired. His position meant that he was able to raise enough money to buy the famous Theatre Robert Houdin when it was put up for sale in 1888.
From that point on Méliès worked full time as a theatrical showman whose performances revolved around magic and illusionist techniques which he studied while in London as well as working on his own tricks.
When the Lumière brothers unveiled their Cinématographe to the public on December 28 1895 Méliès was a member of the audience. What he witnessed clearly had a profound effect upon him. After the show he approached the Lumière Brothers with a view to buying their machine - they turned him down.
Determined to investigate moving pictures, Méliès sought out Robert Paul in London and viewed his camera - projector building his own, soon afterwards. He was able to present his first film screening on April 4th 1896.
Méliès began by screening other peoples films - mainly those made for the Kinetoscope but within months he was making and showing his own work, his first films being one reel, one shot views lasting about a minute.
Méliès’ principle contribution to cinema was the combination of traditional theatrical elements to motion pictures - he sought to present spectacles of a kind not possible in live theatre.
In the Autumn of 1896, an event occurred which has since passed into film folklore and changed the way Méliès looked at filmmaking. Whilst filming a simple street scene, Méliès camera jammed and it took him a few seconds to rectify the problem. Thinking no more about the incident, Méliès processed the film and was struck by the effect such a incident had on the scene - objects suddenly appeared, disappeared or were transformed into other objects.
Méliès discovered from this incident that cinema had the capacity for manipulating and distorting time and space. He expanded upon his initial ideas and devised some complex special effects.
He pioneered the first double exposure (La caverne Maudite, 1898), the first split screen with performers acting opposite themselves (Un Homme de tete, 1898), and the first dissolve (Cendrillon, 1899).
Méliès tackled a wide range of subjects as well as the fantasy films usually associated with him, including advertising films and serious dramas. He was also one of the first filmmakers to present nudity on screen with “Apres le Bal”.
Faced with a shrinking market once the novelty of his films began to wear off, Méliès abandoned film production in 1912. In 1915 he was forced to turn his innovative studio into a Variety Theatre and resumed his pre-film career as a Showman.
In 1923 he was declared bankrupt and his beloved Theatre Robert Houdin was demolished. Méliès almost disappeared into obscurity until the late 1920’s when his substantial contribution to cinema was recognised by the French and he was presented with the Legion of Honour and given a rent free apartment where he spent the remaining years of his life.
Georges Méliès died in 1938 after making over five hundred films in total - financing, directing, photographing and starring in nearly every one.
R.W.Paul
Robert William Paul was a successful electrical engineer with his own workshop in Hatton Garden in London when in 1894 he was approached by two Greek entrepreneurs who wanted him to make duplicate version’s of Edison’s Kinetoscope they were already operating.
Realising that, a mistake on Edison's part meant there was no patent held on the Kinetoscope in England, Paul seized the opportunity and agreed to make several machines for the Greek gentlemen.
Paul successfully copied the Kinetoscope and made several machines which, after fulfilling his order with the Greeks, he sold to other showmen. Unfortuantely, Paul found his customers unable to show Edison’s films on his machine as they were not licensed Kinetoscope operates and Edison only provided films to those with a license.
Needing a camera to produce films for his Kinetoscope copies, Paul turned to photographer Birt Acres who he had recently met and in February 1895 Acres had provided Paul with provisional designs for a moving picture camera. The following month the partnership of Paul and Acres had produced a working camera which Acres used to make the first film in Britain - 'Incident at Clovelly Cottage'.
The camera Paul and Acres produced was based upon Marey’s Chronophotographe and used 35mm sprocketted film which worked with the Kinetoscope design. Their camera provided a basis for a ten year business agreement founded in March 1895.
The agreement, sadly, lasted only six weeks before the two partners fell out. It is widely presumed that the reason for their break-up was Acres decision to patent the camera they developed together in his name.
In the years that followed, the feud between Paul and Acres continued. Robert and Birt each concentrated on improving upon their designs. Paul began work on improving the camera and incorporated a Maltese Cross mechanism which provided the film with an intermittent motion.
He also developed a projector, the Theatrograph, giving the first public demonstration on 20th February 1896 at Finsbury Technical College.
Paul’s design proved successful and he was soon hired by enterprising businessmen to hold regular showings at venues around London - including the Egyptian Hall from 19 March 1896 and the Alhambra Theatre of Varieties in Leicester Square from the 25th March. Paul’s engagement at the Alhambra was initally for two weeks but proved so successful that he remained there for two years.
In June of 1896, Paul attended the Epson Derby and filmed the finish and the Prince of Wales’ Horse “Persimmon” winning. He processed the film overnight and screened it to an enthusiastic Alhambra audience the next day - becoming one of the first news films.
Sales of Paul’s cameras and projectors soared and Paul was kept incredibly busy spending evenings travelling from music hall to music hall rewinding the films during each journey.
So successful was Paul that between March 1886 and March 1897, he managed to make a profit of over £12,000 from an initial investment of just £1000, all his hard work had finally paid off.
As well as manufacturing cameras and projectors, Paul also turned his hand to film production; he concentrated on “Actuality” films, to start with - such as the Derby and Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Procession but quickly branched out and as early as April 1896 made a short comedy - “The Soldier’s Courtship”.
In 1898 Paul began construction on Britain’s first film studios in Muswell Hill, North London and during that summer produced over eighty short dramatic films.
Paul’s production company peaked during 1900 and 1905 but he gradually became disenchanted with the business. Finally in 1910, he decided that the film business was too risky and closed his production company down, destroying his stock of negatives in the process. After turning his back on the film industry he returned to his previous occupation, concentrating on electrical engineering.
Realising that, a mistake on Edison's part meant there was no patent held on the Kinetoscope in England, Paul seized the opportunity and agreed to make several machines for the Greek gentlemen.
Paul successfully copied the Kinetoscope and made several machines which, after fulfilling his order with the Greeks, he sold to other showmen. Unfortuantely, Paul found his customers unable to show Edison’s films on his machine as they were not licensed Kinetoscope operates and Edison only provided films to those with a license.
Needing a camera to produce films for his Kinetoscope copies, Paul turned to photographer Birt Acres who he had recently met and in February 1895 Acres had provided Paul with provisional designs for a moving picture camera. The following month the partnership of Paul and Acres had produced a working camera which Acres used to make the first film in Britain - 'Incident at Clovelly Cottage'.
The camera Paul and Acres produced was based upon Marey’s Chronophotographe and used 35mm sprocketted film which worked with the Kinetoscope design. Their camera provided a basis for a ten year business agreement founded in March 1895.
The agreement, sadly, lasted only six weeks before the two partners fell out. It is widely presumed that the reason for their break-up was Acres decision to patent the camera they developed together in his name.
In the years that followed, the feud between Paul and Acres continued. Robert and Birt each concentrated on improving upon their designs. Paul began work on improving the camera and incorporated a Maltese Cross mechanism which provided the film with an intermittent motion.
He also developed a projector, the Theatrograph, giving the first public demonstration on 20th February 1896 at Finsbury Technical College.
Paul’s design proved successful and he was soon hired by enterprising businessmen to hold regular showings at venues around London - including the Egyptian Hall from 19 March 1896 and the Alhambra Theatre of Varieties in Leicester Square from the 25th March. Paul’s engagement at the Alhambra was initally for two weeks but proved so successful that he remained there for two years.
In June of 1896, Paul attended the Epson Derby and filmed the finish and the Prince of Wales’ Horse “Persimmon” winning. He processed the film overnight and screened it to an enthusiastic Alhambra audience the next day - becoming one of the first news films.
Sales of Paul’s cameras and projectors soared and Paul was kept incredibly busy spending evenings travelling from music hall to music hall rewinding the films during each journey.
So successful was Paul that between March 1886 and March 1897, he managed to make a profit of over £12,000 from an initial investment of just £1000, all his hard work had finally paid off.
As well as manufacturing cameras and projectors, Paul also turned his hand to film production; he concentrated on “Actuality” films, to start with - such as the Derby and Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Procession but quickly branched out and as early as April 1896 made a short comedy - “The Soldier’s Courtship”.
In 1898 Paul began construction on Britain’s first film studios in Muswell Hill, North London and during that summer produced over eighty short dramatic films.
Paul’s production company peaked during 1900 and 1905 but he gradually became disenchanted with the business. Finally in 1910, he decided that the film business was too risky and closed his production company down, destroying his stock of negatives in the process. After turning his back on the film industry he returned to his previous occupation, concentrating on electrical engineering.
Birt Acres
Birt Acres was born in Richmond Virginia in the USA in 1854 and became and orphan at the age of fourteen during the American civil war and was taken in by his aunt who became his guardian.
Around 1872 Acres was sent by his aunt to Paris to complete his education at the Sorbonne where he studied Fine Arts, and, one would imagine, photography.
Acres returned to the United States four years later to lead the life of a Frontiersman and it during a period of eight or nine years became quite wealthy and around 1885 moved to England where he married a Tazmanian girl.
Once settled in England, he set up a studio for the 'production of portraits by painting and photography', in the seaside resort of Ilfracombe in Devon. It wasn’t long before Acres had gained a good reputation as a successful photographer, lecturer and contributor to photographic journals. In addition he worked as an inventor and patented apparatus for washing prints and copying stereoscopic photographs.
In 1893 Acres joined Elliot and Sons - leading manufacturers of photographic plates and printing paper and in the same year patenting an appartus for 'exposing successive photographic plates and for exhbiting magic lantern and other slides'. Around the end of 1894 Acres was introduced to electrical engineer, Robert W. Paul by his friend Henry W. Short. At this time Paul was in the process of manufacturing copies of Edison’s Kinetoscope and was anxious to construct a camera with which to produce films to show on his machines.
Around the end of 1894 Acres was introduced to electrical engineer, Robert W. Paul by his friend Henry W. Short. At this time Paul was in the process of manufacturing copies of Edison’s Kinetoscope and was anxious to construct a camera with which to produce films to show on his machines.
The pair worked together on the camera at Paul’s Hatton Garden address with Acres providing the initial designs. When they had constructed the camera, Acres used it to make the first successful film in Britain - Incident at Clovelly Cottage outside his London home in Barnet in March 1895.
It was at this point where the two entered into partnership with a ten year business agreement. This agreement lasted only six weeks before the two split. During their brief partnership, the two shot films of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race in April and the Derby in May.
The precise reason for the parting is not known but it is widely held that Paul was angry because Acres had patented his Kinetic camera - almost identical to the one they had developed together - in his own name.
Following the rift, Acres travelled to Germany with his Kinetic camera and filmed the opening of the Kiel canal and made a film of the Kaiser in June 1895.One his return to Britain Acres began work on a projector to accompany his Kinetic camera - the resulting projector became known as the Kinetic Lantern, Kineopticon and the Cinematoscope.
Acres gave the first public performance of his projector at the Royal Photographic Society, where Acres was a fellow, in London on 14th January 1896 - five weeks before the screening of Lumière’s Cinématographe and Paul’s Theatograph.
Also in January, Acres formed his own company - the Northern Photographic Works which specialised in coating, perforating and processing film.
During that year, Acres toured the country giving lectures with projected accompaniment at photographic societies and in June of 1896 he was asked to give a programme of films at the first Royal Command Film Performance at Marlborough House - the residence of the Prince of Wales.
Acres’ film manufacture and processing became the primary focus of his activities and proved highly successful as the British Film Industry began to get established. However his inventive nature was still prominent and in 1898 he unveiled the Birtac - a piece of apparatus he hoped would popularise cinematography in the same was as George Eastman had popularised photography with the Kodak camera.
The Birtac was the first 'sub-standard gauge' cine camera and projector, instead of normal 35mm film the camera used narrower width film - typically 17.5 mm.
Unfortuanately for Acres, within weeks a rival 17.5 mm camera/projector was announced - the Biokam by the Warwick Trading Company. The Biokam benefitted from its cheapness - half the price of the Birtac, and heavy backing. Regardless of this, Birt Acres can still be creditted as inventing the first amateur cine camera.
Birt Acres remained in the film business until his death in 1918.
Around 1872 Acres was sent by his aunt to Paris to complete his education at the Sorbonne where he studied Fine Arts, and, one would imagine, photography.
Acres returned to the United States four years later to lead the life of a Frontiersman and it during a period of eight or nine years became quite wealthy and around 1885 moved to England where he married a Tazmanian girl.
Once settled in England, he set up a studio for the 'production of portraits by painting and photography', in the seaside resort of Ilfracombe in Devon. It wasn’t long before Acres had gained a good reputation as a successful photographer, lecturer and contributor to photographic journals. In addition he worked as an inventor and patented apparatus for washing prints and copying stereoscopic photographs.
In 1893 Acres joined Elliot and Sons - leading manufacturers of photographic plates and printing paper and in the same year patenting an appartus for 'exposing successive photographic plates and for exhbiting magic lantern and other slides'. Around the end of 1894 Acres was introduced to electrical engineer, Robert W. Paul by his friend Henry W. Short. At this time Paul was in the process of manufacturing copies of Edison’s Kinetoscope and was anxious to construct a camera with which to produce films to show on his machines.
Around the end of 1894 Acres was introduced to electrical engineer, Robert W. Paul by his friend Henry W. Short. At this time Paul was in the process of manufacturing copies of Edison’s Kinetoscope and was anxious to construct a camera with which to produce films to show on his machines.
The pair worked together on the camera at Paul’s Hatton Garden address with Acres providing the initial designs. When they had constructed the camera, Acres used it to make the first successful film in Britain - Incident at Clovelly Cottage outside his London home in Barnet in March 1895.
It was at this point where the two entered into partnership with a ten year business agreement. This agreement lasted only six weeks before the two split. During their brief partnership, the two shot films of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race in April and the Derby in May.
The precise reason for the parting is not known but it is widely held that Paul was angry because Acres had patented his Kinetic camera - almost identical to the one they had developed together - in his own name.
Following the rift, Acres travelled to Germany with his Kinetic camera and filmed the opening of the Kiel canal and made a film of the Kaiser in June 1895.One his return to Britain Acres began work on a projector to accompany his Kinetic camera - the resulting projector became known as the Kinetic Lantern, Kineopticon and the Cinematoscope.
Acres gave the first public performance of his projector at the Royal Photographic Society, where Acres was a fellow, in London on 14th January 1896 - five weeks before the screening of Lumière’s Cinématographe and Paul’s Theatograph.
Also in January, Acres formed his own company - the Northern Photographic Works which specialised in coating, perforating and processing film.
During that year, Acres toured the country giving lectures with projected accompaniment at photographic societies and in June of 1896 he was asked to give a programme of films at the first Royal Command Film Performance at Marlborough House - the residence of the Prince of Wales.
Acres’ film manufacture and processing became the primary focus of his activities and proved highly successful as the British Film Industry began to get established. However his inventive nature was still prominent and in 1898 he unveiled the Birtac - a piece of apparatus he hoped would popularise cinematography in the same was as George Eastman had popularised photography with the Kodak camera.
The Birtac was the first 'sub-standard gauge' cine camera and projector, instead of normal 35mm film the camera used narrower width film - typically 17.5 mm.
Unfortuanately for Acres, within weeks a rival 17.5 mm camera/projector was announced - the Biokam by the Warwick Trading Company. The Biokam benefitted from its cheapness - half the price of the Birtac, and heavy backing. Regardless of this, Birt Acres can still be creditted as inventing the first amateur cine camera.
Birt Acres remained in the film business until his death in 1918.
Lumière brothers
The Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis, were sons of well known Lyons based portrait painter Antoine Lumière. They were both technically minded and excelled in science subjects and were sent to Technical School.
Antoine, noting the financial rewards of new photographic processes, abandoned his art and set up a business manufacturing and supplying photographic equipment. Joining him in this venture was Louis who began experimenting with the photographic equipment his father was manufacturing.
During his experimentation, Louis discovered a process which assisted the development of photography. Louis developed a new 'dry plate' process in 1881 at the age of seventeen, it became known as the 'Etiquette Bleue' process and gave his father’s business a welcome boost, and a factory was built soon after to manufacture the plates in the Monplaisir quarter of the Lyons Suburbs.
By 1894 the Lumières were producing around 15,000,000 plates a year. Antoine, by now a successful and well known businessman, was invited to a demonstration of Edison’s Peephole Kinetoscope in Paris. He was excited by what he saw and returned to Lyons. He presented his son Louis with a piece of Kinetoscope film, given to him by one of Edison’s concessionaires and said, "This is what you have to make, because Edison sells this at crazy prices and the concessionaires are trying to make films here in France to have them cheaper".
The brothers worked through the Winter of 1894, Auguste making the first experiments. Their aim was to overcome the limitations and problems, as they saw them, of Edison’s peephole Kinetoscope. They identified two main problems with Edison’s device: firstly its bulk - the Kinetograph - the camera, was a colossal piece of machinery and its weight and size resigned it to the studio. Secondly - the nature of the kinetoscope - the viewer, meant that only one person could experience the films at a time.
By early 1895, the brothers had invented their own device combining camera with printer and projector and called it the Cinématographe. Patenting it on February 13th 1895, the Cinématographe was much smaller than Edison’s Kinetograph, was lightweight (around five kilograms), and was hand cranked. The Lumières used a film speed of 16 frames per second, much slower compared with Edison’s 48 fps - this meant that less film was used an also the clatter and grinding associated with Edison’s device was reduced.
Perhaps most important was Louis’s decision to incorporate the principle of intermittent movement using a device similar to that found in sewing machines. This was something Edison had rejected as he struggled to perfect projection using continuous movement. The brothers kept their new invention a closely guarded secret with Auguste organising private screenings to invited guest only.
The first of such screenings occurred on 22nd March 1895 at 44 Rue de Rennes in Paris at an industrial meeting where a film especially for the occasion, Workers leaving the Lumière factory, was shown. Unlike Edison, the Lumière Brothers were quick to patent the Cinématographe outside of their native France, applying for an English Patent on April 18th 1895. The brothers continued to show their invention privately, again on June 10th to photographers in Lyon.
Such screenings generated much discussion and widespread excitement surrounding this new technology - in preparation for their first public screening on 28th December at the Grand Cafe on Paris’s Boulevard de Capuchines. The programme of films on show that day was as follows:
La Sortie de usines Lumière (1894)
La Voltige (1895)
La Peche aux poissons rouges (1895)
La Debarquement du congres de photographie a Lyons (1895)
Les Forgerons (1895)
L’ Arroseur arrose (1895) Repas de bebe (1895)
Place des Cordeliers a Lyon (1895)
La Mer (1895)
Louis photographed the world around him and some of his first films were 'actuality' films, like the workers leaving the factory. The brothers began to open theatres to show their films (which became known as cinemas). In the first four months of 1896 they had opened Cinématographe theatres in London, Brussels, Belgium and New York.
Their catalogues grew from 358 titles in 1897 to 1000 in 1898 to 2113 in 1903; although out of the 2113 titles in the 1903 catalogue, less than 50 were the brothers. The rest were taken by other operators like Promio, Doublier and Mesguich. In 1900 the brothers projected a film on a huge 99 x 79 foot screen at the Paris Exposition, after which they decided to curtail their film exhibitions and devote their time to the manufacture and sale of their inventions.
In 1907 they produced the first practical colour photography process, the Autochrome Plate.
Antoine, after the initial cinematic explosion, returned to his art and continued to paint until his death in 1895.
Antoine, noting the financial rewards of new photographic processes, abandoned his art and set up a business manufacturing and supplying photographic equipment. Joining him in this venture was Louis who began experimenting with the photographic equipment his father was manufacturing.
During his experimentation, Louis discovered a process which assisted the development of photography. Louis developed a new 'dry plate' process in 1881 at the age of seventeen, it became known as the 'Etiquette Bleue' process and gave his father’s business a welcome boost, and a factory was built soon after to manufacture the plates in the Monplaisir quarter of the Lyons Suburbs.
By 1894 the Lumières were producing around 15,000,000 plates a year. Antoine, by now a successful and well known businessman, was invited to a demonstration of Edison’s Peephole Kinetoscope in Paris. He was excited by what he saw and returned to Lyons. He presented his son Louis with a piece of Kinetoscope film, given to him by one of Edison’s concessionaires and said, "This is what you have to make, because Edison sells this at crazy prices and the concessionaires are trying to make films here in France to have them cheaper".
The brothers worked through the Winter of 1894, Auguste making the first experiments. Their aim was to overcome the limitations and problems, as they saw them, of Edison’s peephole Kinetoscope. They identified two main problems with Edison’s device: firstly its bulk - the Kinetograph - the camera, was a colossal piece of machinery and its weight and size resigned it to the studio. Secondly - the nature of the kinetoscope - the viewer, meant that only one person could experience the films at a time.
By early 1895, the brothers had invented their own device combining camera with printer and projector and called it the Cinématographe. Patenting it on February 13th 1895, the Cinématographe was much smaller than Edison’s Kinetograph, was lightweight (around five kilograms), and was hand cranked. The Lumières used a film speed of 16 frames per second, much slower compared with Edison’s 48 fps - this meant that less film was used an also the clatter and grinding associated with Edison’s device was reduced.
Perhaps most important was Louis’s decision to incorporate the principle of intermittent movement using a device similar to that found in sewing machines. This was something Edison had rejected as he struggled to perfect projection using continuous movement. The brothers kept their new invention a closely guarded secret with Auguste organising private screenings to invited guest only.
The first of such screenings occurred on 22nd March 1895 at 44 Rue de Rennes in Paris at an industrial meeting where a film especially for the occasion, Workers leaving the Lumière factory, was shown. Unlike Edison, the Lumière Brothers were quick to patent the Cinématographe outside of their native France, applying for an English Patent on April 18th 1895. The brothers continued to show their invention privately, again on June 10th to photographers in Lyon.
Such screenings generated much discussion and widespread excitement surrounding this new technology - in preparation for their first public screening on 28th December at the Grand Cafe on Paris’s Boulevard de Capuchines. The programme of films on show that day was as follows:
La Sortie de usines Lumière (1894)
La Voltige (1895)
La Peche aux poissons rouges (1895)
La Debarquement du congres de photographie a Lyons (1895)
Les Forgerons (1895)
L’ Arroseur arrose (1895) Repas de bebe (1895)
Place des Cordeliers a Lyon (1895)
La Mer (1895)
Louis photographed the world around him and some of his first films were 'actuality' films, like the workers leaving the factory. The brothers began to open theatres to show their films (which became known as cinemas). In the first four months of 1896 they had opened Cinématographe theatres in London, Brussels, Belgium and New York.
Their catalogues grew from 358 titles in 1897 to 1000 in 1898 to 2113 in 1903; although out of the 2113 titles in the 1903 catalogue, less than 50 were the brothers. The rest were taken by other operators like Promio, Doublier and Mesguich. In 1900 the brothers projected a film on a huge 99 x 79 foot screen at the Paris Exposition, after which they decided to curtail their film exhibitions and devote their time to the manufacture and sale of their inventions.
In 1907 they produced the first practical colour photography process, the Autochrome Plate.
Antoine, after the initial cinematic explosion, returned to his art and continued to paint until his death in 1895.
W.K.L.Dickson
W.K.L (William Kennedy Laurie) Dickson was born in 1860 in Minihic-sur-Ranse, France to an English father and a mother from Scottish descent.
In February 1879 the Dickson family, William, his widowed mother and two sisters left France and moved to England. Once settled in England the nineteen year old Dickson wrote to Thomas Edison who, at that time, was working in Menlo Park in America. In his letter Dickson presented himself as, “...a friendless and fatherless boy” with “patience, perseverance, an ardent love of science and above all a firm reliance on God”. Dickson concluded his letter by asking for employment. Dickson received a brief refusal.
Three months later, the Dickson’s were on the move again, this time to the United States and four years after settling there William was finally given a job at the Edison Laboratories and quickly proved himself to be a valuable assistant.
In 1887, when Thomas Edison initially started thinking about moving pictures, Dickson was occupied with experimentation on a costly ore extraction process. The following year Edison set Dickson to work developing his ideas. Edison’s idea was centred around his sound capture device - the phonograph.
Initially Edison described a series of microphotographs arranged in a spiral formation around the exterior surface of a cylinder - in the same way as recorded sound tracks were etched onto the surface of the tinfoil cylinders in the phonograph. In addition Edison described the illumination of these microphotographs from inside the cylinder using electric sparks.
The early experimentations carried out in Edison’s laboratories show a determined effort to make this cylinder method succeed. Dickson placed orders for many interesting supplies - Magic Lantern plates, and plates from Eadweard Muybridge’s Animal Locomotion Experiments. In September of 1888 Dickson ordered a quantity of microphotographic lenses - clearly for use in his motion picture experiments.
Other ideas put forward by Edison to Dickson included the coating of the cylinder with emulsion but this proved difficult and Dickson sought other alternatives, travelling to New York to obtain some “daguerreotype experiment” supplies.
In November 1888 John Carbutt announced to colleagues in the field of photography announced his successful production of photographic quality celluloid, available in 20 x 50 inch sheets. The decision by Edison’s laboratory to order a dozen Carbutt film sheets the following June seemed to signify an end to the cylinder experiments but the Summer of 1889 saw serious experimentation on what was now being called the Kinetoscope.
On August 2nd 1889, Edison left Dickson to continue with the cylindrical moving picture machine and sailed to Europe where he met Jules Marey.
Returning to his laboratories on October 6th he found an addition to his premises - a new “Photographic Building” had been erected to accommodate Dickson’s experiments.
Despite stimulus from two events - the introduction to Marey’s roll film Chronophotographe and apparent competition from William Friese-Greene (who had described a machine camera for taking 10 photographs a second) no real attempt was made to prioritise the Kinetoscope experiments and much of the Summer of 1890 was spent by Dickson and Edison experimenting with the Ore Extraction process.
Despite the Friese-Greene threat and the new possibilities opened up by flexible film, cylinder experiments continued on to the bitter end. In Late October of 1890, Dickson’s hard work produced its first successful results. He was able to show his first motion pictures produced by the cylinder Kinetoscope. The viewed scenes, the so called “Monkeyshines” starred one of the laboratory workers dressing up and fooling around for the camera.
Results were clearly achieved by the cylinder machine as evidence still exists pertaining to the fact, but it was clearly a dead end. The moving pictures produced were only viewable using huge monocular magnification - under which the microscopic images would almost certainly appear grainy.
Work on the cylinder device ended late in 1890 and work began on a moving picture Kinetoscope using roll film. By May of 1891 Dickson had produced a working prototype, this followed with a camera and patent specifications for the Kinetograph camera and Kinetoscope viewer were filed on 24th August 1891.
Edison’s announcement that he would show films on his new Kinetoscope at Chicago’s World Columbian Exposition meant that a great deal of work was needed to fulfil the expected twenty five machines. Dickson identified the need for films to show in these machines and when Dickson perfected the Kinetograph Camera in October 1892, he set to work designing a studio to make these films.
Building work began on the studio in December in the grounds of Edison’s West Orange Laboratory. The studio was constructed of wood and tar paper with a removable roof and sat on circular tracks enabling rotation to trap the maximum amount of sunlight. The studio became known as the “Black Maria” due to its supposed similarities to the police wagons of the period.
Regrettably the twenty five Kinetoscopes promised for the Chicago Fair weren’t ready by its opening in May 1893.
Edison’s reputation as an inventor and businessman meant that Dickson was able to persuade major showbusiness figures to travel from New York to the Black Maria Studio to star in Edison films. Many vaudeville acts travelled to New Jersey, often waiving their fee including Eugene Sandlow - “The Strongest Man in the World”, and Ruth Dennis - “High Kicker”.
In the two years that followed, Dickson’s Kinetoscope attracted performances from Barnum and Bailey’s Circus and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show - featuring Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill Cody.
April the first 1894 saw the appointment of a new general manager of Edison’s Enterprises - William E. Glimore. Friction was soon generated between Dickson and Gilmore, Gilmore insisting that all copyrights held in Dickson’s name be changed to Edison.
The growing differences between Dickson and his employer was aggravated further when Edison put Dickson’s colleague, Charles Kayser, to work developing a projection apparatus for motion pictures. Edison had previously stated categorically that he had no interest in projecting moving pictures in favour of the current peephole method.
Outside of work, Dickson spent time with the Latham’s (Gray and Otway) as well as with engineer friend Henry Norton Marvin and his partner Herman Casler. With Marvin and Casler, Dickson discussed the idea of a simple alternative to the Kinetoscope.
Retaining the peepshow format Dickson’s idea involved an elaboration on the flick-book principle and on November 21 1894 Casler filed a patent application for this device under the name Mutoscope. The following March Casler demonstrated a camera - the Biograph to take “views” for the Mutoscope.
Around this time is recorded a confrontation between Dickson and William Gilmore, little is known about what exactly was said but it is believed Gilmore accused Dickson of being disloyal to Edison. Dickson, upset and angry that, after all his hard work his loyalty was called into question resigned from Edison’s Company on April 2nd 1895.
By early June in 1895, Casler’s camera was in operation and Dickson appears to have spent that summer at Canastota, New York, with Marvin and Casler and probably made some of the first mutoscope films.
Dickson was now firmly committed to the development of the Mutoscope, November 5th 1895 saw its patent issued and nine days later a application for a patent was made for a handheld mutoscope. November also saw a mutoscope adapted with a mirror device to project motion pictures and soon after the group perfected a through the film projector which they called the Biograph.
The American Mutoscope company was established on December 27th 1895 - the partners listed as Dickson, Marvin, Casler and Elias Hoopman. They set up premises at 841 Broadway, in New York.
Dickson’s knowledge of the European marketplace made him an ideal candidate for manager of the Mutoscope and Biograph Syndicate’s London Office, which he became as the century drew to a close.
In February 1879 the Dickson family, William, his widowed mother and two sisters left France and moved to England. Once settled in England the nineteen year old Dickson wrote to Thomas Edison who, at that time, was working in Menlo Park in America. In his letter Dickson presented himself as, “...a friendless and fatherless boy” with “patience, perseverance, an ardent love of science and above all a firm reliance on God”. Dickson concluded his letter by asking for employment. Dickson received a brief refusal.
Three months later, the Dickson’s were on the move again, this time to the United States and four years after settling there William was finally given a job at the Edison Laboratories and quickly proved himself to be a valuable assistant.
In 1887, when Thomas Edison initially started thinking about moving pictures, Dickson was occupied with experimentation on a costly ore extraction process. The following year Edison set Dickson to work developing his ideas. Edison’s idea was centred around his sound capture device - the phonograph.
Initially Edison described a series of microphotographs arranged in a spiral formation around the exterior surface of a cylinder - in the same way as recorded sound tracks were etched onto the surface of the tinfoil cylinders in the phonograph. In addition Edison described the illumination of these microphotographs from inside the cylinder using electric sparks.
The early experimentations carried out in Edison’s laboratories show a determined effort to make this cylinder method succeed. Dickson placed orders for many interesting supplies - Magic Lantern plates, and plates from Eadweard Muybridge’s Animal Locomotion Experiments. In September of 1888 Dickson ordered a quantity of microphotographic lenses - clearly for use in his motion picture experiments.
Other ideas put forward by Edison to Dickson included the coating of the cylinder with emulsion but this proved difficult and Dickson sought other alternatives, travelling to New York to obtain some “daguerreotype experiment” supplies.
In November 1888 John Carbutt announced to colleagues in the field of photography announced his successful production of photographic quality celluloid, available in 20 x 50 inch sheets. The decision by Edison’s laboratory to order a dozen Carbutt film sheets the following June seemed to signify an end to the cylinder experiments but the Summer of 1889 saw serious experimentation on what was now being called the Kinetoscope.
On August 2nd 1889, Edison left Dickson to continue with the cylindrical moving picture machine and sailed to Europe where he met Jules Marey.
Returning to his laboratories on October 6th he found an addition to his premises - a new “Photographic Building” had been erected to accommodate Dickson’s experiments.
Despite stimulus from two events - the introduction to Marey’s roll film Chronophotographe and apparent competition from William Friese-Greene (who had described a machine camera for taking 10 photographs a second) no real attempt was made to prioritise the Kinetoscope experiments and much of the Summer of 1890 was spent by Dickson and Edison experimenting with the Ore Extraction process.
Despite the Friese-Greene threat and the new possibilities opened up by flexible film, cylinder experiments continued on to the bitter end. In Late October of 1890, Dickson’s hard work produced its first successful results. He was able to show his first motion pictures produced by the cylinder Kinetoscope. The viewed scenes, the so called “Monkeyshines” starred one of the laboratory workers dressing up and fooling around for the camera.
Results were clearly achieved by the cylinder machine as evidence still exists pertaining to the fact, but it was clearly a dead end. The moving pictures produced were only viewable using huge monocular magnification - under which the microscopic images would almost certainly appear grainy.
Work on the cylinder device ended late in 1890 and work began on a moving picture Kinetoscope using roll film. By May of 1891 Dickson had produced a working prototype, this followed with a camera and patent specifications for the Kinetograph camera and Kinetoscope viewer were filed on 24th August 1891.
Edison’s announcement that he would show films on his new Kinetoscope at Chicago’s World Columbian Exposition meant that a great deal of work was needed to fulfil the expected twenty five machines. Dickson identified the need for films to show in these machines and when Dickson perfected the Kinetograph Camera in October 1892, he set to work designing a studio to make these films.
Building work began on the studio in December in the grounds of Edison’s West Orange Laboratory. The studio was constructed of wood and tar paper with a removable roof and sat on circular tracks enabling rotation to trap the maximum amount of sunlight. The studio became known as the “Black Maria” due to its supposed similarities to the police wagons of the period.
Regrettably the twenty five Kinetoscopes promised for the Chicago Fair weren’t ready by its opening in May 1893.
Edison’s reputation as an inventor and businessman meant that Dickson was able to persuade major showbusiness figures to travel from New York to the Black Maria Studio to star in Edison films. Many vaudeville acts travelled to New Jersey, often waiving their fee including Eugene Sandlow - “The Strongest Man in the World”, and Ruth Dennis - “High Kicker”.
In the two years that followed, Dickson’s Kinetoscope attracted performances from Barnum and Bailey’s Circus and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show - featuring Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill Cody.
April the first 1894 saw the appointment of a new general manager of Edison’s Enterprises - William E. Glimore. Friction was soon generated between Dickson and Gilmore, Gilmore insisting that all copyrights held in Dickson’s name be changed to Edison.
The growing differences between Dickson and his employer was aggravated further when Edison put Dickson’s colleague, Charles Kayser, to work developing a projection apparatus for motion pictures. Edison had previously stated categorically that he had no interest in projecting moving pictures in favour of the current peephole method.
Outside of work, Dickson spent time with the Latham’s (Gray and Otway) as well as with engineer friend Henry Norton Marvin and his partner Herman Casler. With Marvin and Casler, Dickson discussed the idea of a simple alternative to the Kinetoscope.
Retaining the peepshow format Dickson’s idea involved an elaboration on the flick-book principle and on November 21 1894 Casler filed a patent application for this device under the name Mutoscope. The following March Casler demonstrated a camera - the Biograph to take “views” for the Mutoscope.
Around this time is recorded a confrontation between Dickson and William Gilmore, little is known about what exactly was said but it is believed Gilmore accused Dickson of being disloyal to Edison. Dickson, upset and angry that, after all his hard work his loyalty was called into question resigned from Edison’s Company on April 2nd 1895.
By early June in 1895, Casler’s camera was in operation and Dickson appears to have spent that summer at Canastota, New York, with Marvin and Casler and probably made some of the first mutoscope films.
Dickson was now firmly committed to the development of the Mutoscope, November 5th 1895 saw its patent issued and nine days later a application for a patent was made for a handheld mutoscope. November also saw a mutoscope adapted with a mirror device to project motion pictures and soon after the group perfected a through the film projector which they called the Biograph.
The American Mutoscope company was established on December 27th 1895 - the partners listed as Dickson, Marvin, Casler and Elias Hoopman. They set up premises at 841 Broadway, in New York.
Dickson’s knowledge of the European marketplace made him an ideal candidate for manager of the Mutoscope and Biograph Syndicate’s London Office, which he became as the century drew to a close.
Thomas Alva Edison
Regarded as the “Wizard of Menlo Park”, Thomas Alva Edison was born in Milan, Ohio on February 11th 1847. When he was seven, the Edison family moved to Port Huron, Michigan where the young Tom Edison set up his first chemical laboratory in the basement of their large house.
He attended school for only three months and at the age of twelve began selling newspapers on the Grand Trunk railway devoting every second of his spare time to experimentation with printing presses and electrical and mechanical apparatus.
In 1862 at the age of fifteen Edison published his own weekly paper - The Grand Trunk Herald - printing it in a freight car that served as a laboratory. Edison was taught the new science of Telegraphy out of gratitude from a Station Agent whose son Edison had saved by snatching him from the path of a moving train. The skills he learnt in Telegraphy afforded him a job as a Telegraph operator which took him across the country from Stratford in Canada to Adrian, Michigan; Fort Wayne and Boston.
It was while working as a telegraph operator that Edison made his first invention - a telegraphic repeating instrument which enabled messages to be transmitted automatically over a second line without the presence of an operator.
Edison settled briefly in Boston and secured employment; he, again devoted all of his spare time to his research and experimentation during which time he invented a vote recorder which although it had its merits was not sufficiently practical to warrant its adoption. At the age of 21 he travelled, almost penniless to New York City and obtains employment at the Gold and Stock Telegraph Company after fixing a broken down machine. Earning $300 a month he greatly improved their apparatus and service, again spending his spare time devoted to working of new inventions.
Among his many inventions during his employment in New York was the “Universal Stock Ticker” and generated around $40,000 from the sale of this any many other inventions. With this new-found wealth Edison moved to Newark and opened a manufacturing shop there making stock tickers.
He remained in Newark until 1875 when, at the age of 29 he moved to Menlo Park in New Jersey and the following year established a laboratory there.
In his new premises, Edison carried out some of most important work, he devised an automatic telegraph system that made possible a greater speed and range of transmission. He developed machines that made it possible to transmit several telegraphic messages on one line increasing the usefulness of existing telegraph lines. Edison also invented a Carbon Telephone Transmitter which proved important in the development of the telephone - something which had recently been invented by American Physicist and Inventor Alexander Graham Bell. In 1877, Edison recorded sound. His phonograph employed a tinfoil cylinder onto which sound was mechanically etched.
He developed this idea later in his career using wax discs instead of tinfoil cylinders. Two years later, Edison exhibited what is often regarded as his greatest invention - the Incandescent electric light bulb. In the years that followed Edison occupied himself with the improvement of the light-bulbs and the dynamos for generating the necessary electric current. Such was his research in this area that on September 4th 1882 Edison started operation of the world’s first large central electric power station on Pearl Street in New York.
In the spring of 1883, Edison employed W.K.L Dickson as his assistant. 1887 saw another move for Edison, this time from Menlo Park to West Orange, New Jersey.On this new site, Edison constructed a large laboratory for his experimentation and research. Motivated by the work of Marey and Muybridge Edison wrote on October 8th 1888 that, “I am experimenting upon an instrument which does for the eye what the phonograph does for the ear.” Most of the experimentation and research was carried out by Edison’s assistant, Dickson, with early experiments employing techniques developed with the phonograph. These involved arranging rows of tiny photographs on the outside of a cylinder with a light, or igniting sparks inside. Experiments using this idea as a starting point continued for some years.
On August 2nd 1889 Edison sailed to Europe and met with Jules Marey and witnessed the results achieved by Marey’s roll-film Chronophotographe. Edison returned to America with his faith in the cylinder’s shaken although he continued to experiment with this format. In October of 1890, one of Edison’s laboratory workers Sacco Albanese was the subject for the first film to employ the cylinder method. The so called “Monkeyshines” clearly displayed the limitations of this method of presentation as viewing required huge monocular magnification, and even then the images would appear impossibly grainy. As a result, the cylinder method was abandoned in favour of film.
With Dickson leading the experimentation and research the Kinetoscope was developed - a peepshow device which required viewers to peer into the top of a large cabinet where they would be treated to a minute or so of moving pictures. The first Kinetoscope prototype was ready by May 20th 1891 and was demonstrated to a Convention of the National Federation of Women’s Clubs invited to the laboratory by Edison’s wife. In June of 1892 Edison announced his intention to included his Kinetoscope in the World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago the following year.
Realising that a necessity for the Exhibition’s Kinetoscopes would be films to view, Dickson perfected a working camera in October of 1892 and December saw the erection of a studio in the grounds of Edison’s Laboratory which became known as the Black Maria, thanks largely to its resemblance to the police vans of the time. The first official public demonstration of the Kinetoscope was on May 9th 1893 at the Brooklyn Institute of Art’s and Sciences. The audience at this demonstration were lined up and filed past the machine to view a Blacksmith Scene.
Despite the best efforts of Edison’s company, the Kinetoscopes were not ready in time for the Exhibition in Chicago.
One of the first films made for the Kinetoscope and copyrighted by Dickson was the now legendary “Record of a Sneeze” made in early January 1894. The subject of this film was one Fred Ott and each individual frame showing his antics were recorded on paper with its own number and sent, on January 7th to the Library of Congress for copyright. The desire to meet Edison and appear in his new moving pictures was great and this meant he was able to attract popular stage personalities to appear in short films - generally based on Vaudeville acts. Each of these events was usually a staged event - even the early films such as the Blacksmith Scene were recorded in the studio requiring an Anvil to be facilitated - the workers from Edison’s machine room who appear in this film, can be seen pausing from their hammering and pass around a bottle of drink.
The first Kinetoscope’s were ready for shipping on April 6th and ten were sent to 1155 Broadway in New York City owned by the Holland Brothers. This was the location for the first Kinetoscope Parlour which was opened on April 14th 1894. The Kinetoscopes were arranged in two rows of five with a brass rail around for customers to lean on. Kinetoscope Parlours quickly opened across the country - the marketing for these parlours was handled by Norman Charles Raff and Frank. R. Gammon and became known as the Kinetoscope Company. A second group was formed - the Kinetoscope Exhibition Company - by Gray and Otway Latham, to market the Kinetoscopes and the films.
The Latham’s saw the possibilities in recording prize-fights which were against the law in many states and such fights became popular with Kinetoscope viewers. The first foreign Kinetoscope Parlour opened on October 7th 1894 at 70 Oxford Street in London but by the end of 1894 the Kinetoscope craze was dying down and Edison’s failure to patent the Kinetoscope properly meant his developments were much copied. In December of 1895, Thomas Armat demonstrated his projecting Phantoscope to entrepreneurs Raff and Gammon, who in turn approached Edison with a view to developing.
Edison, who had seen his peephole Kinetoscope losing popularity to other motion picture projecting devices such as the Lumière brother’s Cinématographe agreed renaming the Phantoscope the Vitascope and marketing under the banner “Edison’s Vitascope”. At a demonstration of the Vitascope Edison played the role of its inventor convincingly well.
During his career, Edison patented over a thousand inventions and received many notable awards - in 1928 he received the Congressional Gold Medal for “development and application of inventions that have revolutionised civilisation in the last century.”
Edison died in West Orange on October 18th 1931 aged eighty four.
He attended school for only three months and at the age of twelve began selling newspapers on the Grand Trunk railway devoting every second of his spare time to experimentation with printing presses and electrical and mechanical apparatus.
In 1862 at the age of fifteen Edison published his own weekly paper - The Grand Trunk Herald - printing it in a freight car that served as a laboratory. Edison was taught the new science of Telegraphy out of gratitude from a Station Agent whose son Edison had saved by snatching him from the path of a moving train. The skills he learnt in Telegraphy afforded him a job as a Telegraph operator which took him across the country from Stratford in Canada to Adrian, Michigan; Fort Wayne and Boston.
It was while working as a telegraph operator that Edison made his first invention - a telegraphic repeating instrument which enabled messages to be transmitted automatically over a second line without the presence of an operator.
Edison settled briefly in Boston and secured employment; he, again devoted all of his spare time to his research and experimentation during which time he invented a vote recorder which although it had its merits was not sufficiently practical to warrant its adoption. At the age of 21 he travelled, almost penniless to New York City and obtains employment at the Gold and Stock Telegraph Company after fixing a broken down machine. Earning $300 a month he greatly improved their apparatus and service, again spending his spare time devoted to working of new inventions.
Among his many inventions during his employment in New York was the “Universal Stock Ticker” and generated around $40,000 from the sale of this any many other inventions. With this new-found wealth Edison moved to Newark and opened a manufacturing shop there making stock tickers.
He remained in Newark until 1875 when, at the age of 29 he moved to Menlo Park in New Jersey and the following year established a laboratory there.
In his new premises, Edison carried out some of most important work, he devised an automatic telegraph system that made possible a greater speed and range of transmission. He developed machines that made it possible to transmit several telegraphic messages on one line increasing the usefulness of existing telegraph lines. Edison also invented a Carbon Telephone Transmitter which proved important in the development of the telephone - something which had recently been invented by American Physicist and Inventor Alexander Graham Bell. In 1877, Edison recorded sound. His phonograph employed a tinfoil cylinder onto which sound was mechanically etched.
He developed this idea later in his career using wax discs instead of tinfoil cylinders. Two years later, Edison exhibited what is often regarded as his greatest invention - the Incandescent electric light bulb. In the years that followed Edison occupied himself with the improvement of the light-bulbs and the dynamos for generating the necessary electric current. Such was his research in this area that on September 4th 1882 Edison started operation of the world’s first large central electric power station on Pearl Street in New York.
In the spring of 1883, Edison employed W.K.L Dickson as his assistant. 1887 saw another move for Edison, this time from Menlo Park to West Orange, New Jersey.On this new site, Edison constructed a large laboratory for his experimentation and research. Motivated by the work of Marey and Muybridge Edison wrote on October 8th 1888 that, “I am experimenting upon an instrument which does for the eye what the phonograph does for the ear.” Most of the experimentation and research was carried out by Edison’s assistant, Dickson, with early experiments employing techniques developed with the phonograph. These involved arranging rows of tiny photographs on the outside of a cylinder with a light, or igniting sparks inside. Experiments using this idea as a starting point continued for some years.
On August 2nd 1889 Edison sailed to Europe and met with Jules Marey and witnessed the results achieved by Marey’s roll-film Chronophotographe. Edison returned to America with his faith in the cylinder’s shaken although he continued to experiment with this format. In October of 1890, one of Edison’s laboratory workers Sacco Albanese was the subject for the first film to employ the cylinder method. The so called “Monkeyshines” clearly displayed the limitations of this method of presentation as viewing required huge monocular magnification, and even then the images would appear impossibly grainy. As a result, the cylinder method was abandoned in favour of film.
With Dickson leading the experimentation and research the Kinetoscope was developed - a peepshow device which required viewers to peer into the top of a large cabinet where they would be treated to a minute or so of moving pictures. The first Kinetoscope prototype was ready by May 20th 1891 and was demonstrated to a Convention of the National Federation of Women’s Clubs invited to the laboratory by Edison’s wife. In June of 1892 Edison announced his intention to included his Kinetoscope in the World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago the following year.
Realising that a necessity for the Exhibition’s Kinetoscopes would be films to view, Dickson perfected a working camera in October of 1892 and December saw the erection of a studio in the grounds of Edison’s Laboratory which became known as the Black Maria, thanks largely to its resemblance to the police vans of the time. The first official public demonstration of the Kinetoscope was on May 9th 1893 at the Brooklyn Institute of Art’s and Sciences. The audience at this demonstration were lined up and filed past the machine to view a Blacksmith Scene.
Despite the best efforts of Edison’s company, the Kinetoscopes were not ready in time for the Exhibition in Chicago.
One of the first films made for the Kinetoscope and copyrighted by Dickson was the now legendary “Record of a Sneeze” made in early January 1894. The subject of this film was one Fred Ott and each individual frame showing his antics were recorded on paper with its own number and sent, on January 7th to the Library of Congress for copyright. The desire to meet Edison and appear in his new moving pictures was great and this meant he was able to attract popular stage personalities to appear in short films - generally based on Vaudeville acts. Each of these events was usually a staged event - even the early films such as the Blacksmith Scene were recorded in the studio requiring an Anvil to be facilitated - the workers from Edison’s machine room who appear in this film, can be seen pausing from their hammering and pass around a bottle of drink.
The first Kinetoscope’s were ready for shipping on April 6th and ten were sent to 1155 Broadway in New York City owned by the Holland Brothers. This was the location for the first Kinetoscope Parlour which was opened on April 14th 1894. The Kinetoscopes were arranged in two rows of five with a brass rail around for customers to lean on. Kinetoscope Parlours quickly opened across the country - the marketing for these parlours was handled by Norman Charles Raff and Frank. R. Gammon and became known as the Kinetoscope Company. A second group was formed - the Kinetoscope Exhibition Company - by Gray and Otway Latham, to market the Kinetoscopes and the films.
The Latham’s saw the possibilities in recording prize-fights which were against the law in many states and such fights became popular with Kinetoscope viewers. The first foreign Kinetoscope Parlour opened on October 7th 1894 at 70 Oxford Street in London but by the end of 1894 the Kinetoscope craze was dying down and Edison’s failure to patent the Kinetoscope properly meant his developments were much copied. In December of 1895, Thomas Armat demonstrated his projecting Phantoscope to entrepreneurs Raff and Gammon, who in turn approached Edison with a view to developing.
Edison, who had seen his peephole Kinetoscope losing popularity to other motion picture projecting devices such as the Lumière brother’s Cinématographe agreed renaming the Phantoscope the Vitascope and marketing under the banner “Edison’s Vitascope”. At a demonstration of the Vitascope Edison played the role of its inventor convincingly well.
During his career, Edison patented over a thousand inventions and received many notable awards - in 1928 he received the Congressional Gold Medal for “development and application of inventions that have revolutionised civilisation in the last century.”
Edison died in West Orange on October 18th 1931 aged eighty four.
Time Line 1899-1905
1899 The American Mutoscope Company changes its name to the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company to include its projection and peepshow devices.
1900 British filmmaker James Williamson produces "The Big Swallow" which demonstrated the ingenuity of the Brighton School (of filmmakers) of which he and George Smith were principle contributors.
1902 Georges Méliès produces his magnificent "Voyage to the Moon", a fifteen minute epic fantasy parodying the writings of Jules Verne and HG Wells. The film used innovative special effect techniques and introduced colour to the screen through hand-painting and tinting.
1903 British film maker George Smith makes Mary Janes Mishap which was praised for its sophisticated use of editing. The film uses medium close-ups to draw the viewers attention to the scene, juxtaposed with wide establishing shots. The film also contains a pair of wipes which signal a scene change.
1903 The American Mutoscope and Biograph Company begin making films in the 35mm format rather that the 70mm which boosted their sales. The company went on to employ one of the most important silent film directors - D.W Griffith in 1908.
1903 Edwin S. Porter, working for Edison makes "The Life of an American Fireman" which displayed new visual storytelling techniques and incorporated stock footage with Porter's own photography. It acted as a major precursor to Porter's most famous film "The Great Train Robbery" also made in 1903 which displayed effective use of editing and photography technique.
1905 Cecil Hepworth produced, with Lewin Fitzhamon "Rescued by Rover". A charming film in which Hepworth, his wife, child and dog, star.
1900 British filmmaker James Williamson produces "The Big Swallow" which demonstrated the ingenuity of the Brighton School (of filmmakers) of which he and George Smith were principle contributors.
1902 Georges Méliès produces his magnificent "Voyage to the Moon", a fifteen minute epic fantasy parodying the writings of Jules Verne and HG Wells. The film used innovative special effect techniques and introduced colour to the screen through hand-painting and tinting.
1903 British film maker George Smith makes Mary Janes Mishap which was praised for its sophisticated use of editing. The film uses medium close-ups to draw the viewers attention to the scene, juxtaposed with wide establishing shots. The film also contains a pair of wipes which signal a scene change.
1903 The American Mutoscope and Biograph Company begin making films in the 35mm format rather that the 70mm which boosted their sales. The company went on to employ one of the most important silent film directors - D.W Griffith in 1908.
1903 Edwin S. Porter, working for Edison makes "The Life of an American Fireman" which displayed new visual storytelling techniques and incorporated stock footage with Porter's own photography. It acted as a major precursor to Porter's most famous film "The Great Train Robbery" also made in 1903 which displayed effective use of editing and photography technique.
1905 Cecil Hepworth produced, with Lewin Fitzhamon "Rescued by Rover". A charming film in which Hepworth, his wife, child and dog, star.
Time Line 1888-1897
1888 George Eastman devises a still camera which produces photographs on sensitised paper which he sells using the name Kodak.
1888 Etienne Marey (right) builds a box type moving picture camera which uses an intermittent mechanism and strips of paper film.
1888 Thomas A. Edison, inventor of the electric light bulb and the phonograph decides to design machines for making and showing moving pictures. With his assistant W.K.L Dickson (who did most of the work), Edison began experimenting with adapting the phonograph and tried in vain to make rows of tiny photographs on similar cylinders.
1889 Reynaud exhibits a much larger version of his praxinoscope.
1889 Edison travels to Paris and views Marey's camera which uses flexible film. Dickson then acquires some Eastman Kodak film stock and begins work on a new type of machine.
1891 By 1891, Edison and Dickson have their Kinetograph camera and Kinetoscope viewing box ready for patenting and demonstration. Using Eastman film cut into inch wide strips, Dickson punched four holes in either side of each frame allowing toothed gears to pull the film through the camera.
1892 Using his projecting Praxinoscope, Reynaud holds the first public exhibitions of motion pictures. Reynaud's device was successful, using long strips of hand-painted frames, but the effect was jerky and slow.
1893 Edison and Dickson build a studio on the grounds of Edison's laboratories in New Jersey, to produce films for their kinetoscope. The Black Maria was ready for film production at the end of January.
1894 The Lumière family is the biggest manufacturer of photographic plates in Europe A Local kinetoscope exhibitor asks brothers Louis and Auguste to make films which are cheaper than the ones sold by Edison.
Louis and Auguste design a camera which serves as both a recording device and a projecting device. They call it the Cinématographe.
The Cinématographe uses flexible film cut into 35mm wide strips and used an intermittent mechanism modeled on the sewing machine.
The camera shot films at sixteen frames per second (rather than the forty six which Edison used), this became the standard film rate for nearly 25 years.
1894 During this year Woodville Latham and his sons Otway and Gray began working on their own camera and projector.
1894 In October of 1894, Edison's Kinetoscope made its debut in London. The parlour which played host these machines did remarkably well and its owner approached R.W Paul, a maker of photographic equipment to make some extra machines for it. Incredibly, Edison hadn't patented his kinetoscope outside of the US, so Paul was free to sell copies to anyone, however, because Edison would only supply films to exhibitors who leased his machines, Paul had to invent his own camera to make films to go with his duplicate kinetoscopes.
1894 Another peepshow device, similar to the kinetoscope arrived in the Autumn of 1894. The Mutoscope was patented by Herman Casler, and worked using a flip-card device to provide the motion picture. Needing a camera he turned to his friend W.K.L Dickson who, unhappy at the Edison Company cooperates and with several others they form the American Mutoscope Company.
1895 The first film shot with the Cinématographe camera is La Sortie de l'usine Lumière a Lyon (Workers leaving the Lumière factory at Lyon). Shot in March it is shown in public at a meeting of the Societe d'Encouragement a l'industrie Nationale in Paris that same month.
1895 In March of 1895, R.W Paul and his partner Birt Acres had a functional camera which was based partly on Marey's 1888 camera. In just half a year they had created a camera and shot 13 films for use with the kinetoscope. The partnership broke up, Paul continuing to improve upon the camera while Acres concentrating on creating a projector.
1895 The Lathams too had succeeded in creating a camera and a projector and on April 21st 1895 they showed one film to reporters. In May they opened a small storefront theatre. Their projector received only a small amount of attention as the image projected was very dim. The Lathams did however contribute greatly to motion picture history. Their projectors employed a system which looped the film making it less susceptible to breaks and tears. The Latham Loop as it was dubbed later is still in use in modern motion picture projectors.
1895 Atlanta, Georgia was the setting for another partnership. C. Francis Jenkins and Thomas Armat exhibit their phantoscope projector but like Latham, attracts a moderate audience due to its dim, unsteady projector and competition from the Kinetoscope parlours. Later that year, Jenkins and Armat split. Armat continued to improve upon the projector and renames it the Vitascope, and obtained backing from American entrepreneurs Norman Raff and Frank Gammon.
1895 One of the most famous film screenings in history took place on December 28th, 1895. The venue was the Grand Cafe in Paris and customers paid one Franc for a twenty-five minute programme of ten Lumière films. These included Feeding the Baby, The Waterer Watered and A View of the Sea.
1896 Early in 1896, Herman Casler and W.K.L Dickson had developed their camera to go with Casler's Mutoscope. However the market for peepshow devices was in decine and they decided to concentrate on producing a projection system. The camera and projector they produced were unusual as they used 70mm film which gave very clear images.
1896 January 14th saw Birt Acres present a selection of his films to the Royal Photographic Society - these included the famous Rough Sea at Dover and soon projected films were shown there regularly.
1896 The Lumière brothers sent a representative from their company to London and started a successful run of Cinématographe films.
1896 R.W. Paul continued to improve his camera and invented a projector which began by showing copies of Acres' films from the previous year. He sold his machines rather than leasing them and as a result speeded up the spread of the film industry in Britain as well as abroad supplying filmmakers and exhibitors which included George Méliès.
1896 After agreeing to back Armat's Vitascope, Raff and Gammon approached Edison, afraid to offend him, and Edison agrees to manufacture the Vitascope marketing it as "Edison's Vitascope". April 23rd saw the first public premiere of the Vitascope at Koster and Bial's Music Hall. Six films were shown in all, five of which were orginally shot for kinetoscope, the sixth being Birt Acres' Rough Sea at Dover.
1897 By 1897 the American Mutoscope Company become the most popular film company in America - both projecting films and with the peephole Mutoscope which was considered more reliable than the kinetoscope.
1888 Etienne Marey (right) builds a box type moving picture camera which uses an intermittent mechanism and strips of paper film.
1888 Thomas A. Edison, inventor of the electric light bulb and the phonograph decides to design machines for making and showing moving pictures. With his assistant W.K.L Dickson (who did most of the work), Edison began experimenting with adapting the phonograph and tried in vain to make rows of tiny photographs on similar cylinders.
1889 Reynaud exhibits a much larger version of his praxinoscope.
1889 Edison travels to Paris and views Marey's camera which uses flexible film. Dickson then acquires some Eastman Kodak film stock and begins work on a new type of machine.
1891 By 1891, Edison and Dickson have their Kinetograph camera and Kinetoscope viewing box ready for patenting and demonstration. Using Eastman film cut into inch wide strips, Dickson punched four holes in either side of each frame allowing toothed gears to pull the film through the camera.
1892 Using his projecting Praxinoscope, Reynaud holds the first public exhibitions of motion pictures. Reynaud's device was successful, using long strips of hand-painted frames, but the effect was jerky and slow.
1893 Edison and Dickson build a studio on the grounds of Edison's laboratories in New Jersey, to produce films for their kinetoscope. The Black Maria was ready for film production at the end of January.
1894 The Lumière family is the biggest manufacturer of photographic plates in Europe A Local kinetoscope exhibitor asks brothers Louis and Auguste to make films which are cheaper than the ones sold by Edison.
Louis and Auguste design a camera which serves as both a recording device and a projecting device. They call it the Cinématographe.
The Cinématographe uses flexible film cut into 35mm wide strips and used an intermittent mechanism modeled on the sewing machine.
The camera shot films at sixteen frames per second (rather than the forty six which Edison used), this became the standard film rate for nearly 25 years.
1894 During this year Woodville Latham and his sons Otway and Gray began working on their own camera and projector.
1894 In October of 1894, Edison's Kinetoscope made its debut in London. The parlour which played host these machines did remarkably well and its owner approached R.W Paul, a maker of photographic equipment to make some extra machines for it. Incredibly, Edison hadn't patented his kinetoscope outside of the US, so Paul was free to sell copies to anyone, however, because Edison would only supply films to exhibitors who leased his machines, Paul had to invent his own camera to make films to go with his duplicate kinetoscopes.
1894 Another peepshow device, similar to the kinetoscope arrived in the Autumn of 1894. The Mutoscope was patented by Herman Casler, and worked using a flip-card device to provide the motion picture. Needing a camera he turned to his friend W.K.L Dickson who, unhappy at the Edison Company cooperates and with several others they form the American Mutoscope Company.
1895 The first film shot with the Cinématographe camera is La Sortie de l'usine Lumière a Lyon (Workers leaving the Lumière factory at Lyon). Shot in March it is shown in public at a meeting of the Societe d'Encouragement a l'industrie Nationale in Paris that same month.
1895 In March of 1895, R.W Paul and his partner Birt Acres had a functional camera which was based partly on Marey's 1888 camera. In just half a year they had created a camera and shot 13 films for use with the kinetoscope. The partnership broke up, Paul continuing to improve upon the camera while Acres concentrating on creating a projector.
1895 The Lathams too had succeeded in creating a camera and a projector and on April 21st 1895 they showed one film to reporters. In May they opened a small storefront theatre. Their projector received only a small amount of attention as the image projected was very dim. The Lathams did however contribute greatly to motion picture history. Their projectors employed a system which looped the film making it less susceptible to breaks and tears. The Latham Loop as it was dubbed later is still in use in modern motion picture projectors.
1895 Atlanta, Georgia was the setting for another partnership. C. Francis Jenkins and Thomas Armat exhibit their phantoscope projector but like Latham, attracts a moderate audience due to its dim, unsteady projector and competition from the Kinetoscope parlours. Later that year, Jenkins and Armat split. Armat continued to improve upon the projector and renames it the Vitascope, and obtained backing from American entrepreneurs Norman Raff and Frank Gammon.
1895 One of the most famous film screenings in history took place on December 28th, 1895. The venue was the Grand Cafe in Paris and customers paid one Franc for a twenty-five minute programme of ten Lumière films. These included Feeding the Baby, The Waterer Watered and A View of the Sea.
1896 Early in 1896, Herman Casler and W.K.L Dickson had developed their camera to go with Casler's Mutoscope. However the market for peepshow devices was in decine and they decided to concentrate on producing a projection system. The camera and projector they produced were unusual as they used 70mm film which gave very clear images.
1896 January 14th saw Birt Acres present a selection of his films to the Royal Photographic Society - these included the famous Rough Sea at Dover and soon projected films were shown there regularly.
1896 The Lumière brothers sent a representative from their company to London and started a successful run of Cinématographe films.
1896 R.W. Paul continued to improve his camera and invented a projector which began by showing copies of Acres' films from the previous year. He sold his machines rather than leasing them and as a result speeded up the spread of the film industry in Britain as well as abroad supplying filmmakers and exhibitors which included George Méliès.
1896 After agreeing to back Armat's Vitascope, Raff and Gammon approached Edison, afraid to offend him, and Edison agrees to manufacture the Vitascope marketing it as "Edison's Vitascope". April 23rd saw the first public premiere of the Vitascope at Koster and Bial's Music Hall. Six films were shown in all, five of which were orginally shot for kinetoscope, the sixth being Birt Acres' Rough Sea at Dover.
1897 By 1897 the American Mutoscope Company become the most popular film company in America - both projecting films and with the peephole Mutoscope which was considered more reliable than the kinetoscope.
Time Line 17th century and 1824-1882
A very early version of a "magic lantern" was invented in the 17th century by Athanasius Kircher in Rome. It was a device with a lens that projected images from transparencies onto a screen, with a simple light source
1824 - the invention of the Thaumatrope (the earliest version of an optical illusion toy that exploited the concept of "persistence of vision" first presented by Peter Mark Roget in a scholarly article) by an English doctor named Dr. John Ayrton Paris
1831 - the discovery of the law of electromagnetic induction by English scientist Michael Faraday, a principle used in generating electricity and powering motors and other machines (including film equipment)
1832 - the invention of the Fantascope (also called Phenakistiscope or "spindle viewer") by Belgian inventor Joseph Plateau, a device that simulated motion. A series or sequence of separate pictures depicting stages of an activity, such as juggling or dancing, were arranged around the perimeter or edges of a slotted disk. When the disk was placed before a mirror and spun or rotated, a spectator looking through the slots 'perceived' a moving picture.
1834 - the invention and patenting of another stroboscopic device adaptation, the Daedalum (renamed the Zoetrope in 1867 by American William Lincoln) by British inventor William George Horner. It was a hollow, rotating drum/cylinder with a crank, with a strip of sequential photographs, drawings, paintings or illustrations on the interior surface and regularly spaced narrow slits through which a spectator observed the 'moving' drawings.
1839 - the birth of still photography with the development of the first commercially-viable daguerreotype (a method of capturing still images on silvered, copper-metal plates) by French painter and inventor Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre
1841 - the patenting of calotype (or Talbotype, a process for printing negative photographs on high-quality paper) by British inventor William Henry Fox Talbot
1861 - the invention of the Kinematoscope, patented by Philadelphian Coleman Sellers, an improved rotating paddle machine to view (by hand-cranking) a series of stereoscopic still pictures on glass plates that were sequentially mounted in a cabinet-box
1869 - the development of celluloid by John Wesley Hyatt, patented in 1870 and trademarked in
1873 - later used as the base for photographic film
1870 - the first demonstration of the Phasmotrope (or Phasmatrope) by Henry Renno Heyl in Philadelphia, that showed a rapid succession of still or posed photographs of dancers, giving the illusion of motion
1877 - the invention of the Praxinoscope by French inventor Charles Emile Reynaud - it was a 'projector' device with a mirrored drum that created the illusion of movement with picture strips, a refined version of the Zoetrope with mirrors at the center of the drum instead of slots; public demonstrations of the Praxinoscope were made by the early 1890s with screenings of 15 minute 'movies' at his Parisian Theatre Optique
1878 Eadweard Muybridge achieves success after five years of trying to capture movement. Muybridge was asked, in 1873, by the ex-governor of California - Leland Stanford to settle a bet as to whether horses hooves left the ground when they galloped. He did this by setting up a bank of twelve cameras with trip-wires connected to their shutters, each camera took a picture when the horse tripped its wire. Muybridge developed a projector to present his finding. He adapted Horner's Zoetrope to produce his Zoopraxinoscope.
1879 - Thomas Alva Edison's first public exhibition of an efficient incandescent light bulb, later used for film projectors
1882 Etienne Jules Marey, inspired by Muybridge's animal locomotion studies, begins his own experiments to study the flight of birds and other rapid animal movements . The result was a photographic gun which exposed 12 images on the edge of a circular plate.
1882 Emile Reynaud expands on his praxinoscope and using mirrors and a lantern is about to project moving drawings onto a screen.
1824 - the invention of the Thaumatrope (the earliest version of an optical illusion toy that exploited the concept of "persistence of vision" first presented by Peter Mark Roget in a scholarly article) by an English doctor named Dr. John Ayrton Paris
1831 - the discovery of the law of electromagnetic induction by English scientist Michael Faraday, a principle used in generating electricity and powering motors and other machines (including film equipment)
1832 - the invention of the Fantascope (also called Phenakistiscope or "spindle viewer") by Belgian inventor Joseph Plateau, a device that simulated motion. A series or sequence of separate pictures depicting stages of an activity, such as juggling or dancing, were arranged around the perimeter or edges of a slotted disk. When the disk was placed before a mirror and spun or rotated, a spectator looking through the slots 'perceived' a moving picture.
1834 - the invention and patenting of another stroboscopic device adaptation, the Daedalum (renamed the Zoetrope in 1867 by American William Lincoln) by British inventor William George Horner. It was a hollow, rotating drum/cylinder with a crank, with a strip of sequential photographs, drawings, paintings or illustrations on the interior surface and regularly spaced narrow slits through which a spectator observed the 'moving' drawings.
1839 - the birth of still photography with the development of the first commercially-viable daguerreotype (a method of capturing still images on silvered, copper-metal plates) by French painter and inventor Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre
1841 - the patenting of calotype (or Talbotype, a process for printing negative photographs on high-quality paper) by British inventor William Henry Fox Talbot
1861 - the invention of the Kinematoscope, patented by Philadelphian Coleman Sellers, an improved rotating paddle machine to view (by hand-cranking) a series of stereoscopic still pictures on glass plates that were sequentially mounted in a cabinet-box
1869 - the development of celluloid by John Wesley Hyatt, patented in 1870 and trademarked in
1873 - later used as the base for photographic film
1870 - the first demonstration of the Phasmotrope (or Phasmatrope) by Henry Renno Heyl in Philadelphia, that showed a rapid succession of still or posed photographs of dancers, giving the illusion of motion
1877 - the invention of the Praxinoscope by French inventor Charles Emile Reynaud - it was a 'projector' device with a mirrored drum that created the illusion of movement with picture strips, a refined version of the Zoetrope with mirrors at the center of the drum instead of slots; public demonstrations of the Praxinoscope were made by the early 1890s with screenings of 15 minute 'movies' at his Parisian Theatre Optique
1878 Eadweard Muybridge achieves success after five years of trying to capture movement. Muybridge was asked, in 1873, by the ex-governor of California - Leland Stanford to settle a bet as to whether horses hooves left the ground when they galloped. He did this by setting up a bank of twelve cameras with trip-wires connected to their shutters, each camera took a picture when the horse tripped its wire. Muybridge developed a projector to present his finding. He adapted Horner's Zoetrope to produce his Zoopraxinoscope.
1879 - Thomas Alva Edison's first public exhibition of an efficient incandescent light bulb, later used for film projectors
1882 Etienne Jules Marey, inspired by Muybridge's animal locomotion studies, begins his own experiments to study the flight of birds and other rapid animal movements . The result was a photographic gun which exposed 12 images on the edge of a circular plate.
1882 Emile Reynaud expands on his praxinoscope and using mirrors and a lantern is about to project moving drawings onto a screen.
Introduction To Cinema
Of the many people working to develop motion pictures in the late 1800s, the most successful were the partnerships between Thomas Edison and William Dickson in America and the Brothers Louis and Auguste Lumière in France.
Their experiments, spurred on by motion capture work by photographer Eaedward Muybridge and Etienne Marey, provided the basis for motion picture photography and presentation, and their techniques can still be seen in the capture and projection of motion pictures today.
In the UK, photographer Birt Acres teamed up with electrical engineer Robert Paul and together they developed their own motion picture camera to create films for use with copies of Edison's Kinetoscope. Acres and Paul's brief partnership led to the production of the first successful British film - 'Incident at Clovelly Cottage' in March 1895.
As the technology advanced, filmmakers emerged, with Cecil Hepworth and Edwin Porter leading the way. Hepworth producing such early cinema classics as 'How it feels to be run over' and 'Rescued by Rover' with Porter directing 'The Great Train Robbery' among many others.
In France, Georges Méliès emerged from a theatrical background and started making films combining film technique with the spectacular effects achievable from the theatre. Méliès' work led to some of the first 'special effects' in cinema in films such as 'A Trip to the Moon'.
Their experiments, spurred on by motion capture work by photographer Eaedward Muybridge and Etienne Marey, provided the basis for motion picture photography and presentation, and their techniques can still be seen in the capture and projection of motion pictures today.
In the UK, photographer Birt Acres teamed up with electrical engineer Robert Paul and together they developed their own motion picture camera to create films for use with copies of Edison's Kinetoscope. Acres and Paul's brief partnership led to the production of the first successful British film - 'Incident at Clovelly Cottage' in March 1895.
As the technology advanced, filmmakers emerged, with Cecil Hepworth and Edwin Porter leading the way. Hepworth producing such early cinema classics as 'How it feels to be run over' and 'Rescued by Rover' with Porter directing 'The Great Train Robbery' among many others.
In France, Georges Méliès emerged from a theatrical background and started making films combining film technique with the spectacular effects achievable from the theatre. Méliès' work led to some of the first 'special effects' in cinema in films such as 'A Trip to the Moon'.
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