The Story of Film, Part 1: Birth of the Cinema

In 2004, Irish film critic Marc Cousins published The Story of Film. Focusing on the history of innovation in cinema, it attempted to explore the full breadth of world filmmaking, discussing the work of artists of all races, genders, and nationalities, including many whose work has gone unacknowledged by mainstream, Hollywood-biased histories. That book became the documentary series The Story of Film: An Odyssey available to you through Kanopy and Hoopla. Released in 2011, this tour of film history features interviews with filmmakers from all over the world, spotlighting films both famous and obscure. This is the first of a 15 Part series focusing on each episode of Cousins’ documentary, highlighting some of the films discussed which you can access in full through our collection. Enjoy the journey!

1895-1918: The World Discovers A New Art Form

We begin with two of the earliest filmmakers, Thomas Edison and the brothers Louis & Auguste Lumiére, whose surviving films create an excellent picture of the early development of movies, from recordings of ordinary life to simple storytelling. Lumiére’s First Picture Shows features twenty short films made by the brothers, including their first film, “Employees Leaving the Lumiére Factory”. The work of Thomas Edison’s studio is chronicled in depth with the four-part Edison: The Invention of the Movies, featuring over 140 shorts. For just a taste, try Edison Album, with its smaller selection of 20 significant shorts.

From the “real life” chronicling of the early filmmakers, we turn to the first maestro of special effects: French filmmaker George Méliés, whose career as a stage magician drove his interest in filmmaking. Beginning with simple jump cuts (a trick Méliés found by accident when his camera jammed) and progressing to the silent era’s equivalent of a CGI blockbuster, Méliés’ work prefigures special effects maestros George Lucas and James Cameron. For an in-depth look, see the five part series George Méliés: First Wizard of Cinema. For a taste, try the sampler The Magic of Méliés or his most famous film, A Trip To The Moon, the first science fiction effects spectacular.

An excellent aspect of Cousins’ documentary is his re-introduction of filmmakers whose work has been marginalized or forgotten, especially the women who helped pioneer the field. The work of Alice Guy-Blaché, the first female film director, and Lois Weber (who acted in, wrote, and directed hundreds of films) are prime examples. Those curious about Guy-Blaché can sample her feature work with Falling Leaves, or learn more about her extraordinary life with the documentary Be Natural. If you’d like to check out Lois Weber’s work, try her social drama The Blot, or her thriller Suspense, featuring an early use of split-screen.

Though his reputation as an innovator has undergone reassessment over the years, D.W. Griffith still ranks as one of the pioneers of American cinema, for good and ill. Griffith’s film work was epic in scope and length, often lasting over three hours. If you’d rather not invest the time, try some of Griffith’s shorts from the Years of Discovery set. For those willing to make the investment, Orphans of the Storm (starring Dorothy & Lillian Gish) and Intolerance are excellent examples.

    ~ posted by Deanna H.