A Brief History of Film: The Beginning: (1880-1945)

DRAMA 9 &11: FILM STUDIES

THE ORIGINALS (THE O.G.S) 1880-1900

The Lumiere Brothers

Thomas Edison

Held the first public film screening in 1895 They thought people would bore of the moving image because it was just people walking down the street Their film LArrive dun Train en Gare de la Ciodat amazed audiences They created the idea of a film being projected rather than through a peep hole

The Wizard of Menlo Park because he invented so many things including the light bulb Created a peep hole version of the film camera, but eventually followed the trend set by the Lumieres. Was more interested in showing various activities in motion.

THE SILENT ERA: FILM BECOMES ENTERTAINMENT 1900-1910

Georges Mlis

Alice Guy-Blach

An illusionist who loved theatre; he was at the Lumiere brothers first screening He was the first person to understand how film could be used to manipulate time and space Made 500 films before his death, but was largely forgotten until the film Hugo (2011) made his story famous

Forgotten by many, she was the worlds first female filmmaker Created the idea of film as narrative Made over 100 films She was the president of a film company

YOUR TASK: A SILENT FILM

Use your knowledge of shots, angels and the 180 degree rule to shoot a 30 second silent film. Your film must be in the style of the early 1900s, so no dialogue cards or written words of any kind Try to include some of the magic of Mlis and the story structure of Guy-Blach. Work with your group to create this film so that everyone performs within the film, directs, shoots and helps edit.

D. W. GRIFFITH: A CONTROVERSIAL MASTER

One of the great directors of all time Directed one of the most epic and debated movies of all time: Birth of a Nation (1915) as well as a film pointed at his critics: Intolerance (1916) Birth of a Nation was supposed to be a history of America, but instead seemed to tell the history of the KKK. Discuss: Can you be a great talent as well as a bigot? Should he be remembered as a great filmmaker?

THE SILENT COMEDIANS: 1920-1935

Charlie Chaplin
The most famous of the bunch Wrote, directed, produced and starred in almost all his movies Almost always played the character of The Tramp, a good-natured homeless guy getting through the odd reality of life He made many brilliant films including City Lights (1931), The Great Dictator (1940) and The Gold Rush (1925)

Buster Keaton

Directed and starred in almost all his films The greatest slapstick comedian of the era He was famous for always keeping a deadpan expression on his face, The Great Stone Face His career was pretty much ended by the invention of sound, but he made some truly classic silent films. Both Chaplin and Keaton were imitated by Johnny Depp in 1993s Benny and Joon

Harold Lloyd
Produced and starred in many of his films An accident during a publicity tour caused him to lose two fingers Famous for having thrilling action sequences in his films His most famous film was 1923s Safety Last! This film was paid homage in dozens of TV shows and movies

IMPORTANT FIRSTS IN FILM 1927-1939

The Jazz Singer (1927)

Colour on Film

The first movie with sound Starred Al Jolson as the titular singer Controversial because he often performs in blackface

Colour had been experimented with for many years starting in 1918 In 1939 two epic films were released using colour in new and vibrant ways, paving the way for the new age of colour. Do you know what they were? One was about the Civil War and the other was about a girl trapped in a

THE ANSWER IS

Gone with the Wind

The Wizard of Oz

THE GREATEST FILM OF ALL TIME

Citizen Kane (1941)

Originally

totally flopped, lost $160,000 during its initial release Nominated for 9 Oscars it won one for Screenplay Over time has come to be regarded as the #1 film ever made by the American Film Institute and many other organizations Has been referenced hundreds of times in film and television