5 Defining Moments of Cinema Pre 1930's

THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (1903)

Created in 1903 by Edwin S Porter, this film is largely recognised as the first "feature length film" at just twelve minutes long. This film created a significant impact upon society in regards to the American film industry, using cinematography and editing techniques such as cross cutting, that was rarely used before. The film's iconic ending shocked audience's at the time by breaking Stanislavski's fourth wall, engaging with the audience rather than keeping the audience as observers. This film helped to encourage filmmakers to be more creative with the camera as well as display the advances in movie-making technology at the time.

Click link to see Stanislavski's System on Realism

THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)

This controversial classic from D.W.Griffith tells the tale of two families and their struggle through the time period of the American Civil War, with the evidential rise of the Klu Klux Klan. Again using the cross cutting technique, allowing multiple stories and actions to take place within the one film, this film aided in creating new methods of storytelling. However the controversy of racism remains an issue, as this film aids in the glorification of The Klu Klux Klan who are the heroes of the story. The fact the issue of the story has been a topic of debate for almost one hundred years shows that the strong political message was clearly portrayed by Griffith, allowing directors such as Quentin Tarantino, Roman Polanski and Martin Scorsese to create messages through strong graphic storytelling.

To see an example of The Birth of a Nation in debate



 A TRIP TO THE MOON (1902)

In the early stages of movie-making, European movies (seen as artistic) were experimenting with the latest advances in photography creating a motion picture, creating a narrative story through images taken at approximately sixteen frames per second. This film is one of the earliest films created, being one of the first films to create a narrative, as well as the earliest examples of special effects, as shown through the iconic image of "The Man In The Moon" (see below).

This film not only created an escapism, being a film to explore science fiction, but also started the idea of filmmakers to create a clear and concise narrative and utilise this new concept of motion picture to create a new method of storytelling.

For more information visit here.

KID AUTO RACES AT VENICE (1914)

 

In the early ages of motion pictures, with the absence of audio, silent film ruled. However, as shown with the past examples, early films largely focused on straight storytelling, creating a clear narrative for the audience to engage in. This film marks two things, firstly the arrival of silent comedies and (most importantly!) the debut of Charlie Chaplin, commonly seen as one of, if not the greatest silent comic in history. At a time of war, comedy was seen as an escape from the horrors of the real world. This defining film shows the start of the silent comedy era, which made actors such as Chaplin and Buster Keaton reach such an iconic status in the early ages of cinema.

For further information on Chaplin visit here.

THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)



This film is perhaps the most defining moment in the early stages of cinema in the early Twentieth Century as this film marked the birth of motion pictures containing sound, or a “talky” as they were more commonly known. This began the Golden Age of Hollywood, actors being hired for their singing and speaking capabilities, not necessarily being hired for their acting abilities as body language was now no longer necessary. The iconic singing within the film was a first of its time and allowed films to begin creating soundtracks and changing the concept of modern cinema at the time.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• BAILEY, A., 2007. Cinema Now. Cologne, Germany: Taschen
• MONACO, J., 1981. How To Read A Film, New York, NY: Oxford University Press