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DRAMA STUDY GUIDE
Film History
In 1888, Thomas Edison invented the kinetoscope. Its name is
derived from the
Greek words kinetomeaning movement, and scoposmeaning "to
watch. He was the first person to understand that movies could
make
money. This earned him the title of the
MasterExploitationArtist.
One way he profited from movies was by making movies that had
what the public wanted. Edison
realized very quickly that the public was drawn to films with
violence. This is what led
Edison to make the movie entitled The Great Train Robbery.
Another way Edison made money from films was by creating and
selling copies of the film A Trip
to the Moon, by French filmmaker, Georges Mlis. While Edison
himself profited
from the sale of this film, he did not share the money with
Mlis.
Thomas Edison's kinetoscope later evolved into the projecting
vitascope
In the early 1900s, the first movie theaters that used Edison's
latest invention charged each patron
a nickel to see a movie. Because of this, the new theaters were
often referred to as nickelodeons.
As the movie industry continued to evolve, Edison was eventually
pushed out of the business.
Movie studios like Charlie Chaplin's United Artists,
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), &
Warner Brothers were producing bigger and better movies than
ever before and in record numbers.
However, the pioneering contributions Edison made to the movie
industry are an invaluable part of film
history.
VAUDEVILLE
In the year 1881, after the Civil War, and during the
Reconstruction Period, live, family-friendly
variety shows began to open their doors to everyone. Vaudeville
was the most popular
form of entertainment in America from 1881 until 1932. These
shows included a variety of
entertainment . Some examples of these acts included: singing,
dancing, comedy, magic, animals doing
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tricks, as well as novelty acts such as roller skaters,
ventriloquists, plate spinners, and trapeze artists.
Vaudeville performers were often immigrants who brought their
countrys unique style
of performing and humor to the U.S. It is cultural intermingling
such as this that earned the United
States the title of being the melting pot of the world. Three
examples of countries
Vaudevillians emigrated from are Russia, China, and Ireland,
Italy.
Unfortunately, by the year 1932, almost all Vaudeville
theaters had gone out of business. Three reasons this occurred
were radios in homes,
films, and The Great Depression.
Many Vaudeville stars, however went on to have successful
performing careers in
radio , films or movies, and television.
GEORGES MELIES
Georges Mlis was very innovative in the use ofspecial effects.
He accidentally discovered the
stop trick, or substitution, and was one of the first filmmakers
to use multiple exposures, time-
lapse photography, dissolves, and hand-painted color in his
films.
Because of his ability to seemingly manipulate and transform
reality through cinematography,
Mlis is sometimes referred to as the First "Cinemagician."
Unfortunately, Mlis did not
profit from his films. He later melted down his films and sold
the cellulose nitrate to be used
to make the heels of boots. Mlis was found working in a small
shop at a train station in the
1930s and he died virtually penniless in 1938.
CHARLIE CHAPLIN
Charlie Chaplin came to America from his native country
ofEngland in his early 20s.
He got his American career started by performing in Vaudeville
shows in New York City.
Chaplin created the iconic character The Tramp and is considered
by many to be the first
movie star. His best known films are the silent films: The Kid,
Modern Times, and The Great
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Dictator. Chaplin wrote, acted, directed, produced and wrote the
music for
most of his films. His song Smile is still very well-known and
performed today.
Although Chaplin died in 1977, Chaplin continues to influence
people and performers
today, including Johnny Depp and Michael Jackson.
