These bold films confront viewers and dare to offend
It should be said that no single person truly invented cinema. However, the birthplace of cinema is often attributed to France, where the Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis, revolutionized photography and kick-started the world of motion pictures at the end of the 19th century.
The Lumière brothers were inventors in their own right, and they are most famous for the creation of the Cinématographe, which was a camera, projector, and printer all in one and allowed films to be shot, developed, and projected for audiences.
The first ever film screening took place at the Salon Indien du Grand Café in Paris on December 28, 1895, and it featured a total of 10 short films, including the famous 'La Sortie de l'usine Lumière à Lyon' ('Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory'). The film was 46 seconds long.
These early short films were simple, depicting everyday activities and scenes, yet they fascinated audiences with their realism and novelty. Despite being about 40 seconds long, each short film comprised about 56 feet (17 meters) of reel that was cranked through the projector.
Across the Atlantic in the United States, Thomas Edison and his assistant William K. L. Dickson developed the Kinetoscope, which debuted in 1891, before the Lumière brothers showcased their camera. But the Kinetoscope was not a device that could display a projected image for a whole audience. Instead, it was a peep-show device for viewing films one person at a time.
Georges Méliès was another pioneer who expanded cinema’s potential from the comforts of the French world. He did so by introducing special effects and narrative storytelling in the filmmaking process, which can be seen in one of his most famous films: 'A Trip to the Moon' (1902).
The first film studios were established, with Georges Méliès’ Star Film Company being one of the earliest. In fact, the first studio was actually the Babelsberg Studio near Berlin, which was founded in 1912 and still exists today.
In the early 20th century, Hollywood emerged in California as the epicenter of the American film industry. Its location was chosen largely due to its favorable weather and diverse landscapes for shooting films. American cinema rose far above the foundation established by the Lumière brothers in France.
In the US, early movie theaters (known as nickelodeons) became popular between 1905 and 1915, making cinema accessible to the masses. They were incredibly small and charged five cents for admission, which is the equivalent of just under US$2 today.
When films were first made, they didn’t include any sound. This is what is known as the era of the silent film, which saw the rise of iconic stars like Charlie Chaplin and directors like D. W. Griffith.
During the silent era, many films were accompanied with the tune of pianos or even entire orchestras. But the introduction of synchronized sound in the late 1920s changed that. Cinema was revolutionized with the release of 'The Jazz Singer' in 1927, the first film to include sound. This led to the decline of silent films and the rise of “talkies.”
The development of Technicolor in the 1930s brought vibrant color to the silver screen for the first time. The cinematic experience was forever changed as audiences became more and more immersed in film stories.
India's Bollywood, centered in Mumbai (then known as Bombay), became one of the largest film producers in the world, known for its musical and dramatic storytelling. In fact, Bollywood is the largest producer of films globally and also the second-oldest film industry. This is because the Lumière brothers showcased their short films in India a year after they were premiered in Paris.
Japanese cinema, with directors like Akira Kurosawa, gained international acclaim for its artistic and narrative depth. Most of the early Japanese films were influenced heavily by traditional and culturally significant forms of theater.
The Soviet Union, which was dominantly established in the early 1920s, contributed significantly to film theory and technique. One of the most prominent techniques was the Soviet montage, which essentially incorporated heavy editing into the filmmaking process. It was first established by a pioneer named Sergei Eisenstein (pictured).
Italian films like 'Bicycle Thieves' (1948) were stark contributors to the neorealism film movement. Films of this style were characterized by stories that depicted the everyday life of the poor and the working class. It had a major influence on filmmakers worldwide.
The French New Wave emerged in the late 1950s as a way of rejecting traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation. Directors from this film movement revolutionized cinema with their innovative techniques and narrative styles, such as Jean-Luc Godard’s 'À bout de souffle' ('Breathless') from 1960.
From the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, a new generation of filmmakers, including the likes of Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, rose to prominence in the American film industry. Their blockbuster movies influenced the way major film studios produced films, the effect of which can still be seen today.
The transition to digital filmmaking in the 21st century democratized film production and distribution, making it accessible to a broader range of creators. This was the first step in creating modern cinema, as movies veered away from using film and instead used digital media.
Cinema as we know it today is a far cry away from the foundation established by the Lumière brothers. Indeed, films are far more accessible on a global scale, and even major film festivals like Cannes, Venice, and Toronto have played a crucial role in promoting international cinema.
More than a century since cinema was born in France, the rise of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ have transformed how audiences consume films, offering on-demand access to a vast library of movies.
Recently, there have been fundamental innovations in CGI and virtual reality that continue to push the boundaries of cinematic storytelling. The growing ease with which graphics can depict fictional worlds and scenarios has made it possible to tell stories that could only be dreamed of by the first French filmmakers.
Social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok have allowed aspiring filmmakers to reach audiences directly and bypass traditional distribution channels. But while this has made film even more accessible to the masses, it has also made it difficult for individual filmmakers to establish a recognizable voice.
Cinema has become a powerful medium for cultural expression, and it reflects and shapes societal values, norms, and histories. Film stars are seen as icons, while the films they star in are religiously awarded and sometimes featured as political statements in the global landscape.
Today, cinema remains a vital and evolving art form. It continues to captivate and inspire audiences everywhere around the world with its ability to tell powerful and immersive stories.
Sources: (National Science and Media Museum) (Galalite Screens) (Britannica)
After the advent of cinema in France, it quickly spread across Europe. Italy, Germany, and Britain became early adopters and contributors to film production and innovation. Film industries in various countries were established, and every nation wanted to create films in their own capacity. Pictured here is a film shoot on the banks of the River Thames in London.
By the 1930s, cinema had become a global phenomenon beyond what the Lumière brothers could have ever dreamed. Film industries started emerging in Asiatic countries like India, Japan, and Russia. Pictured here is a street in Tokyo, lined with cinemas advertising film productions.
The post-war period brought about the rise of European art cinema, with movements like Italian neorealism and the return of cinema’s birthplace via the French New Wave.
Amazing images from the early days of cinema
How have movies changed over the course of history?
MOVIES History
Believe it or not, it has been almost 130 years since the first film was showcased to an audience. Since then, cinema has risen through the ranks and has become an inspirational smorgasbord of storytelling that ranges from documentaries to blockbusters to adaptations. But where do films originally come from? And how different is modern cinema compared to the way it was back then? Click through this gallery to find out!