The Golden Age of Film

In the beginning, there was Edison• Let’s take a trip to New Jersey, where the

motion picture began.

William Kennedy Laurie Dickson• He was the chief engineer at Edison’s Lab

in West Orange, NJ. He created the first cellulose strips imprinted with images, which were shown through a kinetoscope.

The Kinetoscope• The kinetoscope is a device used to show

the short moving films invented at the Edison labs.

Let’s take a peek at the kinetoscope …• We will visit the inside of the device to

watch how it operated.

D. W. Griffith• Master Movie Maker of the early screen:

• Griffith’s work utilized the modern film techniques of the time and often highlighted controversial issues like the KKK and his famous film (1915) Birth of a

Nation

Silent films• Silent films were the norm at first and most

usually lasted from 10-15 minutes. Eventually, as demand increased and technology grew, films became longer and people would pay to view them.

• Some of the most famous silent screen actors are Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Will Rogers, Louise Brooks, Mary Astor, Marlene Dietrich, Lillian Gish, Roscoe, “Fatty Arbuckle”, among many others.

Talkies• In 1927, Warner Brothers released, The

Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson. Take a look and see if you recognize the song…

• This was the first synchronized singing and dancing film, but it was mostly silent. It wasn’t until 1928 that the first synchronized film with sound was released.

The Great Wars• During WW1 & WW2, films were used for

propaganda, advertisements to buy U. S. Savings Bonds and to share news. There was very little immediate live news coverage during this time, so many people went to the movies to see what was happening in the world. This brought reality home.

1950’s & 1960’s• This era of filmmaking was known as the

“Post Classical Era”. Film makers took a turn to show more violence, sex, and other “distasteful” content on the big screen. This eventually led to the ratings system that we have today.