plekhanov Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 the US was the best at it though, even in the silent era when there was no language barrier. American films were by far the most popular worldwide. And most of the early innovations in movie making came from America, including the idea of shooting a film with a plot and characters. None of those European pioneers actually shot a film with a story and characters, in other words what we today would recognise as a film. The first real movie director was an American - Edwin S. Porter. What nonsense Georges Méliès was an incredible innovator and preceded Porter. His most famous film came out in 1902 and has "a story and characters" it also has some pretty nifty special effects. Not the greatest source I know but: "Like all early filmmakers, he took ideas from others, but rather than simply copying films he tried to improve on what he borrowed. In his Jack and the Beanstalk (1902) and Life of an American Fireman (1903) he followed earlier films by France's Georges Méliès and members of England's Brighton School, such as James Williamson." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harleyman Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 the US was the best at it though, even in the silent era when there was no language barrier. American films were by far the most popular worldwide. And most of the early innovations in movie making came from America, including the idea of shooting a film with a plot and characters. None of those European pioneers actually shot a film with a story and characters, in other words what we today would recognise as a film. The first real movie director was an American - Edwin S. Porter. As a kid I often wondered who those naughty ladies were who froliced around in their lingerie while I turned the handle of those old penny peep show machines on seaside piers while keeping another eye open in case mom saw me. Perhaps they were imports from the European pioneers of moving picture shows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUPERTYKE Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 What a sad jealous person you come accross as. Why not try to develope a coherent reply to my post? Oh! I see; you have the mental age of a two year old - ok. However I see that you can just about manage one liners, though when the opposing argument is beyond your understanding you can just about manage an insult or two. I'm 'sad'? Certainly not - only occasionally maybe when I think of the space that tw*ts like you are wasting. And 'jealous'? -- Of whom??? Please do tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harleyman Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Don't forget Amelia Fieldmouse (Mickey's sister) and Mickey's own performance in 'Plane crazy'. I preferred Snoopy from Peanuts playing his role as the Red Baron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callippo Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 What nonsense Georges Méliès was an incredible innovator and preceded Porter. compare Porter's Life of an American Fireman to Trip to the Moon, and made in the same year, 1902. It's just a different class of narrative, far more advanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buck Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Nope the 1st public 'moving picture show" was in France, the US and assorted European film industries developed simultaneously as did the technologies they relied upon. Hollywood ended up the dominant global player but the US can't claim to have "contributed" moving picture shows to the world.This is precisely what I was addressing earlier. I care little for who invented the picture show. What impresses me more is what Hollywood did with it. Sure a lot of their stuff is garbage, it always was. But a lot isn't. You could perhaps say America didn't invent the vacuum cleaner,I'm not sure, but as I recall, most British housewives called them Hoovers, unlike American women who simply call them vacuums or just vacs. I hope you won't begrudge us the typewriter, phonograph, airplane, tractor, dishwasher and Mickey Dees. We'd like to be thanked for something at least, but probably won't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUPERTYKE Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I'll see you when I have more time Harl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buck Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 They do like to steal the credit for other's inventions a lot, apparently they invented TV too.A TV set of some kind was invented by a man called Baird. It involved a rotating disc of some kind to time the scan, but was a total failure. Britain has a very genuine right to claim radar as its own. It later was able to invent centimetric radar with the introduction of the magnetron. From this came the microwave stove, though I'm not sure who invented that, I'm just glad somebody did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plekhanov Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 compare Porter's Life of an American Fireman to Trip to the Moon, and made in the same year, 1902. It's just a different class of narrative, far more advanced. How exactly is it "a different class of narrative, far more advanced"? Besides you are moving the goalposts, before you claimed that: "None of those European pioneers actually shot a film with a story and characters, in other words what we today would recognise as a film. The first real movie director was an American - Edwin S. Porter." Now you are reduced to claiming that not that Porter did it 1st but that he did it better in unspecified ways. No doubt Porter is an important innovator but Georges Méliès for one made the innovations you specified ahead of him and had not only "story and characters" but striking imagery that you still see referenced to this day by Futurama, Smashing Pumpkins, The Mighty Boosh... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harleyman Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 How exactly is it "a different class of narrative, far more advanced"? Besides you are moving the goalposts, before you claimed that: "None of those European pioneers actually shot a film with a story and characters, in other words what we today would recognise as a film. The first real movie director was an American - Edwin S. Porter." Now you are reduced to claiming that not that Porter did it 1st but that he did it better in unspecified ways. No doubt Porter is an important innovator but Georges Méliès for one made the innovations you specified ahead of him and had not only "story and characters" but striking imagery that you still see referenced to this day by Futurama, Smashing Pumpkins, The Mighty Boosh... Most of the people who pioneered the develpment of the movie industry (as opposed to moving pictures) were of European origin anyway many of them Jewish from Eastern Europe, men with imagination and a flair for knowing what the public wanted and the money that could be generated from it. America was the kind of country where their talents could be used to the full without being restricted by rules, regulations and subject to racial bias. With it's sunny, mostly dry climate and cheap land southern Califorinia was the ideal location Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.