Fathom Logo

Learning PlanSessionsContributors
 The First Fifty Years of American Cinema
 Fathom
Seminar Introduction
U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Edison National Historic Site
In the span between Thomas Edison's short, grainy films around the turn of the century until the dawn of the golden age of Hollywood in the 1930s, the motion picture profession in America grew from a few curious experiments into a powerful international media industry.

In this seminar from the American Film Institute, Vicki Botnick examines the first fifty years of cinema. From scientific experiments to sophisticated art, Botnick follows the development of film from its origins and the growth of the American industry, through the advent of sound and color, until the 1930s and the start of the classical Hollywood era.
Learning Objectives
  • Explain the technical origins of the "moving picture."
  • List a few key ways that the first films by such artists as the Lumières and Edison differ from later films by filmmakers such as George Méliès.
  • Describe cinematic language, and how its evolution changed both the story and structure of early films.
  • Briefly outline the evolution of film from experiment to an entire industry.
  • List several key influential figures in the early American film industry.
  • Describe a few key technical innovations that drastically changed the nature of the cinema in the 1920s.
Sessions

Session 1 Experiments and Innovations, 1877-1900
Session 2 Artistry and Business, 1900-1915
Session 3 The Hollywood System and the Golden Age of Silents, 1915-1920
Session 4 Fun, Games and the Morning After, 1920-1927
Session 5 Sound and the Fury, 1927-1939
Contributors


Credits
Copyright 2002 American Film Institute.
Technical Requirements
To appreciate this seminar experience, it is critical that you have the appropriate software, plug-ins, and network connections.  Please take the time to download the latest versions of the plug-ins mentioned below if you do not already have them.
Browser: Netscape versions 4.x up to 4.76, or Internet Explorer versions 4.x or later. Your browser must be JavaScript-enabled and must be set to accept cookies.

Network Connection: The recommended minimum connection is 56Kbps with a throughput of 34Kbps or more. A faster connection is encouraged to take better advantage of the media elements in the seminar.
Plug-ins: If you do not have RealPlayer and Flash Player already installed, please download them from the following sites: