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This article recalls the great stages which mark out the Histoire Cinéma .

Origins of the cinema

The question of knowing which invented the cinema is problematic: The word cinema is the Apocope of " cinématographe". Today, the cinema more precisely indicates an art whose quintessence lies in the public projection of animated images. One is in right to put this question: Does the paternity of the cinema return to the only credit of the brothers Lumière? To formulate differently, the cinematograph with projection of animated images, and was really the first machine only?

For the 50e birthday of the cinema, Léo Sauvage published in the action an article entitled " 50 years ago, Louis Lumière did not invent the cinema ". Georges Sadoul will answer him in these words " If, he invented the cinema… with about fifty others… "

The cinema was born from the meeting of innovations in the field of the photographic support and in that of the synthesis of the movement using the retinal Persistance (and the Effet phi):

  • the 1825 - invention of the Thaumatrope by Fitton
  • 1832 - Belgian Joseph Plateau develops the Phénakistiscope.
  • 1834 - taking as a starting point the creation of Plate, William George Horner creates the Zootrope.
  • 1853 - the Austrian Franz von Uchatius develops the kinescope: they are the first animated images projected on screen.
  • 1877 - Emile Reynaud makes patent the Praxinoscope, which shows that retinal persistence is not essential to the synthesis of the animated image.
  • 1880 - Emile Reynaud adapts a Magic lantern to its praxinoscope and projects with its Praxinoscope with projection a cyclic movement on a screen
  • 1888 - Emile Reynaud creates a punched tape of drawings, trained and projected with its optical Théâtre thus making it possible to view a noncyclic movement of Cartoons; it will organize public representations with the Musée Grévin during 10 years.

Précinéma

As from this moment, scientists will consider the combination photographs/synthesis of the movement, namely recombining of the movement. This research will be moved initially by a purely scientific goal: if it were a question of recombining of the movement, he was not yet question of projection.

  • 1876 - Following a polemic on the race of the horse, Eadweard James Muybridge develops an experiment: it lays out 12 then 24 cameras along a hippodrome, started by the passage of the horse. It thus obtained a decomposition of the movement in several photographs and conceives the Zoopraxiscope, enabling him to recompose the movement.

  • 1882 - Etienne-Jules Marey simplifies the device of Muybridge to create photographic rifle. It improves it later six years in chronophotographe with mobile band.

Birth of the cinema

The invention of the cinema, which is quickly an obviousness for many researchers isolated all over the world, is directly conditioned with the technical evolution of the photographic supports: support, speed to collect the light, etc, which explains why many inventions are contemporary.
  • 1888 - Louis Aimée Augustin the Prince films a two second old scene (RoundHay garden scene), but the brittleness of the paper medium makes it inapt for projection. It will disappear mysteriously without being able to complete its work.
  • 1891 - Edison creates the Kinétographe, first camera of catch of sight. The made films were not projected but were not looked through a baptized viewer Kinétoscope. The date of the invention of Edison cannot be regarded as birth date of the cinema because the Kinetoscope does not make it possible to project film. Edison is not interested besides in projection, judging that would quickly kill the interest of the public for the invention and considering in addition that the goal to reach is the talking films. To supply with films the kinetoscopes which it sends to the four corners of the world, it builds the “black Maria” (1892), a movie studio able to swivel in order to be always directed towards the strongest light.
  • 1892 - the French Leon Bouly deposits the patent of an apparatus which it names " Bouly" cinematograph; , the February 12th 1892, then “cinematograph” in another patent which it deposits the December 27th 1893. Its invention uses unperforated film. The French not renewing his patent, Louis Lumière took again the name of cinematograph for his invention.
  • 1894 - Edison reveals the Kinetoscope with the public: all the inventors of the world then will try to lead to the development of a projector of animated images. The process seems simple then: to couple the apparatus of Edison with a Magic lantern by imagining a system of intermittent drive. Many inventors of many countries will reach that point, becoming inventors of the cinema in their country:

  • the Lumière brothers deposit the patent of the cinematograph on February 13rd 1895. One owes them the choice of the name cinematograph .

  • the February 22nd 1895 with Clayton in the New Jersey, Jean Acme Roy and Eugene Lauste probably organize a spectacle with film projection on a machine of their invention called the “Biograph”
  • Dickson and Latham in New York (May 1895)
  • Arma and Jenckins in Atlanta (Phantascope - September 1895)
  • Anschültz and Skladanowsky in Berlin (Bioskop - October 1895)
  • In England, the inventor Friese-Green is ruined with the task.

The Lumière brothers, who make some films in 1894 and the projections deprived in 1895 carry out some, decide to organize a paying public projection, on December 28th, 1895 , with the Indian Salon of the Large Coffee, in Paris. The apparatus of the Light has such a success that Edison repurchases the invention of Armed and Jenckins, that it re-elects Vitascope. Projections of Vitascope preceded by little those of the cinematograph on the territory of the United States. Nevertheless, the success of the cinematograph exceeded that of its competitor by far.

It is dated December 28th, 1895, date of the first paying public projection, which is commonly retained in France as being the birth of the cinema (public paying projection of animated images), whereas the brothers Lumière themselves did not assert of it, with reason, paternity: thus, the American historians will give more credit to Edison by reducing work of the Lumière brothers, and will occult the fact that the patent of the cinematograph is a French patent. With the difference of other projectors, the cinematograph Light, at the same time camera, printer and viewer, will supplant the other processes of reproduction of the movement used hitherto, like the Kinétoscope of Edison. One cannot deny the paternity of Edison on the development of a system of reproduction of the animated images, but that of the popularization of the animated images which will be the base, the base of an industry then of an art can be allotted to the Lumière brothers. The Lumière brothers all over the world sent operators in order to bring back short films, the first Documentaire S, to some extent, but also the beginnings of some Cinéma amateur. An operator, filming on a boat, invented the first Travelling .

Let us note that the Lumière brothers were industrialists of the Photographie who also invented the dry photographic plate, the process of photography color known as Autochrome and Tulle-gras® (to look after the burns).

First hours of the cinematograph

  • 1888

    • January 11th: Louis Aimée Augustin the Prince deposits the patent of a camera with London and makes its first film at the beginning of October on the bridge of Leeds in England.

  • 1892

    • February 12th: Leon Bouly deposits the patent of reversible apparatus a “of photography and optics for the analysis and the synthesis of the movements, known as Cynématographe Leon Bouly”.
  • 1893
    • December 27th: The same Leon Bouly re-elects his apparatus “Cinematograph”. He is the inventor of the name.

  • 1895
    • February 13rd: The brothers Louis and Auguste Lumière deposit the patent of the Cinématographe.
    • March 22nd: Projection deprived by the brothers Light with Paris at the Company of encouragement to national industry. With the program: the Exit of the factory Light in Lyon .
    • December 28th: The first public and paying projection with Paris by the brothers Light in the Indian Living room of the Large Coffee, 14 boulevard des Capucines. With the program in particular the Sprinkler sprinkled , the Meal of baby , the Exit of the factory Light in Lyon . 35 paying spectators the first day; 35 francs of receipt for 5 francs of benefit for a rent fixed at 30 francs. Following the eulogistic articles of the Parisian press, 2  000 with 2  500 spectators has a presentiment of themselves quickly the every day; the rent remains fixed to him at only 30 francs for one year… The room could accommodate between 100 and 120 spectators.

  • 1897

    • In April: The operator of Light Felix Mesguich is stopped in the United States under the pretext which it did not lay out of authorization to film. He was filming a battle of snowballs. It is in fact the consequence of a protectionist attitude, requested in particular by Edison… the first Lumière company from the east United States forced to stop its activities on the American territory.

Exploited face in rooms and in fun fairs, the cinema quickly becomes a popular Art. Charles Pathé sends cameramen throughout the world to bring back typical scenes in the form of documentary of them. The first films treat love, epopees (first Western S), of burlesque. Precursor as regards special effects, Georges Méliès carries out the Voyage in the Moon with effects in trompe-l'oeil. It tries out all kinds of techniques borrowed from the world of the illusionists. If the Lumière brothers were determining in the invention of the machine which makes possible the blossoming of the cinema, it is Méliès which it first, fact of the cinema, i.e. invents and creates another thing that a simple sight of an entry in station or people moving.

  • 1915

    • the Feature-length film Naissance of a nation of Griffith makes feeling by its duration, and scandal by its topic.

Birth of the permanent cinemas

The cinematographic representations are initially carried out by Lumière operators. The electricity spreading really only starting from 1905, the dangerous power supply of the lanterns poses sometimes problems for the meetings in interior. Certain sedentary trade will add projection to their activity (coffees, restaurants), but they are especially the open ones which will seize the invention as a new attraction: The first open projection took place in Lille in August 1896. With the end of the year, they are nine open on the territory to present this new attraction.

  • 1897 - the fire of the Bazaar of Charity following a cinematographic projection made of many deaths.
  • 1900 - Explosion of the number of cinematographs as an open attraction. This activity will be increasing until in 1906.
  • 1903 - Opening of the first permanent cinema with Bordeaux in 1903.
  • 1910 - Gaumont founds a system of hiring of Film S and the sale stops some.

Of the dumb man with speaking

Inter-war period and Post-war period

Expatriates

The economic conditions or social push certain European scenario writers with expatrier in the United States.

Post-war period

The Accords Blum-Byrnes of 1946 impose, n the other hand obliteration partial of the debt of France towards the United States, film projection American in the French rooms, which contributes to the Americanization of the cinema in France and Europe.

Ethics and policy

Polemics

In France and with the the United States, the French Louis Aimee Augustin the Prince built and deposits the Brevet of a camera the January 11th 1888. The tests on the bridge of Leeds and in its property of Roudhay in England in October 1888 had been conclusive. They are oldest existing films. It is in 1890, after having improved its camera, that the inventor disappears mysteriously in the express train Dijon - Paris from the September 16th 1890. According to the American law, its patents are then suspended during seven years. Meanwhile the history of the cinema was naturally made without Augustin the Prince.

The sources on the Prince show that if it carried out a " well; travail" in 1888 called Roundhay Garden Scene , it acts more than one work in the line of Muybridge, namely a work about the motion-analysis. Several arguments dispute the Prince as an inventor of the Cinéma, without withdrawing the merit which is however owe him:

  • the Prince used a emulsion Eastman on paper medium not perforated, which makes it not very ready to be projected (paper perforated celluloid having been marketed fine 1889).
  • There does not exist any trace of public projection of work of the Prince.
  • Roundhay Garden Scene was " reconstitué" in 1930 starting from the frames of the Prince. The version which one can thus see thus uses a technique nonavailable at the time.
  • the apparatus It Prince made it possible to take 20 stereotypes in two seconds, that is to say 10 images a second, which is insufficient to reconstitute the movement.

Lastly, the sources on the Prince - mainly anglophone - must be taken with precaution: Let us recall that the English term camera also indicates the camera, and that the term film indicates initially the support (film) and not necessarily the film as a succession of frames leading to the reproduction of the movement.

See too

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