This is a fine beginning to a really intellectual history of film. Some have criticized it because it doesn't give Americans their due. But the fact of the matter is that they truly are. It's just that cinema did begin in France. At least the fundamental technologies began there. With Lumiere and Melies and others, we have the foundation. This first offering shows us the early use of techniques we take for granted today. For instance, leaving the stage for the beginnings of editing. The playing off of characters by their placement in the scene. Dolly shots and isolation of people. Turning the back on the camera for effect. The use of the scene change and the beginnings of special effects. The wonderful scene where Buster Keaton moves from scene to scene. The eeriness of double exposure where characters can leave their bodies in a dream sequence. The use of horizontal structure in a scene. We get introduced to the great women writers and directors. It was said that the women were on an even playing field with the men because of the circumstances within the movie industry. The progress of the film camera and its companion, the movie projector. It also does a nice job of comparison the foundation of cinema with contemporary offerings. I enjoyed the narration. Sometimes when Americans don't get all the credit for everything, we diminish those that try to show a more balanced historical perspective. Let's face it. We have the big money to do big films. Those are often devoid of substance. The films of other countries force creativity to come to the fore. Nothing wrong with blockbusters but it sometimes emasculates the product.
Review of Birth of the Cinema
