Before the Nickelodeon: The Early Cinema of Edwin S. Porter

An informative look at the conditions and films of very early American cinema, an environment dominated by two people, Thomas Edison and Edwin S. Porter. The documenta... more >

An informative look at the conditions and films of very early American cinema, an environment dominated by two people, Thomas Edison and Edwin S. Porter. The documentary includes a number of films from the era, notably Porter’s Jack and the Beanstalk (1902) and Life of an American Fireman (1903) and The Finish of Bridget McKeen, as well as clips from The Great Train Robbery (1902). It also shows a number of examples of news re-enactments, which were staple fare for early audiences, with subjects shown here including Carrie Nation and her prohibitionist women destroying a bar from 1900. (Interestingly this has an early slapstick scene with the barman chasing the woman off with a soda-syphon). Other actual footage of news stories shown includes scenes from Santiago shot during the Spanish-American war and footage from 1901 of President McKinley the day before his assassination. Porter exploited this event to fill the theatres by filming a gruesomely realistic re-enactment of the assassin’s execution by electric chair, with the chair shown being tested for current using Edison’s patented light bulbs! The documentary also looks at how Porter developed his editing style in his films, moving into fantasy films inspired by the cinema of Georges Melies. < less

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Film Details

Cast

Blanche Sweet (Narr)

Technical Details