First Cinemas
As we discussed in Lesson One, during the Evolution of Theatres section, there weren’t any dedicated cinemas at first. Screenings of films were shown in theatres or music halls, but as the popularity of film grew, it was recognized that dedicated cinemas were a necessity. Once such location that was only used for one showing was the Berlin Wintergarten Theatre. In 1895, Max and Emil Skladanowsky screened a film during the month of November.
True dedicated cinemas arrived on the scene around the turn of the century. As we learned in Lesson One, the Eden Theatre in France showed their first film in 1899. Islington Palace, in London, showed its first film in 1900, and was converted to a full cinema the following year. Originally, it was built as a music hall! Can you imagine the acoustics in that location?
In 1905, the Nickelodeon opened in Pittsburgh, PA. This was one of the first cinemas that was both permanent, and showed only films (as opposed to newsreels). This spawned a decade of ‘nickleodeons’ popping up throughout the United States, showing films for only a nickel.
Development of Synchronized Sound
As we’ve talked about through the first two lessons, the era of the silent film was a glorious era, producing some of the greatest films ever made, including the two Charles Chaplin films we spoke about last …show more content…
As we learned in Lesson One, the first silent films had live musicians in the cinema, who played a score along with the film as it played. There were even sometimes narrators who provided commentary! In 1926, however, Warner Bros. studio changed the face of films - they introduced Vitaphone, which allowed them to add sound effects and musical scores to film. This is what allowed The Jazz Singer to actually containing dialogue! In the below clip, you see Jakie Rabinowitz (Al Jolson) speaking with his mother, and then he launches into a song while playing the
As we discussed in Lesson One, during the Evolution of Theatres section, there weren’t any dedicated cinemas at first. Screenings of films were shown in theatres or music halls, but as the popularity of film grew, it was recognized that dedicated cinemas were a necessity. Once such location that was only used for one showing was the Berlin Wintergarten Theatre. In 1895, Max and Emil Skladanowsky screened a film during the month of November.
True dedicated cinemas arrived on the scene around the turn of the century. As we learned in Lesson One, the Eden Theatre in France showed their first film in 1899. Islington Palace, in London, showed its first film in 1900, and was converted to a full cinema the following year. Originally, it was built as a music hall! Can you imagine the acoustics in that location?
In 1905, the Nickelodeon opened in Pittsburgh, PA. This was one of the first cinemas that was both permanent, and showed only films (as opposed to newsreels). This spawned a decade of ‘nickleodeons’ popping up throughout the United States, showing films for only a nickel.
Development of Synchronized Sound
As we’ve talked about through the first two lessons, the era of the silent film was a glorious era, producing some of the greatest films ever made, including the two Charles Chaplin films we spoke about last …show more content…
As we learned in Lesson One, the first silent films had live musicians in the cinema, who played a score along with the film as it played. There were even sometimes narrators who provided commentary! In 1926, however, Warner Bros. studio changed the face of films - they introduced Vitaphone, which allowed them to add sound effects and musical scores to film. This is what allowed The Jazz Singer to actually containing dialogue! In the below clip, you see Jakie Rabinowitz (Al Jolson) speaking with his mother, and then he launches into a song while playing the