By Ben Martinez
Movies have been around for a long time. Longer than most people realize, to be certain. Even many self-proclaimed film critics like myself will find themselves under the impression that Arrival of a Train made by the Lumiere Brothers in 1895 is the first movie ever created. However, that is not at all the case. Movies existed for six full years before that train finally arrived. Sure, they lacked plot and message, but so did the Arrival of a Train. And even without plot, those first six years included many surprising firsts for film. For example, the first funny cat video was made during this time, more than 100 years before YouTube was even a thought. In this article, we will explore those wonderfully quaint early bits of cinema that existed from the late 1800s to the Arrival of a Train in 1896 and all the way to 1900. Through watching and analyzing these early films we will be able to see how cinema began to take shape and become something surprisingly similar to what we see in theaters today. So without further ado, prepare to have your preconceptions and expectations shattered and be completely blown away by the true first film ever created…
Movies have been around for a long time. Longer than most people realize, to be certain. Even many self-proclaimed film critics like myself will find themselves under the impression that Arrival of a Train made by the Lumiere Brothers in 1895 is the first movie ever created. However, that is not at all the case. Movies existed for six full years before that train finally arrived. Sure, they lacked plot and message, but so did the Arrival of a Train. And even without plot, those first six years included many surprising firsts for film. For example, the first funny cat video was made during this time, more than 100 years before YouTube was even a thought. In this article, we will explore those wonderfully quaint early bits of cinema that existed from the late 1800s to the Arrival of a Train in 1896 and all the way to 1900. Through watching and analyzing these early films we will be able to see how cinema began to take shape and become something surprisingly similar to what we see in theaters today. So without further ado, prepare to have your preconceptions and expectations shattered and be completely blown away by the true first film ever created…
1. Monkeyshines no. 1 (1890)
When viewing this film, keep in mind it was never intended for commercial use. It was nothing more than a test of Tom Edison’s kinetoscope, because, after all, Tom was an inventor, not a filmmaker. That being said, this is indeed the first film ever created, and the first film by William K.L. Dickinson and William Heise. Both of those men were inventors who worked under the employment of Edison, and it can even be said that Dickinson was one of the very first film actors (although he wasn’t really acting, but then again these aren’t really movies so, please shut up <---[that’s a reference- I don’t know what its a reference to -- it’s a song]).
Now, for all you filmmakers or aspiring filmmakers reading these words, I have some ideas for you. This movie can be a goldmine, if you use it properly. For one thing, Mr. Monkeyshines is a spooky, fuzzy, unidentifiable but vaguely humanoid grey blob. Those characteristics make him a great potential character for a black and white slasher flick, if that’s what you’re into. Or if you want to go down more of a Dan Brown (Davinci Code, Inferno, etc) or National Treasure path, you can make the whole thing a mystery where the characters need to find out who the guy in this film is. Maybe he has some illuminati/freemason ties or something. Maybe he’s Nick Cage’s great great grand uncle. I don’t know, it’s your movie. Also the Academy loves movies about movies, so using these old little films might be a pretty good habit to get into. But hey, what do I know?
Now, for all you filmmakers or aspiring filmmakers reading these words, I have some ideas for you. This movie can be a goldmine, if you use it properly. For one thing, Mr. Monkeyshines is a spooky, fuzzy, unidentifiable but vaguely humanoid grey blob. Those characteristics make him a great potential character for a black and white slasher flick, if that’s what you’re into. Or if you want to go down more of a Dan Brown (Davinci Code, Inferno, etc) or National Treasure path, you can make the whole thing a mystery where the characters need to find out who the guy in this film is. Maybe he has some illuminati/freemason ties or something. Maybe he’s Nick Cage’s great great grand uncle. I don’t know, it’s your movie. Also the Academy loves movies about movies, so using these old little films might be a pretty good habit to get into. But hey, what do I know?
2. Newark Athlete (1891)
Jumping ahead one year, the image quality on these Dickinson and Heise films are immensely better than what they were only a year ago. This gives us an idea of just how quickly the art and science of film production accelerated during the early years. We can already make out relatively sharp details and we can actually be certain that what we are seeing is a person. This was certainly not the case with Monkeyshines. As for the content of the film itself, it’s just a young lad slowly twirling two batons. I assume he is from Newark. Think what you will of that, I suppose. But keep in mind that for these very early films, the camera and image are far more important than whatever it is that they chose to film.
3. Dickson Greeting (1891)
The man himself, William K.L. Dickinson, appears on film for the first time. This is the first film to be shown to the general public and press in the USA. The image quality is, once again, markedly better than the previous film. The movement is brief, but very smooth. And, assuming Dickinson was a fashionable man, we get a glimpse of what was considered fashionable in the 1890s. I, for one, am a big fan of the facial hair.
4. Men Boxing (1891)
The title of this film is very misleading. We see two men looking at each other as if they were about to box, and they are indeed wearing boxing gloves, but we don’t see any actual boxing. It’s a damn shame. But don’t be disappointed! This is the first of many boxing movies to be made by Edison and Co., later we will get to see some real action.
5. Je Vous Aime (1891)
This is the first film in the article directed by someone other than Dickinson and Heise, and the first film directed by Georges Demenÿ. This film was made so that it could be used to teach deaf people how to read lips, which explains the close up shots of the faces of the actors. Although this film was made for scientific and educational purposes, it is this film that eventually led Demenÿ to create
6. Pauvre Pierrot (1892)
This cartoon is the first film to be in full color, to have any sort of plot, and to have a background score. However, the background score was most likely added at some point after the original movie was created and released, but not by much. All of these “firsts” made this film truly revolutionary for its time, and it is easily one of the most historically significant films of all time. This being the case, the movie itself is not exactly good by today’s standards. Even though it is the only film that we have seen so far with a plot, it is still the most boring and tedious to watch. Honestly, I would not include this film at all if it weren’t for all of its historical significance. Death of the Cinema, 1 out of 5 stars.
7. Fencing (1892)
Another film directed by the great Dickinson and Heise team. It runs for less than one second. Directing these early films basically amounted to pointing a camera at something while it happened.
8. A Hand Shake (1892)
Dickinson and Heise are at it again! Here we have another film in the realm of grainy figures doing things, much like the original Mr. Monkeyshines. This time we have two grainy humanoids! The tagline for this movie upon its release was something like “Twice the blobs, twice the fun!”. I assume.
9. Blacksmith Scene (1893)
This is a pretty huge jump in quality from 1892. This was the first film from the Edison, Dickinson, Heise team to be displayed in public. It is also the first film in which a scene was staged and performed by “actors”. These men, of course, were not actors by trade, but rather they were employees of Mr. Edison. Every film before this one had one or two people standing by themselves in a frame and performing some simple action or task. This, on the other hand, has three men in a blacksmith workshop conversing and striking a metal thing on an anvil with hammers. Basically just doing standard blacksmith stuff. But standard blacksmith stuff is a whole lot more than anything else we’ve seen before. If you liked this one as much as I did, then read on, because we’re going to get a lot more blacksmith action and films like this is in the near future. Things are certainly heating up! I’m excited.
10. Souvenir Strip of the Edison Kinetoscope (1894)
Oh hell yeah, baby. Eugene Sandow, the strongest man in the world, stretching and flexing. Hell yeah.
11. The Dickinson Experimental Sound Film (1894)
“Are the rest of you ready? Go ahead!”. Everyone loves quoting movies. And here we have the first movie quote of all time! You can hear it if you listen carefully just before the film itself starts playing. This, of course, is the first attempt at synchronizing sound with motion on a film (keep in mind the score of Pauvre Pierrot was added at some point after the fact). You might be wondering why this sort of thing didn’t stick after this film was released. After all, it isn’t really done again for a long while after this movie. That’s because the attempt was a failure. They had a recording of the sound, but not the proper technology to sync it up with the film. The sound and image of this movie was not put into sync until 1998, after it had been rediscovered and repaired at the Edison Historic Site.
12. Annabelle Butterfly Dance (1894)
Annabelle Butterfly dance is perhaps the first time a costume is worn on film and one of the first appearances of a woman in a movie. The dance itself is fine, albeit a tad unimpressive. On its own, this film is pretty good and the dance is actually a bit fun to watch. But when you compare this film to other serpentine and butterfly dances that we will get in the near future, Annabelle does not hold up very well at all. That being said, if you enjoyed this movie in any way at all, then you will absolutely love the other dance movies that are coming up, so stay tuned!
13. Glenroy Brothers (1894)
Oh boy, time for some yucks! This movie is the first comedy, the first choreographed fight, and the first boxing film in which somebody actually gets hit.
14. Juan Caicedo with Pole (1894)
This is one of the first movies filmed in the outdoors by Edison, Dickinson, and Heise. We see Juan Caicedo performing about twenty seconds worth of acrobatics on a slack wire. This film is genuinely entertaining, it even holds up well against modern acrobatics and gymnastics videos. Or maybe not. I’m not an expert on gymnastics but I do know that this was fun to watch and looks like even more fun to do.
15. Annie Oakley (1894)
I love this one. This is the Annie Oakley. As in, Annie Oakley, sharpshooting extraordinaire who has both a feature film and a full length musical written about her life (Both called Annie Get Your Gun. Look ‘em up). Look at what a badass she is, just destroying those targets. You go Annie, you’re amazing. This is also the first film ever with a strong female lead, and an incredible one at that.
16. Athlete With Wand (1894)
Wand? That’s a fucking stick. Who the fuck are you trying to fool asshole? Athlete? Really? Well what sport does he play, hmm? He’s not doing anything athletic in this now is he? Fuck this “athlete” fuck his dumb ass stick and fuck his stupid fucking dog. Just kidding I actually love the dog, he makes the film, first dog on film, nice.
17. Leonard-Cushing Fight (1894)
This is the first real boxing match on film. I assume that this would be especially interesting to watch if you are a boxer or a fan of boxing. Note how different fighting styles were over 100 years ago. Unless they aren’t different at all. If that’s the case, then note how little boxing has changed in over a century. Even that is incredibly interesting. Either way this should be interesting if you are a boxer or a fan of boxing.
18. Sioux Ghost Dance and Buffalo Dance (1894)
These two films were filmed on the same day in 1894 and mark the first that Native Americans ever appeared on film. The purpose of the ghost dance was three-fold: first, it would reunited the living spirits of the dancers with the spirits of the dead. Next, it would bring the spirits of the dead to fight on their behalf. And finally it would make the white man leave, thus bringing peace and prosperity to the Native Americans. With regard to this particular dance in this particular film, I’d say they were reuniting their spirits with the spirits of the dead. But there’s definitely also some peace and prosperity going on. I hope both of those things worked out for them.
The Buffalo Dance, on the other hand, had a far simpler and more straightforward result. That result was, of course, a buffalo. A single buffalo would come into being each and every time the dance was performed. It would typically appear by clawing its way out of the abdomen of one of the older, male dancers. The dancer would then die of internal hemorrhaging and organ damage, most likely due to the fact that a 60 pound baby bison had just torn through him. There was no way of knowing which dancer would be the one to give birth to the bison before beginning the dance. It was seen as a great honor to be chosen by the buffalo to give birth to the buffalo, because the sacrifice would feed the tribe for many months and supply them with many tools and clothing. It is said that this practice is the only reason buffalo are not extinct today. Regrettably, we do not see the actual birth of the buffalo in this film, we are merely allowed a glimpse of the very beginning of the dance. Just kidding. None of that is true. Probably.
The Buffalo Dance, on the other hand, had a far simpler and more straightforward result. That result was, of course, a buffalo. A single buffalo would come into being each and every time the dance was performed. It would typically appear by clawing its way out of the abdomen of one of the older, male dancers. The dancer would then die of internal hemorrhaging and organ damage, most likely due to the fact that a 60 pound baby bison had just torn through him. There was no way of knowing which dancer would be the one to give birth to the bison before beginning the dance. It was seen as a great honor to be chosen by the buffalo to give birth to the buffalo, because the sacrifice would feed the tribe for many months and supply them with many tools and clothing. It is said that this practice is the only reason buffalo are not extinct today. Regrettably, we do not see the actual birth of the buffalo in this film, we are merely allowed a glimpse of the very beginning of the dance. Just kidding. None of that is true. Probably.
19. Boxing Cats (1894)
As mentioned earlier in this article, funny cat videos existed for more than a century before YouTube even became a thought. This is the first funny cat video. These cats are outfitted with boxing gloves and they just go to town on one another. This video might have been incredibly adorable if not for the fact that both cats are actually trying to kill one another. Luckily, we have The Man himself ensuring that they do not, indeed, kill each other. Now, if you enjoyed that (which is kinda fucked up, it’s a literal cat fight, but hey animal cruelty laws didn’t really exist back then), then you’ll love what we have next!
20. The Cock Fight, no. 2 (1894)
Here we have a true and genuine cock fight. This is not something you get to see very often in modern cinema. One might even say that this sort of thing does not fly in movies today, because of animal cruelty laws and the like. On the bright side, both cocks are still standing by the end of the film, so the two gentlemen observing and betting may have stopped the fight before one of the cocks died. But, that’s a bit optimistic. I’m sure one of them died. Sadly, for all you budding psychopaths reading this article, that will be the last instance of animal cruelty in this batch. That’s good news for everyone else, though, I hope.
That's it for Part 1 of the very delicious ORIGIN OF MOVIES. Follow me on twitter @GiantSheeps and @NotYetRatedSite for updates on when you can expect PART 2!! Comment below or tweet at me to let me know what you think about Part 1!
That's it for Part 1 of the very delicious ORIGIN OF MOVIES. Follow me on twitter @GiantSheeps and @NotYetRatedSite for updates on when you can expect PART 2!! Comment below or tweet at me to let me know what you think about Part 1!