The Beginning of Film Industry

Where did the movies begin? It is often said that they are an American invention, but this is not entirely true. The motion picture has been the most international of the arts. Before the dawn of the twentieth century, inventors in France, England, and the United States were among the dozens of men who were trying to develop ways of using photographs to create the effect of motion.

Soon after 1889, when the famous American inventor Thomas Edison first showed motion pictures through a device called the Kinetoscope, other devices for the same purpose appeared all over the world. Edison had solved certain problems, making it possible for other inventors to move ahead with their own devices. One other important contribution by Edison was the introduction of 35mm as the international standard film width. When it became possible to use any 35mm machine for showing movies from any part of the world, the international trading of films could begin. Less than ten years after the birth of the movies, American pictures were being shown on the same programs with short films from England, France, Germany, Italy, and Denmark, and in as many countries.

During the first years, there were no special movie theaters. Films were often shown in buildings which had formerly been stores. In America, these became known as nickelodeons because each member of the audience paid a nickel (five cents) to watch the movie. At this low price, millions of people could afford to go to the movies, and the American producers of films could depend upon having a big audience, whose nickels made the producers financially secure. With financial security, the filmmakers were able to enlarge and improve their businesses, to try new processes, to become more adventurous and ambitious. This gave the film industry a strong and healthy start.