Notes on Early American Film Industry
The Birth of an American Industry
Thomas Edison and Early Film Industry
Thomas Edison was one of the most ambitious and ruthless film moguls.
His vision turned film production into an assembly-line industry.
Many pioneers entered the film medium following Edison, but D. W. Griffith emerged as the most prominent figure through self-promotion and hard work.
D. W. Griffith Overview
Born David Llewelyn Wark Griffith, he initially was hostile to the film industry.
Griffith made his screen acting debut in Rescued from an Eagle’s Nest (1908). He acted out of financial necessity.
He recognized the potential of film as a narrative form.
His first directorial effort was the one-reel short The Adventures of Dollie.
Between 1908 and 1913, he directed around 450 short films.
Griffith's films drew inspiration from Victorian literature and drama as well as cinema’s technical past.
Innovations Introduced by Griffith
Griffith brought speed and pacing to film narratives, enhancing the use of cinematic grammar.
Employed techniques from early filmmakers like Porter, Guy, and Méliès.
Innovations included deeper use of close-ups, cross-cutting for suspense, and fade-outs.
Griffith also used a recognizable stock company of actors.
Films such as The Lonely Villa (1909) demonstrated his innovative use of multiple camera setups to create suspense.
He was comfortable working with the conventions of Victorian melodrama.
Griffith created films across genres, including gangster films like The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912), and social critique films like A Corner in Wheat (1909).
European Influence on Griffith
By 1913, Griffith noted that European filmmakers were finding artistic and commercial success with longer films. Examples included
Queen Elizabeth (1912) by Henri Desfontaines and Louis Mercanton.
Quo Vadis? (1912) 9-reel Italian film by Enrico Guazzoni, which was internationally acclaimed.
Cabiria (1914) by Giovanni Pastrone, which led to increased audience demand for spectacle and longer narratives.
Griffith attempted longer formats himself, leading to Judith of Bethulia (1914), produced quietly with a budget of $18,000.
The Birth of a Nation (1915)
Griffith is best known for this film, which portrays the South during the Civil War.
The film was marked by a meticulous depiction of period detail, a large cast, and an unprecedented budget of $110,000.
It opened at the Liberty Theater on March 3, 1915, running almost 2.5 hours at a ticket price of $2.
The film was an immediate box office hit; President Woodrow Wilson praised it as “writing history with lightning.”
The final sequence of the film depicts the Ku Klux Klan rescuing women from violence, contributing to its historical and cultural controversy.
The film received strong criticism from the African American community, prompting responses such as Oscar Micheaux's Within Our Gates (1919) which countered Griffith’s racist narratives.
Griffith's Response to Criticism and Decline
Griffith's follow-up film Intolerance (1916) was a massive epic presenting four narratives of intolerance throughout history.
The film had an astronomical budget of $1.9 million, with over 400 reels filmed (about 65 hours of raw footage).
The public reception for Intolerance was disastrous due to its ambitious style and complex narrative structure, leading Griffith to retreat to more conventional films like Orphans of the Storm (1921).
Griffith fell behind as the industry transitioned to sound films, with his final feature, The Struggle (1931), struggling to find an audience.
Lois Weber
Lois Weber, born in 1881, was one of the earliest prominent female filmmakers in America.
Before directing, she worked as a social activist and scriptwriter at Gaumont.
Weber became one of the highest-paid directors, establishing her production unit Lois Weber Productions in 1917.
Films directed by Weber: The Troubadour’s Triumph (1912), Hypocrites (1915), The Blot (1921).
Weber's works dealt with social issues, emphasizing realism and detail in her narratives.
Experimented with color in films, enhancing visuals through tinting for artistic effect.
Thomas Ince: The Assembly-Line System
Thomas Ince played a pivotal role in establishing the film industry as a business.
He introduced the assembly-line method of production, including the use of storyboards to ensure precise direction.
Ince’s approach allowed him to oversee numerous productions simultaneously but limited creative freedom for directors, rendering them less innovative.
Edison’s Trust and the Formation of Major Studios
Edison formed the Motion Picture Patents Company (Trust) in 1908, controlling film production and distribution through patent enforcement.
His partnership with George Eastman restricted film supply only to Trust members and forced unauthorized producers and exhibitors into litigation and financial pressure.
Carl Laemmle began to oppose the Trust, establishing IMP and later Universal Pictures, successfully undermining Edison’s dominance by signing stars like Florence Lawrence with promotional campaigns to build the star system.
The collapse of Edison’s monopoly came in 1915 when courts deemed it a monopoly, facilitating the swift rise of independent studios.
The Focus Shifts West: Hollywood Emerges
The film industry relocated predominantly to Los Angeles due to favorable conditions like reliable weather, diverse locations, and independence from Edison’s influence.
The industry flourished during World War I, as American filmmakers continued to produce films for international distribution while other global studios were in hiatus.
Key Figures and Styles in Early Hollywood
Mack Sennett, known for slapstick comedies, discovered Charlie Chaplin, who initially starred in short films and created the iconic Little Tramp character.
Chaplin gained fame and control over production, ultimately co-founding United Artists.
Other significant comedians included Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, both known for physical comedy styles with unique characteristics.
The Rise of the Studio System
Major studios began to take shape during the 1910s, such as Universal Pictures (Carl Laemmle), Warner Bros., and Paramount Pictures with vertical integration strategies ensuring exclusive product distribution through owned theaters.
Lesser-known studios such as Republic Pictures and Producers' Releasing Corporation (PRC) also contributed to the studio landscape.
Early Movie Stars
Prominent stars included Mary Pickford, known as “America’s Sweetheart,” who failed to adapt to sound film and subsequently retired.
The first femme fatale was Theda Bara, whose roles embodied seduction and danger in “decadent romances.”
Stars like Rudolph Valentino and Clara Bow defined early romantic leadership in cinema, while comic duos such as Laurel and Hardy became cultural icons known for physical comedy.
Scandal and Censorship in the Industry
The era faced scandals, leading to the establishment of the Hays Office to oversee morality within the industry.
Key figures like Cecil B. DeMille capitalized on censorship by creating moralistic films that depicted sin followed by punishment.
Robert Flaherty and the Documentary Genre
Robert Flaherty pioneered the documentary genre with Nanook of the North (1922), blending staged elements with observational footage of Inuit life.
Erich von Stroheim and Naturalism
Stroheim aimed for extreme naturalism, creating films like Greed (1924), which faced significant editing and truncation, affecting its narrative coherence and wrecking Streinhof’s reputation.
African American Filmmakers and Race Films
William Foster is recognized as the first African American director.
Noble Johnson's Lincoln Motion Picture Company aimed to produce uplifting content for black audiences.
Oscar Micheaux emerged as a significant figure, countering Griffith’s narratives and creating a body of work that went against prevailing stereotypes.
Transition to Sound Films
The introduction of sound films began with The Jazz Singer (1927), despite initial skepticism about the enduring nature of the format.
Sound technology progressed, and feature films began to incorporate synchronized sound, drastically changing the film industry.
Conclusion
The evolution of the film industry was marked by innovation, societal changes, and shifts in audience demand, culminating in Hollywood's emergence as a major cultural force.