The History of the Cinema (1956)

Maurice Denham takes us on a lightly humorous journey from the beginnings of art, then via a possibly heretical monk to the camera obscura, then to the top secret development of the movie camera. Who got there first? Well it was a Frenchman who initially demonstrated a moving image - some can-can dancers? Cinema is born to great applause and soon they were popping up all over the world. The birth of Hollywood - the Cowboy and Indian films that took advantage of the pristine light and varied terrain - soon to be ideal for a myriad of exciting genres that made more and more money! Slapstick, romance, melodrama then the censor with scissors! Talkies! A complete re-invention of the industry and an whole new slew of stars; then colour; then television; widescreen cinema.... It's quite an entertaining potted history of just how mankind has struggled to capture images and the animation, though a bit linear, manages to keep the humour going and minimises any boring "science". The narration is peppered with some curious accents and that helps give this the international flavour it needs to reflect just how this business evolved. Good fun.