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Showing posts with the label The Fall of a Nation

Firsts in Film History

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Do you ever wonder when a certain event happened for the first time in recorded history? Well, if you do, you are in for a treat (hopefully), because today I am sharing with you 10 firsts in film history. From the first motion picture to premiere in Hollywood, to the first «talkie» and the first Technicolor film, these events not only represented advances in cinema technology, but also paved the way for future filmmakers. 1. The first ever motion picture to be made in Hollywood was In Old California (1910). Directed by D. W. Griffith for Biograph Company, then based in New York City, the film was a 17-minute melodrama set in the early 19th century, when California was under Spanish and Mexican rule. It starred Frank Powell, Arthur V. Johnson, Marion Leonard and Henry B. Walthall. The short was considered lost for many decades, until a copy was found in 2004 and screened at the Beverly Hills Film Festival. LEFT: Marion Leonard, Henry B. Walthall and Arthur Johnson in In Old Californ...

Classic Movie Fact of the Week: The First Sequel in Movie History

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Did you know that... The first sequel in motion picture history was The Fall of a Nation (1916), which is a follow-up to D. W. Griffith's epic drama The Birth of a Nation (1915). Based on Thomas Dixon Jr.'s novel and play The Clansman , The Birth of a Nation changed the history of American cinema. With a cast that included Lillian Gish and future Oscar winner Donald Crisp, the three-hour film chronicled the relationship of two families during the American Civil War and Reconstruction era over the course of several years. The film was a great financial success, although it created a wave of controversy for its portrayal of black men as unintelligent and aggressive towards white women and the portrayal of the Klu Klux Klan as a heroic force.   (from left to right) Josephine Crowell, Henry B. Walthall and Lilian Gish in The Birth of a Nation ; Raoul Walsh and Lillian Gish in the same film. Hoping to capitalize on the massive success of The Birth of a Nation , Dixon decided to ...