The photoplay; a psychological study (1916)

DEVELOPMENT OF MOVING PICTURES ments and sensations had to be satisfied if the success was to last. The mere enjoyment of the technical wonder as such necessarily faded away and the interest could be kept up only if the scenes presented on the screen be- came themselves more and more enthralling. The trivial acts played in less than a minute without any artistic setting and without any . rehearsal or preparation soon became unsat- isfactory. The grandmother who washes the baby and even the street boy who plays a prank had to be replaced by quick little com- edies. Stages were set up; more and more elaborate scenes were created; the film grew and grew in length. Competing companies in France and later in the United States, Eng- land, Germany and notably in Italy developed more and more ambitious productions. As early as 1898 the Eden Musee in New York produced an elaborate setting of the Passion Play in nearly fifty thousand pictures, which needed almost an hour for production. The personnel on the stage increased rapidly, huge establishments in which any scenery could be built up sprang into being. But thel inclosed scene was often not a sufficient back- ground; the Mnematographio camera was 19