A history of the movies (1931)

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A NEW FORM OF THEATER 37 embarrassment and downfall of dignity had been basic items in the recipes of funmakers for hundreds of years, and these elements were "sure-fire laugh-getters" when transferred to the screen. Travel scenes in foreign lands were interesting, and so too were those classes of current events which later were definitely organized as "news reels" and became and have remained a standard feature of screen programs. Movie scenes of the SpanishAmerican War were a revelation, and in 1898-99 these were the first animated pictures to be seen by many people. A circular of the Edison Wargraph Company advertising "Edison's latest marvel, the Projectoscope" to exhibit the films at ten and twenty cents admittance, reveals the position of films during this period and the phraseology emphasizes the importance of novelty: Edison's latest marvel, the Projectoscope. The giving of life to pictures so natural that life itself is no more real. Life motion, realism, photographed from nature so true to life as to force the observer to believe that they are viewing the reality and not the reproduction. If you have never seen animated pictures, don't fail to see this one. If you have seen them, see this one, the greatest of them all! War views. All the best views of the SpanishAmerican War. Wonderfully realistic, thrilling and appalling. Every American citizen should see this entertainment. Interspersed with the war views are many new and varied scenes of real life. Satisfaction guaranteed. Amusing — Instructive — Marvelous — bringing the whole world to your door. "The Passion Play at Oberammergau" and its imitations manufactured in America and an occasional picture of a prize fight were almost the only attempts to produce movies of a thousand feet or more prior to 1903-4. The "Passion Play" was more than two thousand feet long, but this strain on the attention-capacity of audiences was regarded as justifiable because of the religious nature of the subject. Rather long prize fights (ten to twentyfive minutes), were exhibited because of the masculine interest