How Old is Cinema

Cinema is a modern form of art and entertainment consisting of "moving pictures" projected onto a screen. The first "moving pictures" were shown in the 1890's.Thomas Edison (the inventor of the light bulb) showed "moving pictures" of a boxing match in the USA. At the same time, Lumire in France and R. W Paul in England, and others, were making "moving pictures" of events, such as a train coming into a station and the Derby ( a famous horserace ) in 1896.

The first film not associated with actual events was "A Trip to the Moon", which the Frenchman George Méliès made in 1902. In 1903 Edwin S. Porter directed "The great Train Robbery ". This cost about $100 to make and became incredibly popular. People all over the world saw it and it earned more than $ 20.000.

For the first 4 years American directors shot films of indoor scenes, outside in the daylight in Hollywood, USA, and so, because of its sunny climate, Hollywood became the centre of American film production. Early films contained no sound. This was because the technology necessary for recording sound on film did not exist. However, cinema was very popular and Hollywood's early "stars", for example Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, are still famous today, even thought they died many years ago.

The introduction of the sound took place in the 1920's. These films became known as "talkies" because audiences could see the actors and hear them talking as well. The first major sound film was "The Jazz Singer" 1927.