Before the Nickelodeon: The Early Cinema of Edwin S. Porter

Anyone even vaguely interested in the early history of U.S. filmmaking will certainly have heard of The Great Train Robbery, an eight-minute 1903 Western often celebrated as a milestone in the development of cinematic storytelling in America. But the name of the director—Edwin S. Porter, the subject of this hour-long 1982 documentary—is far less familiar. Porter, a former projectionist and theatre manager, became the head of film production at the Edison Company in 1900, holding the position for nine years, during which time he introduced the sort of narrative film pioneered in France by Georges Méliès to the U.S., featuring many of cinema's most basic storytelling techniques. Combining stills, archival footage, and extended excerpts from Porter's films (and those of others), filmmaker Charles Musser's Before the Nickelodeon, narrated by silent film star Blanche Sweet (a bit awkwardly—though Sweet was nearly 90 at the time), does a solid job of highlighting Porter's career, pointing out both his contributions and his limitations, as well as detailing the difficulties he encountered working with Edison. But it also offers an informative sketch of the changing face of popular entertainment in turn-of-the-century America, situating Porter's work within a larger cultural context. DVD extras include three Porter shorts: “Uncle Josh at the Moving Picture Show” (1902), “Life of a Cowboy” (1906), and “Waiting at the Church” (1906). Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)