Product Details

• Directors: Charles Musser
• Format: Black & White, Color, DVD, NTSC, Silent
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: KINO VIDEO
• DVD Release Date: April 22, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0013XZ6QQ
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #86,130 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #29 in	Movies & TV > Documentary > Comedy
  #61 in	Movies & TV > Documentary > Film History & Film Making

• For more information about "Before the Nickelodeon: The Early Cinema of Edwin S. Porter" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Review
The rare documentary which enchants while it educates. --Carrie Rickey, VILLAGE VOICE

Product Description
Noted film historian Charles Musser (The Emergence of Cinema) co-wrote and directed this definitive tribute to Edwin S. Porter, Thomas Edison s mechanic and cameraman, who is now recognized as America s first important filmmaker and a major contributor to the evolution of film structure. Porter was the first U.S. filmmaker to successfully explore the possibilities of making films with continuous action from shot to shot, instead of single scene films that the showman arranged at the point of exhibition. From the time of his hugely successful The Great Train Robbery (1903) until Griffith started at Biograph (1908), Porter held center stage in early American cinema. Sadly, however, Edison quickly discarded Porter once his approach to filmmaking seemed to have become old-fashioned. Narrated by silent-movie actress Blanche Sweet, BEFORE THE NICKELODEON is a treasure trove of rarely seen material, including hand-colored photographs and sixteen complete Porter films, among them The May Irwin Kiss (1896), The Sunken Battleship Maine (1898), Jack and the Beanstalk (1902) and Life of an American Fireman (1902-1903).

Special Features: Three Additional Porter Shorts: UNCLE JOSH AT THE MOVING PICTURE SHOW (1902) - WAITING AT THE CHURCH (1906) - LIFE OF A COWBOY (1906)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Documentary on Porter plus some of his works, March 14, 2008

By	calvinnme "Texan refugee" (Fredericksburg, Va) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

Edwin S. Porter, best known as the director of "The Great Train Robbery," is the subject of an hour-long documentary co-written and directed by film scholar Charles Musser and narrated by silent film star Blanche Sweet. The disc includes three vintage shorts never before available on DVD:
Uncle Josh at the Moving Picture Show (1902)
Waiting at the Church (1906)
Life of a Cowboy (1906)
There are a total of 16 Porter films on the DVD including The May Irwin Kiss (1896), The Sunken Battleship `Maine' (1898), Jack and the Beanstalk (1902) and Life of an American Fireman (1902). Obviously there is going to be some overlap with this DVD and the more expensive and expansive DVD set, Edison - The Invention of the Movies (1891-1918). However, for the low price of this set it might be worth it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Before D.W. Griffith there was... Edwin S. Porter, October 6, 2004

By	Barbara Burkowsky (Manly, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Before the Nickelodeon; Cinema of Edwin S Porter [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is an interesting one hour documentary about Edwin S. Porter who provided a significant influence in the development of early cinema around the turn of the century before D.W. Griffith became America's most prominent film director. The documentary begins with Thomas Edison and his phonograph invention at the end of the 1800s, and shows us how moving pictures came onto the scene shortly thereafter, focussing on Edwin Porter's efforts in the early years of the 1900s. The story is told using excerpts from moving pictures and still photographs, many of them coloured in various ways which I found unusual and interesting. The narration is mainly by Blanche Sweet, a well-known actress of early cinema herself, and she speaks rather slowly which might take a little getting used to at first, but overall everything is clear and easy to understand. This documentary is obviously for those who are interested in the development of film-making, but also a treat for the history buff in general for its many old photographs and excerpts from film footage; news coverage, re-enactments and the first storytelling films alike.

Some highlights of this documentary for me were the explanations about how editing began, what Porter did, who influenced him to do so, and how the public responded. It was also interesting to learn how quickly a 30-minute film became so popular that it began to be mass-produced within a few years - which Porter resisted for some reason and sadly he was left behind when editing, film continuity and storytelling really began to progress from around 1908 onwards, and D.W. Griffith stepped into the limelight. Overall, a nice documentary that serves as a good introduction and overview of the first steps of cinema, with at least two complete Porter productions ("Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Life of an American Fireman")from 1902-1903, and excerpts from several others. This tape would nicely complement the DVD box set "The Movies Begin" which I'd also recommend for anyone interested in history and the development of film-making.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Porter should be better served, July 30, 2004

By	Jmark2001 (Florida) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Before the Nickelodeon; Cinema of Edwin S Porter [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is an el cheapo tribute to Porter. Clips are not always in the best condition. It looks as if none were restored with modern techniques. Biography is skeletal. Narration is boring. Some portions are introduced with intertitles. If you have seen "the Great train Robbery" you do not need to see this.