Dive into the complete episode list for The History of Film. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.
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Pub. Date
Title
Duration
27 Feb 2022
30- Animation Before the Dinosaur
00:26:23
This is the first of two episodes (only two, I promise) about the great animator Winsor McCay. We cover his life before he became a filmmaker, and his two first movies: Little Nemo (1911) and How a Mosquito Operates (1912).
The history of the film has a discord server, which you can access through this here link: discord.gg/Ud8EcEzvSF
Thank you to my wonderful patrons who helped make this show possible! A special thank you to patron Ed & Shari for supporting this program in such a big way. If you want to support this show, read your name down here in the credits, and get access to cool bonus content, you can! By visiting patreon.com/historyoffilm and becoming a patron, you can play an integral part in actually making this show exist.
If you would like to contact me, you can email me at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com. You can visit historyoffilmpodcast.com to access helpful resources for this episode.
In this episode we finish up our series on early animation by covering Gertie the Dinosaur and The Sinking of the Lusitania, both animated by Winsor McCay. Next time it's back to Europe, where we will cover the the effect of the First World War on European film!
I decided to end the Patreon, at least for the foreseeable future. It was a hard decision, but I wasn't in the position to devote the time that I wanted and needed to make the channel what I wanted it to be. A special thank you to all my patrons for their support. I hope that I can find a way to bring all of the ideas I had for it to life for you in the future!
If you would like to contact me, you can email me at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com. You can visit historyoffilmpodcast.com to access helpful resources for this episode.
The history of the film has a discord server, which you can access through this here link: discord.gg/Ud8EcEzvSF
This episode reexamines some topics we have already looked at, but this time as context for one of history's greatest butcheries, rather than as pure film history. The development of cinema is intertwined with the forces that defined the 20th century. Today we explore how the First World War and the movies are cut from the same fabric, as we set the stage for some of the screen's greatest epochs -- German Expressionism, French Impressionism, Soviet Montage, and the Golden Age of American Silent Film. All that is tied up in The War, so let's start our journey facing it head-on.
-Jake
If you would like to email the show, you can do so at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com.
This week we cover the effect of The War on the French film Industry. While The Conflict's Titanic needs did a real number on French production, it did also help develop a new kind of documentary filmmaking: The Newsreel, which was then put to work in service to the Republic.
If you would like to email me you can do so at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com
34- American Invasion, Sessue Hayakawa, and "The Cheat"
00:56:47
In this episode we cover just how, exactly, American cinema came to dominate Europe in the wake of WW1. We take a look at the economic practices that facilitated the "invasion" of American cinema onto French screens. We also examine one picture in particular, The Cheat, which exemplifies the technical sophistication of U.S. national cinema, and that film's reception by the City of Lights.
If you would like to email me you can do so at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com
The foundations of cinema from cave paintings to the invention of the chronophotographic gun. Visit the show's website at historyoffilmpodcast.com. If you want to get in touch, I would love to hear from you! My email is, predictably, historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com. Audio from movies are used here as transitions, to spice up the show and to remind us where the show is going; clips are from Casablanca (1942), The Maltese Falcon (1941), and Rushmore (1999).
Jake from the future here! Edgar Degas is not a filmmaker he is a painter. I misread the book I was using when I referenced this. If we do, for some reason, talk about Degas, it will not be in the context of filmmaking, because he... wasn't a filmmaker. Yours, -Jake 12 April 2021
Cinema was not born of void. Earlier inventions, including, but not limited to, the magic lantern, diorama theater, the photograph, and vaudeville contributed to what went on in front of the camera in the earliest days of film history. Visit the show's website, historyoffilmpodcast.com for show notes, and contact me at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com. Enjoy the show! I am using soundbites for movies as transitions, reminders of what this is all leading up to, and for my enjoyment (I hope yours too). Once we reach sound film, these clips will be relevant to the topic at hand, I promise. In this episode, these clips are: The Maltese Falcon (1941) The Wizard of Oz (1939) They Live (1988) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Kodak, Edison, and Dixon are introduced, as are their first roles in the story of film history. Next week we cover movies they made. I use movie clips as transitions in this show. Once we reach sound film, all the clips will be very pertinent, but for now, it is just for the joy of movies and as a reminder of where we are eventually headed. This week the movies were: Iron Man (2008) Sabrina (1954) Jaws (1975) Brining up Baby (1938) If you want to contact me, please email me at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com, and visit the show's website: historyoffilmpodcast.com. Happy listening and I will see you next week!
Let's all go to the movies! Sorry, I am two days late. Today we discuss the kinetograph, and the movies made on it, including Fred Ott's Sneeze, Comic Boxing, Serpentine Dance, and more. If you want to contact me, my email is historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com. The website for the show is historyoffilmpodcast.com. I am using soundbites from movies as transitions, reminders of what this is all leading up to, and for my enjoyment (I hope yours too). Once we reach sound film, these clips will be relevant to the topic at hand, I promise. In this episode, these clips are: The 39 Steps (1935) 3:10 to Yuma (1957) Harakiri (1962) (One of my favorite movies of all time, if not my favorite) Amadeus (1984)
This episode we cover an exciting, but ultimately unfruitful, film made in the Black Maria, and voyage to Europe to meet the Lumiere family, and their incredible contributions to cinema.
I told you the clips would start becoming useful just as soon as I could make them do it! This week we have sound clips from The Edison-Dixon Experimental Sound Film (1895?) Singing in the Rain (1954) Amelie (2001) (the only one that isn't applicable to the episode) Hugo (2011)
6- Lumiere "Firsts" and Advancements in Film Before Georges Méliès
00:15:49
This week we look at some of the "firsts" in film history as they occurred in the Lumiere's early projections. We also describe a few advancements in film technology, including the Latham Loop, and the Geneva Drive.
I have had to take the website down for a little while. There were just too many tech issues. But you can still listen at historyoffilm.buzzsprout.com. But I will return with a website soon. You can email me still at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com
Movie Recommendation: Have you ever heard of Seconds? It's a 1966 film directed by John Frankenheimer, and starring Rock Hudson. The best way I can describe it is like an episode of The Twilight Zone that has blossomed into a gorgeous, existentially terrifying movie that is unlike anything else I have ever seen. I first heard about it from this video here, and the good people at Criterion have made an amazing print.
In the most dramatic and magical episode of the show so far, we cover the life and achievements of cinemas first great magician, Georges Méliès. The only movie clip is from the 2011 film Hugo, which touches on subjects of film history and Méliès specifically. I cover the origins of edition, and the first special effects, called "in camera effects." As of 21 October, 2020, the website still isn't up yet, but I am working on it, I promise! you need to see Georges Méliès' movies to understand just how special they are, and I hope within a few weeks to make that possible through the shows website again.
Movie Recommendation: Its October, so it obligatory that a recommend a scary movie to you. This time, its the Val Lewton produced 1942 masterpiece Cat People, a classic horror film thats easy to miss under the ocean of classic Universal Studio's monster pictures (though I love all of those too). Cat people is more eerie than frightening, but includes some of the best moments of tension in classic Hollywood fright films. The titular cat person, whose tale is just as tragic as it is fascinating, haunts a man and woman who become less sympathetic the more you think about them. I hope you enjoy, and like always, try and see the move in the context it was made in, and you may find it frightening too!
It was a big episode this time, and it took me a long time to write. But here it is! As I said at the end of the episode, a huge thanks to Stephen Herbert and Luke McKernan, whose work has proved to be the single most referenced resource I have used in making the show so far. You can their website here: https://www.victorian-cinema.net The definition I used for "tracking Shot" came from the third edition of Film: A Critical Introduction by Maria Pramaggiore and Tom Wallis, which has a very helpful glossary. Another thanks to my dear friend Jerry, who in ten minutes of teaching me how to use the free and open source program Audacity made this the best-sounding episode so far. If you want to contact me, you can email me at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you. To see visual aids for this episode, visit https://www.historyoffilmpodcast.com/ which will have resources listed under episode 8.
Movie clips used in this episode are Hercules, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker (1997) The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, directed by Wes Anderson (2004) Monty Python and the Holy Grail, directed by Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones (1975)
We cover the life and accomplishments of Charles Pathé! This is actually the first in a series of at least two episodes, as I hope to upload one about Leon Gaumont and Alice Guy within two weeks. Thank you all for staying with me through my December 2020 hiatus. Look forward to exciting shows this upcoming year! Also, I accidentally said that my email was historyoffilm@...com (I wish) it is actually historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com. Thank you for listening!
CORRECTION: Okay, it turns out Max Linder is much more remembered than I thought he was. Not only is he featured, albeit briefly, in many of the texts I didn't initially find him in, but he is even mentioned in the 2009 film Inglorious Bastards directed by Quinten Tarantino. The reason I thought he wasn't in many film history books were: A) I had a lot less of them, and B) He is usually featured much later, sometimes even after Chaplin and Silent Hollywood because many textbooks follow an order of "early film–Hollywood–everything else" in their chaptering. I am thrilled to be wrong about this because I love Linder's work, and the more people who know about him the better.
-Jake, May 2021
This week we cover one of the amazing forgotten pioneers of comedy film: Max Linder. All of the movie clips you hear are from Maude Linder's 1983 documentary The Man in the Silk Hat. You can email me at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com, or visit the shows website, still under construction, at historyoffilmpodcast.com.
11- Titans of French Film 2: Leon Gaumont and Alice Guy
00:34:28
A longer episode this week, and we aren't even done yet! In this exciting episode, we cover the early career of Leon Gaumont and his first star director Alice Guy, the first female filmmaker. It was worth the wait, and I will see you next week!
It's the second part of episode 11, in which we cover Alice Guy's movies. Movies, after all, are just as much a part of film history as the people who made them (more actually). In this episode, we discuss: Faust et Méphistophélès (1903) A Story Well Spun (1906) The Drunken Mattress (1907) A Sticky Woman (1906) Madame’s Cravings (1906) The Consequences of Feminism (1906) La Esmerelda (1905) The Barricade (1907) The Girl in the Armchair (1912) A House Divided (1912) A Fool and His Money (1912) Ocean Waif (1916)
That looks like a big list, but the episode is still fun I promise. If you would like to contact me, you can email me at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com. I will see you next week!
Edwin S. Porter and some of his early films and achievements are highlighted here, as well as some achievements that he did not... well, achieve.
There are a couple of references that didn't fit into the flow of the show that I would like to put here:
All of the definitions I used in todays episode were taken directly from the third edition of Film: A Critical Introduction by Maria Pramaggiore and Tom Wallis published by Person in 2011. I felt it would be tedious to say that three times during the show. The boo published by Kodack is How to Make Good Movies: A Complete Guide got the Amateur Movie Maker, published in the year?? by ???? Seriously, there is basically no information about this book’s publicationinside of it besides "printed in the United States of America." I did a little bit of searching online and all I have found is that it is from the 1950's. These old filmmaking instructional books are helpful because they cover the ways people were making film before the advent of digital cameras and editing, which is understandable the focus of much of the internet's filmmaking resources.
If you would like to contact me, you can email me at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com and you can visit the show's website at historyoffilmpodcast.com
13- Edwin S. Porter and the Revolution of the Shot
00:30:29
It’s a big one again this week! We complete our second and Gil episode focused on filmmaker Edwin S. Porter, and discuss how his movies relate to film history. This includes technical innovations, genre development, and early examples of voyeurism in film.
There are several movie clips used in the show, but one of them is unusual for this program. It’s an excerpt from an IGN video review. The link for you to watch the whole review yourself is this here: https://youtu.be/_ee8aFnRvgY
The reason my voice sounds just a little off is because I have been pretty sick for more than a week now. This is far and away the best I have sounded in a while though, so I went into the makeshift recoding booth and gave you my best! This week's show its all about the growth of cinemas's audiences and industry, and attempts by powerful people (mostly Thomas Edison) to control that industry. Towards the end of the show I use a few seconds from the 1977 film Star War's directed by George Lucas. If you would like to email me, you can do so at: historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com And you can visit the show's website at: historyoffilmpodcast.com
This was a wonderful episode to produce, even if it was tricky. If you would like to learn all of the things that I didn't get to in this episode, like some of the wonderful names nickelodeon’s had, I really can't recommend At The Picture Show: Small-Town Audiences and the Creation of Movie Fan Culture by Kathryn Fuller enough. I wish there was an audiobook for it (but I feel that way about every book).
A couple of clarifying points– I assume the "Latin races" that were talked about in the quote from the beginning of the episode were intended to be in reference to people of ethnically Italian origin. I'm fairly confident about this, as I don't think that LatinX people were a major minority population in the metropolitan centers of the Northeastern United States at the turn of the 20th century. People of Italian origin, however, definitely were, which is the basis of my assumption. I use the term "Latin races" as a segue to talk about LatinX peoples in the Southwestern United States, but by doing so I was removing the term from its original context. Women were not common in Nickelodeons of the South and Midwest, but undoubtedly some women, on rare occasions, would have seen movies. I'm not aware of any legal blockade against women attending movies, as was the case with the black populations of the South, but rather extremely powerful social and religious conventions. Still, for all intents and purposes, as I stated in the show, nickelodeons in these regions were dominated by white men and boys.
The song I played in the show was "Let's Go into a Picture Show" as performed by Byron G. Harlan. It was written by Jack Norworth and was released as an Edison Phonograph record in 1909. If you would like to listen to the song in full (I didn't play the first verse in the show) you can look it up on YouTube, or, as I did, the UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive.
This is actually the first of a two-part episode that I was originally going to call "Trustbusters." This week, we cover the early events of Carl Laemmle's life and see the feature film become the dominant form of cinematic presentation in the United States. Next week it is the star system and the exodus to California, where the center of film production has stayed (in the U.S. at least) ever since.
If you would like to contact me, you can do so at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com and you can visit the show's website at http://historyoffilmpodcast.com
Thanks, and I will see you next week! -Jake, May 2021
Here it is, episode 16, which in my heart, is the Kill Bill Vol. II of the podcast. This one pares a lot with episode 15, so I have a couple of brief recaps of the last episode to make the episode flow a little better. I played a clip from Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal from 1982 and was very tempted to play the emperor’s death sounds again when I was talking about the downfall of Edison’s trust. If you would like to contact me you can email me at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com, and you can visit the show's website, historyoffilmpodcast.com, to access resources for each episode. I'm a little behind on updating it, but by the end of the week (22 May 2021), it should be all caught up.
This episode is actually a bonus episode, rather than the other “bonus” episode I’ve released, which was 30 minutes long and took weeks to make.
This episode gets a little heavy, but suicide is a heavy subject. If you, or someone you know, is having suicidal thoughts, know that there is help. In the United States, you can visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org to make contact with people who are here to help you right now. You can also call them on the phone, just dial 800-273-8255.
I'm a great admirer of the writer and philanthropist, John Green, who put it excellently when he said “Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” People struggling with suicidal thoughts make it through them, and you, or the people you know, can too.
I'm sorry that I don't have the information here of other countries, but this kind of help is available in many places across the world.
I also really recommend This Was Hollywood byCarla Valderama. It's entertaining and packed full of information that I used for both this episode and episode 16.
Just as promised in episode 15, this week we begin our journey through the early influences of feature-length movies that will eventually take us into the studio era of the U. S. film industry and D. W. Griffith. Film D'art is more important for what it inspired than what it accomplished, and funnily enough, is skipped over entirely in a book I have on the History of French film, but is still worth discussing. It represents the last holdouts from the Edison/Black Maria style of filmmaking. This "un-cinematic" style of filmmaking will, happily, be in the rearview mirror (unless you count some of the crummy movies I tried to make as a freshman in high school).
If you want to email me you can do so at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com you can visit the show's website at "historyoffilmpodcast.com"
18- Heroines and Villains Every Week! Early U.S. Serial Film
00:22:36
Forget movies that are a mere five reels long, how about three hundred!? In the United States during the "nickelodeon era" of film history, movies got longer in more ways than the ones we have been covering recently. Some became the first film series with continuing stories! We cover that transition and its greatest star in today's episode! Make sure to visit the website, historyoffilmpodcast.com, for this week's episode–there is some information there that is important but didn't make it into the show for various reasons. This includes the very literal origins of the word "cliffhanger" and examples of some of the movies we talked about in this episode. If you would like to email me, you can contact me at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com. Thank you, and happy listening!
19- Murderers, Vamps and Deviants: The Work of Louis Feuillade
00:34:59
It is a little late, but it is also long! This is one I have been researching and working on for a long time. This week it's all about a new kind of serial film–one that takes us out of the light, and into the shadowy depths of a criminal and violent Paris. Louis Feuillade takes us to depths not before plumbed by this show, as we give some much-deserved attention to serial films made by the man whom Alice Guy hand-picked to be her replacement. Fantomas and Les Vampires are two excellent movie serials that will keep you on the edge of your seat! You can watch them on YouTube, but if you have access to it through your local library, I recommend you use the streaming service Kanopy to give them a watch!
The clip I used of Alfred Hitchcock I got here. You can see resources for this episode and others at historyoffilmpodcast.com, and you can contact me at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com.
This is the first of a planned three-episode series about Italian film from before the 1920's and the rise of fascism in Italy. In this very first episode, we cover the earliest origins of Italian film, though much more briefly than we did French film, mostly because there isn't as much written about it. We also go into some detail about the astonishing 1911 special effects wonderland The Inferno directed by a bunch of Italian guys whose names I struggle with.
If you would like to contact me you can email me at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com, and you can visit the show's website at historyoffilmpodcast.com
Hello and welcome back! This is everything about early Italian films that we didn’t cover in the last two episodes. That means we talk a little about how Italian studios were run throughout the 1910s, Important actors not playing Maciste, influential directors (including another of the most prolific women of early film), and a film movement: Futurism. We talk about the movement’s origin, and its only surviving film – Thaïs – and how it, and the whole Italian film industry, entered a decline throughout the 1920s.
If you would like to contact me, you can email me at histoeyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com
And you can visit the show's website at Historyoffilmpodcast.com
Here it is! Its an episode and a subject that has been a long time coming, and it's one that is less important then people used to think, though perhaps a little more important than some people say it is now. D. W. Griffith was a filmmaker who invented nothing, innovated on much, and influenced many (including influencing people to commit acts of viscous evil and pernicious violence). In today's episode, we cover his early life and career, and talk about some of the movies that would lead him to making The Birth of a Nation. You can learn more about some of Griffith's movies in Episode 13, 15, and 16a of this show.
If you would like to email me, you can do so at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com.
This is the first of (hopefully) a recurring series of episodes on film critical theory. Today, with special guest Melissa Favara, we cover the idea of cultural production. This is kind of the broadest way of looking at movies, as a product of a culture rather only the work of an individual or group of filmmakers. This is a lens with witch to look at movies, and a tool for building context for the movies we will encounter throughout this series. I hope you enjoy it!
You can email me at: historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com
Well, where it is. The Birth of a Nation is an extremely important movie. It would be hard to overstate it. In this episode, we cover the original novel the film was based on, and the film-making process for the movie. So, spoilers for a 106-year-old movie, The Birth of a Nation is an evil film. other than the films that were created by the Nazi regime during WWII, I don't think there have been movies that have spread so much evil and hate that have been so widely received. We have to deal with it, so we will do so now.
If you would like to email me, you can do so at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com.
When I write these, I never know just how long they will be. As it turns out, talking about a film that has had a huge impact on the development of film history, and made the world so much worse, is taking a lot of words. So, this is the second of what I hope to be three episodes of The Birth of a Nation. In this episode, we describe the plot of the movie in detail (though I still skipped a couple of things here and there for the sake of brevity, believe it or not), and talk about how the ideas present in the story interact with each other.
The clip I play toward the end is from the 1993 Documentary D. W. Griffith: The Father of Film, directed by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill.
This is the last of it. In this episode, we dig into how and why The Birth of a Nation was so influential, and who was influenced by it. I am happy to say that next week we will be moving on from here. So three cheers for that.
If you would like to email me, you can do so at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com You can visit the show's website at historyoffilmpodcast.com and you can support the show at patreon.com/historyoffilm
In this episode we take a look at Griffith's second most famous movie, Intolerance, and examine its production, structure, and impact. We also (finally) finish the long arc of Griffith's story, and bring his career, and his time here on the podcast, to a close.
I would like to give special credit to my wonderful patron Ed & Shari for supporting this episode and helping to make this show possible. If you want to support this show, read your name down here in the credits, and get access to cool bonus content, you can! By visiting patreon.com/historyoffilm and becoming a patron, you can play an integral part in actually making this show exist.
If you would like to contact me, you can email me at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com. You can visit historyoffilmpodcast.com to access helpful resources for this episode.
The long promised day is finally here! We dive into the world of animation, examine ancient Iranian pottery, and meet animators named Charles-Emile Reynaud and James Stewart Blackton, as we begin our journey though a whole other kind of cinema.
Thank you to my wonderful patrons who help make this show possible! A special thank you to patron Ed & Shari for supporting this program in such a big way. If you want to support this show, read your name down here in the credits, and get access to cool bonus content, you can! By visiting patreon.com/historyoffilm and becoming a patron, you can play an integral part in actually making this show exist.
If you would like to contact me, you can email me at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com. You can visit historyoffilmpodcast.com to access helpful resources for this episode.
You can join the History of Film discord server by using this link; discord.gg/Ud8EcEzvSF
It's a new year, and the History of Film is back! In this episode, we cover the life and achievements of French animator Emile Cohl, as he creates the first paper film animation, and brings fluidity and grace to a medium he helped invent!
Thank you to my wonderful patrons who helped make this show possible! A special thank you to patron Ed & Shari for supporting this program in such a big way. If you want to support this show, read your name down here in the credits, and get access to cool bonus content, you can! By visiting patreon.com/historyoffilm and becoming a patron, you can play an integral part in actually making this show exist.
If you would like to contact me, you can email me at historyoffilmpodcast@gmail.com. You can visit historyoffilmpodcast.com to access helpful resources for this episode.
You can join the History of Film discord server by using this link; discord.gg/Ud8EcEzvSF
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