The History of Film

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

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The History of Film Podcast has been on Haitus since May of 2022. This announcement officially ends that. Let's get back to it!

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See you soon!

-Jake!     

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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 [email protected].
You can visit historyoffilmpodcast.com to access helpful resources for this episode.

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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 [email protected].
You can visit historyoffilmpodcast.com to access helpful resources for this episode.

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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 [email protected].
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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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 [email protected].
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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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 [email protected].
You can visit historyoffilmpodcast.com to access helpful resources for this episode.

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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 [email protected]
You can visit the show's website at historyoffilmpodcast.com
and you can support the show at patreon.com/historyoffilm

Thank you for listening!

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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. 

You can contact me at [email protected], and you can visit the show's website: historyoffilmpodcast.com to view resources for each episode.

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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 [email protected].

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