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The guy who invented movies as we know them? You've never heard of him.
TMDB
61
IMDb
64
Watch(US)

Before the Nickelodeon: The Cinema of Edwin S. Porter (1982)

archival excavationfilm school essentialquietly revolutionary

Overview

Documentary

A documentary overview of the career of silent cinema pioneer Edwin S. Porter.

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Content warning

Standout Aspects

Direction

Musser resurrects Porter with scholarly obsession

Editing

Shows the literal invention of film editing

Production

Legendary directors doing voice work as readers

Best for:Solo: Sunday morning with coffee and genuine curiosity·Rewatch: When you need reminding why you love movies
C

Director

Charles Musser

ReleasedOct 9, 1982
Runtime1h
StatusReleased

Vibe

Paceslow
Intensitylow
Tonemixed
Feelmedium

Top Cast

Blanche Sweet

Blanche Sweet

Narrator (voice)

D. A. Pennebaker

D. A. Pennebaker

Reader - Film as a Visual Newspaper (voice)

Miloš Forman

Miloš Forman

Reader - The Biddle Brothers (voice)

Louis Malle

Louis Malle

Reader - Melies Catalogue (voice)

Robert Altman

Robert Altman

Reader - 'Jack And The Beanstalk' Promo (voice)

Thomas A. Edison

Thomas A. Edison

Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Edwin S. Porter

Edwin S. Porter

Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Trivia

Porter directed 'The Great Train Robbery' (1903) but died in obscurity in 1941, having outlived his own relevance by decades.

Cultural

Theassembled voice cast—Altman, Forman, Malle, Pennebaker—represents a 1980s generation of filmmakers reclaiming their silent ancestor.

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