MUHAMMAD ABDULLAH

NCA-FTV-469-2021

FILM HISTORY - I

The ideological drive behind the tradition of cinema technology during the last two decades

of the nineteenth century.

The conceptual paradigm constructed by the early filmmakers in the last two decades of

the nineteenth century tapped lightly in the realm of narrative exposition and psychological

realism and rather encircled around the visual stimulation of the spectators, adding to their sense

of reality.

Contrary to the glorified argument that films were used as a tool to incite the intricacies

of ideological stereotypes and societal constructions among the general population, I personally

discern these actualities not as a medium of storytelling but as a source of life for the spectators,

however, magnified it might be. For example, Le Repas de Bébé, an 1895 French actuality

portrays a very minimalistic patio scene where a family is feeding their baby. The scene is a mere

representation of an ordinary aspect of reality, though infused with a plethora of emotions, the

simplicity pertains. However, one can’t stop but try to identify and unravel the hidden storylines

and the co-incidental juxtapositions in the perspective and framing used in these actualities. For

example, Rough Sea at Dover, an 1895 British actuality captures series of intense waves hitting

against the pier along the shoreline. Now, this could be either perceived as an ordinary

occurrence or something a little more perplexing with a psycho-social subtext. It could be a

visual representation of a celebrated lyrical poem called Dover Beach written by Matthew

Arnold that talks about the existential crisis on a macro-level concerning the faith. The same
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phenomenon can also be applied to La sortie de l'usine Lumière à Lyon, 1895 French actuality

directed by Louis Lumière that captures employees leaving the Lumière Factory. If scrutinized

through the scope of the psychological paradigm, this could qualify as an exceptional character

study that can be used to study gestures and human interactions, and a parallel approach would

be perceiving this actuality as a piece of attraction. Understanding that these actualities are

capable of psychological explanations does not clearly detail the intention of its creators because

we are missing out on the social and cultural context of the timeframe when they were created.

An interesting conclusion is that no matter what is captured on-screen with whatever intentions,

if it is about life, it’ll hide within it, a marvelous story. It can be assumed that these actualities

laid down the structural framework for the upcoming narrative expositions.

The intimidation of the technological advancement is equally as crucial in understanding

the ideological drive behind the tradition of cinema in the early nineteenth century because it was

an era of inventions where every morning something inexplicably brilliant was invented. These

actualities could also be a result of experimentation and practical assessment of newly developed

equipment that further led to the creation of avant-garde in modern cinema. Since the narrative or

fictionalized approach towards storytelling is encapsulated through strenuous pre-production, the

growing curiosity of inventors and filmmakers might not have left enough room for that.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Gunning, Tom. "The Cinema of Attraction[s]: Early Film, Its Spectator and the
Avant-Garde." In The Cinema of Attractions Reloaded, edited by Strauven Wanda,
381-88. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2006. Accessed June 22, 2021.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n09s.27.
2. Arnold, Matthew, and Jonathan Middlebrook. 1970. Dover Beach. Columbus, Ohio:
Merrill.
3. Rough Sea at Dover, 1895. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000030/.
4. La Sortie De L'usine Lumière à Lyon, 1895. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000010/.
5. Repas de bébé, 1895. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000029/.