Overview

In this vivid and accessible new account of the dawn of film in Britain, internationally respected film historian and curator Bryony Dixon introduces us to Britain's first cinematic pioneers – an eclectic mix of chemists, engineers, photography enthusiasts, fairground showmen and magicians – who in a few short years built a vibrant new industry. As she chronicles the emergence of the first embryonic film forms and genres, she reveals often surprising innovations, from cutting-edge science to ingeniously witty tricks and comedies, with filmmakers reflecting existing entertainment forms as well as advancing editing and cinematography in ways that shaped the art of film for many decades after. Dixon offers fresh insights by focusing on the films themselves – many of them only recently available to view – while building on the work of generations of scholars. In the process, Dixon makes a compelling case for the British filmmakers of the era as inventive and creative figures, every bit as influential as their more celebrated contemporaries in France and the US.

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9781911239611

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Bryony Dixon has been instrumental in bringing the BFI Archive’s unique collection of Victorian films to the widest possible audience. In this beautifully illustrated book, she provides these potent and often undervalued historical documents with a thoughtful and informative commentary. -- Barry Anthony, co-author of A Victorian Film Enterprise (1999) Bryony Dixon brings to life the marvels of Victorian cinema in this book. Providing a field-guide to the different genres of the period, this is the perfect accompaniment to the newly digitized treasures from the BFI National Archive. -- Malcolm Cook, University of Southampton, UK Bursting with great stories and enterprising characters, this book makes a convincing, and very entertaining, case for pausing to savour cinema’s first decade. In this page-turning survey of innovations, ingenuity and vital sparks of imagination, we see the seeds of all cinematic life to come. -- Pamela Hutchinson, author of The Red Shoes and Pandora’s Box (BFI Film Classics) With verve and intelligence, Bryony Dixon provides a comprehensive introduction to Victorian cinema, setting these films in historical context while proving that the past is much closer, and more familiar, than we think. Her intimate knowledge of these gems makes her the ideal guide. -- Jay Weissberg, director, The Pordenone Silent Film Festival

Bryony Dixon has been instrumental in bringing the BFI Archive's unique collection of Victorian films to the widest possible audience. In this beautifully illustrated book, she provides these potent and often undervalued historical documents with a thoughtful and informative commentary. -- Barry Anthony, co-author of A Victorian Film Enterprise (1999) Bryony Dixon brings to life the marvels of Victorian cinema in this book. Providing a field-guide to the different genres of the period, this is the perfect accompaniment to the newly digitized treasures from the BFI National Archive. -- Malcolm Cook, University of Southampton, UK Bursting with great stories and enterprising characters, this book makes a convincing, and very entertaining, case for pausing to savour cinema's first decade. In this page-turning survey of innovations, ingenuity and vital sparks of imagination, we see the seeds of all cinematic life to come. -- Pamela Hutchinson, author of The Red Shoes and Pandora's Box (BFI Film Classics) With verve and intelligence, Bryony Dixon provides a comprehensive introduction to Victorian cinema, setting these films in historical context while proving that the past is much closer, and more familiar, than we think. Her intimate knowledge of these gems makes her the ideal guide. -- Jay Weissberg, director, The Pordenone Silent Film Festival

Bryony Dixon has been instrumental in bringing the BFI Archive's unique collection of Victorian films to the widest possible audience. In this beautifully illustrated book, she provides these potent and often undervalued historical documents with a thoughtful and informative commentary. -- Barry Anthony, co-author of A Victorian Film Enterprise (1999) Bryony Dixon brings to life the marvels of Victorian cinema in this book. Providing a field-guide to the different genres of the period, this is the perfect accompaniment to the newly digitized treasures from the BFI National Archive. -- Malcolm Cook, University of Southampton, UK Bursting with great stories and enterprising characters, this book makes a convincing, and very entertaining, case for pausing to savour cinema's first decade. In this page-turning survey of innovations, ingenuity and vital sparks of imagination, we see the seeds of all cinematic life to come. -- Pamela Hutchinson, author of The Red Shoes and Pandora's Box (BFI Film Classics)

Author Information

Bryony Dixon is curator of silent film at the BFI National Archive. She is the author of 100 Silent Films (BFI Screen Guides, 2011) and has written numerous articles and book chapters on silent cinema and archiving. She is co-director of the British Silent Film Festival and has programmed films for many international festivals. She has been lead curator on a number of the BFI’s recent film restorations, including Underground (1928), Shooting Stars (1927), Epic of Everest (1924), The Great White Silence (1924), all nine surviving Hitchcock silent films and the BFI’s large format Victorian films.

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