Sleepy History - Cinema

Episode Date: January 11, 2026

From flickering silent films to the golden age of Hollywood and the digital blockbusters of the modern day, the history of cinema is a tale of creativity, innovation, and storytelling. Discover how moving pictures came to be, captivated audiences, transformed culture, and became a beloved part of daily life. Tonight, we dime the lights and raise the curtain, as the enchanting history of film gently guides you into a deep, restful sleep. Narrated by: Heather Foster Written by: Angela Wood Includes mentions of: World Wars I & II, Wartime, Jim Crow South, Segregation #history #sleep #bedtime #story #cinema #film #movies About Sleepy History  Explore history's most intriguing stories, people, places, events, and mysteries, delivered in a supremely calming atmosphere. If you struggle to fall asleep and you have a curious mind, Sleepy History is the perfect bedtime companion. Our stories will gently grasp your attention, pulling your mind away from any racing thoughts, making room for the soothing music and calming narration to guide you into a peaceful sleep.  Want to enjoy Sleepy History ad-free? Start your 7-day free trial of Sleepy History Premium: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sleepyhistory.supercast.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Have feedback or an episode request? Let us know at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠slumberstudios.com/contact⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sleepy History is a production of Slumber Studios. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.slumberstudios.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Sleepy History. Sleepy History is a production of Slumber Studios. To listen ad-free, get access to bonus episodes, and support the ongoing production of this show. Check out our premium feed. Cinema. The magical world of light and color, sound and storytelling. Have you ever wondered how it all began?

Who made the very first film? And how has it evolved to become one of the most lucrative industries in the world? This story will take us from the time of black and white silent films to the heyday of Hollywood blockbusters. We'll learn about the innovative technology, groundbreaking movies, and creative minds that shaped the industry. And look at what the future holds in the era of streaming services. So just relax and let your mind drift as we explore the sleepy history of cinema.

It's a sunny day in California in the latter half of the 1800s. A British man named Edward Moybridge is spending time in Yosemite Valley, capturing photographs of animals and landscapes. Photography was a big part of public life at the time, and many photographers had been sent to capture images of Civil War battlefields and gold-rush discoveries in America. Edward preferred to focus on the beautiful California landscapes, since, as a consequence of gold mining,

the lush green valleys were in fast decline, Around 1878, Edward met Leland Stanford, one of the founders of Stanford University. Leland was a horse breeder and was trying to settle a debate as to whether when galloping, a horse had all four hoofs off the ground at the same time. He enlisted Moibridge to take a series of photographs in quick succession during a horse race to prove his theory correct. Moybridge obliged and arranged a line of cameras along the track on race day. As the horse galloped to the finish line,

the cameras were triggered by strings attached to its path. This allowed him to capture the successive phases of the horse's movement. The following year, the photographs were projected, to an awe-struck audience in San Francisco through a zoopraxoscope. This was an early device designed to display moving images. The 12 photographs were the world's first ever known moving images to be shown on screen. It was a pivotal moment in history. These images, now known as the horse in motion,

prove Leland Stanford's theory about his horse correct. But more importantly, the showing set the stage for what happened next. In Europe, other photographers were also experimenting with moving pictures. Some historians believe that the first real film was the six-second-long Passage du Venus, or Transit of Venus, which is a very film, is also the oldest film listed on the internet movie database, or IMDB. It depicted moving shots of the planet Venus, as it made its transit across the sun. It was filmed by French astronomer Pierre Jules Janssen.

Others believe that the Round Hay garden scene, filmed in 1888 by Louis Le Prince, was the first continuous motion picture because it included actors. The black and white silent movie filmed at Oakwood Grange in Leeds, England, featured four friends elegantly dressed, walking in the gardens. It was shot on a single lens camera at seven frames per second, and it lasted for less than three seconds. Back in America, also in eight,

1888, a decade after Moybridge's discovery, a laboratory owned by Thomas Edison had begun to make two devices, the kinetoscope and kinetograph. The first was a motion picture device. The kinetoscope was designed so that one person at a time could view films through a viewfinder people. This device would later go on to become the industry standard for cinematic film projection. The kinetic graph, in comparison, was a motion picture camera with a quick stop-go movement to photograph scenes. Edison released both ideas in America, but as he didn't file patents in Europe, there was room for other inventors to enter the scene. The Lumiere family of Leibald's family of Leibald. in France rose to the challenge. Antoine Lumiere had a successful photography business,

and his sons, August and Louis, had a passion for science. In 1894, Antoine was invited to Paris to view Thomas Edison's new kinetoscope. He was impressed with the device, but thought its design and capabilities could be improved upon. Upon his return, home to Lyon, he instructed his sons to find a solution that combined animation with projection. Louis Lumiere was at the time running his own factory in the city, producing photographic plates. He began working with Jules Carpentier, a well-known engineer and inventor to find a solution. The result was the cinematograph. It was a portable device, part camera, part printer, and part projector,

and it could capture 16 frames per second. It was unlike its contemporaries as it did not rely on electrical power. All that was needed was a lantern with gas for it to run. Inside the device, a film transport mechanism was added, consisting of two pins or claws inserted into holes at each side of the film. And at the rear of the cinematograph, a handle operated a rotating shutter and controlled the take-up magazine and film transport mechanism. The brothers began to experiment with the cinematograph. They would film factory workers leaving for the day, trains arriving at the station, and mothers feeding their children. They presented four short films about the Lyon Fire Department and sent cameramen to film scenes in far-flung places like China and Japan.

Auguste and Louis Lumiere demonstrated the cinematograph to the French Photographic Congress. in Lyon in June 1895. The brothers had filmed the delegates the previous day, and many in the audience were surprised and impressed to see themselves on the screen. The Lumiere's device began to attract attention, and in December 1895, their father Antoine decided to launch it publicly in Paris. August and Louis, were skeptical and didn't agree with his decision.

They believed that the cinematograph required further work, but Antoine's mind was made up. He went to Paris alone to show the device. The first commercial public screening was attended by journalists, theater directors, and their friends. It was held in the fame Salon Andean du Grand Cafe on a boulevard de Capucon. The presentation consisted of ten short films, all black and white, and the entire showing lasted around 15 minutes. It was the beginning of something huge. From that moment forward,

the first paid public cinema shows commenced. The cost of admission was one franc, the equivalent of just over one U.S. dollar today, and the ten films were shown to show. 20 times a day in halls known as parlors, beginning at 10 a.m. and ending at 1.30 a.m. the following morning. Initially, there was little public interest in the films, and newspapers often criticize the cinematograph name. Many passers-by entered the halls simply out of curiosity. However, once they had seen the films, the news sprang. read rapidly, and soon the cues to enter the cinemas in Paris, stretched for almost half a mile.

In 1896, across the English Channel, the first public cinema screening was held on Regent Street in the heart of London. Robert Paul, a British cinema pioneer, was eager to demonstrate his own Theatograph Projector. The show was organized by a British agent of the Lumiere brothers. There were just 54 people in the audience, but word spread, and soon, showings were being held in the iconic Empire Theater in Lester Square. Later the same year, the first cinematograph showing took place at Keith's Union Square Theater in New York City. Following the success of their devices debut in Paris, the Lumiere brothers had set up their own agency in New York.

In the early days, their agency flourished. However, in the following year, their business was taken from them. The Americans said that they had imported the apparatus and films illegally. Consequently, their assets were swiftly turned. transferred to American agents, McGuire and Bacchus. This was a company that had the exclusive rights to sell and exhibit Edison's kinetoscope and his films around the world. In the U.S., films that were sprocketed or perforated in the Edison format became

the industry standard. But the Lumiere brothers weren't defeated. They went on to create the Lomier. Lumiere Cinematograph model B. It was a projection-only machine designed to be compatible with Edison's perforated film. The brothers continued to work on various technical aspects for the industry, but within a few years, they withdrew completely from the cinema business. The Lumiere brothers returned to their photography roots, but their contribution to cinema was set in stone. Their achievements over a short period of time were vast. They showed their

first films in the world's first purpose-built cinema, the Eden Theater in Nassiota in the south of France, which still exists to this day. In 1896, their camera team filmed the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II in Russia with 35mm film, a documentary piece that lasted more than an hour and 30 minutes, and their technology was used to make China's first film. Released in 1905, it was a recording of the Peking Opera known as Ding Dun Mountain, made by Ren Qing Tai. In the years that followed, as the industry continued its evolution, the British cinema color process was utilized to create natural color moving images. The technique was often used to create documentary style pieces or actuality films.

The first full-length film that used the process was the Delhi Durbar, also known as With Our King and Queen Through India. It was released in 1912 and ran for 150 minutes. By the time the First World War began in 1914, France, Italy, Russia, and Scandinavia had prominent filmmaking industries. The once black and white silent films had evolved into seamless acts of storytelling, many with color visuals and narratives. People were paying money to see movies, and as this happened, the industry began to invest more in production, distribution, and exhibitions.

The poem Cinema Exit by Richard Aldington, which was published in 1916, describes his disenchantment with changes to modern urban life wrought by technology, as exemplified by cinema in particular. It reads, after the click and whir of the glimmering pictures, the dry feeling in the eyes, as the sight follows the electric flickerings, the banal sentimentality of the films, the hushed concentration of the people, the tinkling piano, suddenly, a vast avalanche of greenish-yellow lines, pours over the threshold. White globes darting vertical rays spot the somber buildings. The violent gloom of the night battles with the radiance. Swift figures, legs, skirts, white cheeks, hats, flicker in oblique rays of dark and light. Millions of human vermin. swarm, sweating along the night-arched cavernous roads.

Along with the changes brought by new technology, other societal and cultural shifts were happening the world over. Prior to World War I, from 1890 onwards, over 15 million people had decided to leave Europe and immigrate to America. Among these people were a handful of men that would later go on to establish the Big Five movie studios in Hollywood, California. Sukor Aldolf, or Adolf Zukor, left Hungary bound for the shores of America in 1891. Upon his arrival, he started a fur business that was very successful.

But when his cousin approached him to invest in the United States, several movie theaters in New York, he jumped at the chance. This led him to establish the famous players film company. It merged with Lasky's feature play company and later went on to become Paramount Pictures. When Hirsch Moizsavs-Voszal arrived in America from Germany in 1889, he changed his name to the more westernized, Harry Warner. He went on to found Warner Brothers Studios. And another man, freed Vilmosch, also known as Wilhelm Fox from Hungary, changed his name to William Fox and established the 20th century Fox movie studio.

During the First World War, European film production came to a halt. The chemicals used in celluloid production were instead sent to manufacturing plants to make gas masks and cordite used in firearm cartridges. Celluloid was an important element in the film industry. It was for capturing and projecting moving pictures as it helped to string together the individual frames. Cinemas couldn't function without it. While this was occurring in Europe, the American film industry began to thrive, unfortunately in part due to the release of Birth of a Nation. This 1915 film by D.W. Griffith glorified the Ku Klux Klan,

and was based on the book The Klansman by Thomas Dixon. While it was racist propaganda, it was also generally regarded as the first feature film as we understand them today. It was a non-serial 12-real length, scripted story using special effects and an orchestral score. These are some of its pioneering aspects that set standards for many years to come, despite its harmful subject matter. It was screened at the White House for President Woodrow Wilson and members of his family and cabinet. He's quoted as saying, It is like writing history with lightning.

And my only regret is that it is all so terribly true. By the time the First World War ended in 1918, over 90% of the international film market was controlled by America, much of it based in Hollywood. But in the years to follow, Germany would rise to prominence for its innovative and often groundbreaking contributions to film. In 1927, almost a decade after the end of the First World War,

the movie Metropolis was released in cinemas. It was produced by Univirsome Film Agé, a German movie studio founded 10 years prior. The movie's promotion was accompanied by theatrical and foreboding Art Deco posters featuring a robot standing in front of ominous skyscrapers. The film was described by critics as a German expressionist science fiction film. It was an adaptation of a Teia von Harbo novel directed by Fritz-Lung, and it was the first of many feature-length films to come in its genre.

The story follows Frida, the son of a wealthy city master, and Maria a worker. Set in the future, wealthy industrialists and business magnates reign over the city while the workers to toil to operate the machines underground. The movie was said to have been inspired

by Lang's visit to New York in 1924. The director said of his trip, the building seemed to be a vertical sail, scintillating and very light, a luxurious backdrop suspended in the dark sky to dazzle, distract, and hypnotize. The silent cinematic masterpiece was said to have contributed to Art Deco's boom in popularity across Europe and America. Even today, Metropolis is still regarded as one of the most influential films ever made, helping to shape the future of cinema. In response, the American

movie industry began to flex its muscles, releasing the jazz singer. The first feature-length movie with audio dialogue synced to the visuals. It was synced using Warner Brothers Vita Phone system, which worked by having a separate record disc with each film reel for the sound. However, the system wasn't reliable. It was replaced later with an optical variable density soundtrack that recorded sound photographically along the edge of the film. Also, in 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was formed, which is now synonymous with the Oscars. The goal of the organization

was to honor excellence and movie-making achievements. The earliest trophies were designed by Cedric Gibbons, who was the art director at MGM. The award depicted a knight standing on a reel of film gripping a crusader's sword.

It was molded in solid bronze and plated with 24-carat gold. The first ever Academy Awards took place in May 1929 in the Blossom Room of the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. Janet Gaynor won best actress for her roles in Seventh Heaven, Street Angel, and Sunrise, and the best outstanding picture went to the movie Wings. The 1930s were known as the Golden Age of Hollywood, with movies. Movies like Cleopatra, King Kong, Mr. Smith goes to Washington, and The Adventures of Robin Hood, all being released. In the latter part of the decade, Gone with the Wind, captured audiences with the sweeping storyline and big budget look.

It starred Hollywood darlings, Clark Gable, and Vivian Lee, and received 10 Academy Awards, setting records for the number of wins at the time. Lee won in the best actress category. And Hattie McDaniel, who portrayed the character of Mammy, made history as the first African-American to win an Academy Award. Although segregation laws prevented her from attending the film's premiere in Jim Crow era Atlanta, Georgia, she took home the Oscar for Best Super Bowl.

reporting actress. When adjusted for inflation, Gone with the Wind is still the highest grossing film of all time. Unadjusted, only Avatar and Avengers Endgame have surpassed it. But it was another film released in the same year by MGM Studios that changed the industry forever. The Wizard of Oz premiered in cinemas as one of the first films to be shot in three-strip Technicolor. Studios had been using Technicolor since 1924, but primarily for shorts. It was an expensive process, and many smaller studio producers used the excuse that color gave them headaches rather than part with the money needed to shoot in Technicolor. But MGM had the funds and took the leap.

The fantasy movie set in rural Kansas starred Judy Garland as the character Dorothy, alongside the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and Toto the Dog. The production of The Wizard of Oz cost $2.7 million, making it one of the most expensive pictures to date. It didn't only enhance cinema with its color, but it also had a catchy musical soundtrack. The film featured more than two dozen tracks, including the iconic songs, were off to see the wizard,

follow the yellow brick road, and over the rainbow. It has had a lasting impact on popular culture, and people of a certain age may associate it with, cozy holiday times around the television, with the TV network CBS broadcasting it during the holiday season throughout the 1950s and 60s. The Wizard of Oz went on to influence a whole new genre of musical style films such as singing in the rain, the sound of music, and West Side Story, among others. Orson Wells once said,

The cinema has no boundary. It is a ribbon of dream. And the quote certainly rings true for the Wizard of Us. Over in Europe, the year 1939 was looking very different. The Second World War had begun, and cinemas across the continent had been instructed to close their doors. It was said that the action was taken to prevent groups, from gathering outside their homes.

However, many cinemas in England chose to remain open. During the Blitz, if the air raid sirens went off during a movie screening, audiences gathered their refunds and headed straight for the air raid shelters located nearby. After the war ended, the UK had its highest cinema audiences in history. with over 31 million visits every week in 1946. People were seeking an escape from the horrors of wartime, and the cinema provided it. When television was introduced into households, the industry undertook experiments to keep people interested in going to the movies. The convenience of watching films in the home and lower costs

were beginning to entice people away from the theaters. The movie industry responded by making the screens bigger and the audio clearer. In 1952, Cinerama emerged. It was a process using three projectors and a wide, curved screen with multi-track surround sound. The aspect ratio was larger to help keep audiences fully immersed in the pictures.

This was followed in 1953 by Cinemascope and Todd A.O. was launched in 1955. These processes both used single projectors to screen movies. Cinemascope and Todd A.O. managed to squeeze the film's images onto 35-millimeter and 70-millimeter films, respectively. This meant that when projected, the pictures were expanded to fit the shape of the newer, wider screens. During the 1960s and 70s, the power over films shifted from the studios that had long held the reins to producers, giving them more creative control. iconic movies of the era like Taxi Driver, The Graduate and Easy Rider were released.

Almost overnight, directors like Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese were catapulted to stardom. The 1980s was a decade of memorable and poignant soundtracks, and often cinema goers would buy tickets just because they loved the score. films like fame and footloose. Top Gun and Dirty Dancing became popular, not only for their storylines, but also for the music that featured in them. In France, moviegoers were beginning to create films

that had stunning visuals, such as Leone, the Professional, and the Femnakeda. In Japan, anime films had been around since 1910, but it wasn't until the 1980s that their unique style went mainstream. When movies like Akira and Dragon Ball reached international audiences, it was the beginning of a global phenomenon. In the same decade, cinemas were dealt a blow thanks to the launch of VHS videos.

It was another way for audiences to enjoy the latest blockbusters, in the comfort of their own homes. In the early 1980s, cinema attendances in the UK declined to under one million people a week. It was a far cry from the heyday of the mid to late 1940s. To keep people interested in cinema, multiplexes were constructed. These were mega-cinema complexes housing restaurants, coffee shops, gaming arcades and stores. In the mid-1990s, DVDs were officially released, but cinema was back on track.

Thanks to groundbreaking technology, the new era of film came with 3D graphics, advanced CGI, special effects, and much more. Animated movies like The Lion King, Shrek, and Toy Story were a true. attracting families and younger people. Meanwhile, CGI and stunt-focused films like Titanic, The Matrix and Mission Impossible, were catering to adult audiences.

In 2009, the 3D movie Avatar made box office history. The film set on the mythical moon of Pandora in the 22nd century was a game changer for cinema. It told a story of humans mining for a valuable mineral, while upsetting the natural balance of the native people of Pandora and their planet.

It was said that writer and director James Cameron began working on the script in 1994. However, he had to wait to shoot the film, as technology required for his vision was not yet available. The movie was released in cinemas in 3D for traditional viewing in iMacs 3D formats, Dolby 3D, and even in 4D in some South Korean cinemas. Avatar premiered at the Odean in London's Leicester Square in 2009 and a week later in the U.S. It was praised for its visual effects and broke several box office records. After Gone with the Wind, it is the second highest-grossing movie of all time. In fact, Avatar was said to have inspired electronics manufacturers

to release the very first 3D televisions. As technology continued to advance, the cinema experience saw another dramatic shift. This time, with streaming service, In 2007, Netflix launched its streaming service, showcasing movies from an array of studios in one place. This was later followed by Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Disney Plus, and many more platforms. This allowed more people to stream films via subscription on their televisions, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, giving them 24-7 access to thousands of movies wherever they were in the world. Today, cinemas are struggling to compete with online streaming platforms,

constantly having to invest in higher-quality digital projection facilities to emulate the sharpness and brightness of a personal device. As screens become smaller and cinemas close around the world, we have to wonder where the digital revolution will take us next. However, there are still places where an authentic cinema experience can be found. The Dinellen Theater in New Jersey dates to 1911 and has a cinema cafe and live stage acts. The 1909 Kino Piano Pioneer Cinema in Poland is set in a historic room with a wine bar and piano downstairs. The electric cinema in London serves cocktails,

and viewers watch movies in plush armchairs lit by atmospheric lamps. And if you ever find yourself in Provence, southern France, venture to the place where it all began. The Eden Theater, the world's first purpose-built cinema. Place where the Lumiere brothers screened their first feature-length film. And simply sit back, relax, and immerse yourself in the wonder and history of cinema.