Vitagraph: America's First Great Motion Picture Studio

by Andrew A. Erish

In Vitagraph, Andrew A. Erish provides the first comprehensive examination and reassessment of the company most responsible for defining and popularizing the American movie. This history challenges long-accepted Hollywood mythology that simply isn't true: that Paramount and Fox invented the feature film, that Universal created the star system, and that these companies, along with MGM and Warner Bros., developed motion pictures into a multi-million-dollar business. In fact, the truth about Vitagraph is far more interesting than the myths that later moguls propagated about themselves.

Established in 1897 by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith, Vitagraph was the leading producer of motion pictures for much of the silent era. Vitagraph established America's studio system, a division of labor utilizing specialized craftspeople and artists, including a surprising number of women and minorities, whose aesthetic innovations have long been incorporated into virtually all commercial cinema. They developed fundamental aspects of the form and content of American movies, encompassing everything from framing, lighting, and performance style to emphasizing character-driven comedy and drama in stories that respected and sometimes poked fun at every demographic of Vitagraph's vast audience. The company overcame resistance to multi-reel motion pictures by establishing a national distribution network for its feature films. Vitagraph's international distribution was even more successful, cultivating a worldwide preference for American movies that endures to the present. For most of its existence America's most influential studio was headquartered in Brooklyn, New York before relocating to Hollywood.

Finally, here is a historically rigorous and thorough account of the most influential producer of American motion pictures during the silent era. Drawing on valuable primary material long overlooked by other historians, Erish introduces readers to the fascinating, forgotten pioneers of Vitagraph.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Film

289 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Kevin Brianton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew A. Erish is a historian who is not interested in the latest fashionable cinema or the trendiest director. Instead, his focus has always been detailed archive work of the origins of cinema. In doing so, he dismantles some of Hollywood’s most cherished legends. For example, his first book on Colonel William N. Selig was a riposte to those considered that D. W. Griffith or Cecil. B. DeMille had “invented” Hollywood, and he delivered detailed and grounded evidence to support his case.[1]

Erish has now produced a second book on similar terrain, and in this work, he wants to re-establish the reputation of Vitagraph, which he calls America’s first great studio. In his introduction, he argues that: “Unfortunately, if Vitagraph is mentioned at all in the histories, documentaries, and textbooks, it is usually in conjunction with its affiliation in the Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC), better known as the odious Trust. By virtue of its membership in the MPPC, Vitagraph has been mischaracterized as being the product of unimaginative, short-sighted engineers who produced a primitive form of cinema solely in the pursuit of quick profits that ceased the moment those better-known, more talented and intelligent showmen took over the industry.” Erish argues that Paramount, Fox, Universal, MGM and Warner Brothers took over the American motion picture industry from Vitagraph and history was written by the victors. Not only was Vitagraph their predecessor, but its techniques would also even predate the cinematic mastery of D. W. Griffith, and its impact was immense.

See full review

https://cinemahistoryonline.com/2021/...

[Samantha Glasser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard the author talk about this book on the Nitrateville podcast. Although I was aware of the book, I wasn't particularly interested in reading it. He changed my mind when he explained that Vitagraph was the most popular studio in the world whose output was full of quality films and big stars (John Bunny, Flora Finch, Antonio Moreno, Alice Joyce, Larry Semon, Corinne Griffith). Because the studio went defunct so long ago, it is mostly forgotten today, and many of the achievements accomplished first by Vitagraph have been claimed by others. His exploration into untrod waters is impressive. It left me feeling like I needed to see a lot more movies to fully appreciate the studio and its output. Unfortunately, many of them are lost.

This book is an impressive collection of research. Although Vitagraph's popularity reigned at one time, Adolph Zukor's efforts to take them down were successful not only in destroying the rival studio, but also in erasing much of their legacy. I hope more efforts are made to find and release these films and to restore the studio's proper place in film history.

Interesting fact: J. Stuart Blackton’s wife Paula coined the term “studio” for the space used to create movies. Prior to that (and her falling in love with French culture) it was called the “plant” or the “yard.”

[Parker Stenseth]

a very sound history of Vitagraph—a studio i knew a fair amount about through through research on its earliest comedies, Bunny, and Semon. it was wonderful to read the context that bridges these periods and learn more about the studio’s dramatic efforts. i have quite a watchlist now, although many of the early films are sadly and unsurprisingly not extant.

the book is so committed to arranging historically-documented occurrences that it is most useful as a reference for those interested in early cinema/early narrative cinema. there is nothing that engages with current, overarching discussions in film studies, but it was almost refreshing to read a historical text unburdened by contemporaneity.

would love to see a future project that more fully historicizes Semon’s filmmaking practices.

[Vultural · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erish, Andrew - Vitagraph: America's First Great Motion Picture Studio

As often noted, history is written by the victors, or simply the survivors. Per title, Vitagraph was one of the earliest US film studios. Indeed, they coined the phrase “film studio”.
This detailed book goes a long way to reestablishing Vitagraph’s importance.
Thing is, the vast history of Silent Era footage has been lost, burned, or dissolved.
Pre-1910, there are few films to look at, plus these are predominantly shorts. One or two reels.
From the beginning, Vitagraph, along with almost every other studio, was slogging it out with attorneys for Thomas Edison, who allegedly invented everything under the sun, including the air and the sun itself.
Then, there were takeover attempts as well as machinations by the Paramount mogul.
World War I damaged European rentals, as well as the Great Influenza Epidemic.
Don’t even get me going about the installment of an “efficiency expert” who chased away talent.
Most film histories and biographies end in sorrow, and Vitagraph’s story is no exception.
From Biograph to Lumière to Selig to Méliès to Griffith to Entwhistle …
An essential addition to any film fan’s bookshelf, especially Silent cinema fans.

[Shawn Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

In film history it's always hard to call anything the first. So naturally I was suspics of the veracity of Erish's subtitle dubbing Vitagraph America's First Great Motion Picture Studio. Erish, however, quickly silenced my doubts with a thoroughly researched retelling of Vitagraph's history and their contributions to early cinema.

There were a lot of people whose names I had heard before and several films I was slightly aware but I had no idea how influential Vitagraph and its owners and creators were. Erish's Vitagraph book has made me excited to dive more into this early film period to discover new and exciting figures that should be well-known today.

[KariG · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Amerikkalaisen) elokuvan ensimmäiset vuodet ovat melkoisen sumun peitossa: kuka teki mitäkin ja kuka oli ensimmäinen. Andrew A. Erishin loistava historiikki kertoo unohdetun Vitagraph-yhtiön tarinan. Kuinka se teki ensimmäiset jakeludiilinsä, kuinka se kasvoi elokuvien tuottajiksi ja miten sen viimeiset, katkeratkin vuodet vierivät ilman, että juuri mitään jäi perinnöksi jälkipolville. Se lyötiin maahan vallanhimoisten studiopäälliköiden toimesta ja sen säilyneet kokoillan elokuvat saksittiin lyhennetyiksi, kotikatsojille tarkoitetuiksi torsoiksi.

Sopivan tiivis ja loistavasti kirjoitettu teos, jota voi huoletta suositella kaikille aiheesta kiinnostuneille.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hafta say, it's not often where I read a book and my entire view of film history changes. Made my heard explode (no, not literally).