The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Life Murder Mystery from the Birth of the Movies

by Paul Fischer

Louis Le Prince invented the motion picture in 1890. He applied for, and was granted, patents in four countries. And then, a month before unveiling it to the world...he disappeared. And was never seen again.Three years later, Le Prince's invention was finally made public - by a man who claimed to have invented it himself. The man's name was Thomas Edison.This book is the story of the birth of motion pictures, restoring the father of the invention to his rightful place in history.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, True Crime, Biography, Film, Crime, Historical

416 pages, Paperback

First published April 19, 2022

About the author

Paul Fischer is the author of A Kim Jong-Il Production (2015), shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Non-Fiction Dagger and chosen as an Amazon Best of the Year Nonfiction Selection, one of Library Journal’s Top Ten Books of the Year, one of Kirkus Reviews’ Best of 2015, and one of NPR’s Best Books of the Year, and The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures (2022), a New York Times Editor’s Choice and selected as one of the Times’s Best True Crime Books of the year. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Independent, Bright Wall / Dark Room, and the Narwhal.

Reviews

[Kendra · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a hot mess. Has it been edited? It's full of hyperbole and false drama and purple prose. The author's research is frequently questionable and sometimes lacking altogether, and it's presented in a way that gimmicky and tabloidesque.

[Wendy Arbeit · Rating 2 out of 5]

So much minutiae, so much needless detail, it read like a textbook. When I switched to audio, it was as if every other line contained the words “quote…..unquote” even though the female narrator dropped her voice to indicate a man was speaking. It was distracting and in fact highlighted the impression that the book was more a research project intended for photography/camera enthusiasts rather than an interesting read geared toward the general public.

[Sugarpuss O'Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr Fischer is a screenwriter by trade, and at times his flowery language gets in the way of his storytelling. This should not dissuade you from reading this book. Yes, he gets 'technical' in describing cameras & processes, but he has to put into words what the reader cannot see; without these details, the reader would be unable to discern how utterly groundbreaking these discoveries were. (The word invented is in the title after all, so you shouldn't be surprised when an author actually discusses said inventions!) That being said. . .

This is a story about the men who took photography from a process where a subject had to be perfectly still for 20 minutes, to capturing a moving subject and projecting these 'motion pictures' for all the world to see. It was completely mind-blowing. The fact that there were many men in this pursuit should not be surprising. But the man who invented motion pictures was not Edison, as we have all been lead to believe, but a man named Louis Le Prince. This is his story. It's tragic that Mr Le Prince didn't live to see his life's work become the international success it was destined to be. (I won't give anything away, but I tend agree with Mr Fischer's conclusions.)

All in all, this is a fascinating story about how a man, without today's technology, created an entire industry completely from scratch. You'll never look at motion pictures (or Edison) the same way again.

[Gayle (OutsmartYourShelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The intriguing story of Louis Le Prince who spent the final years of the 1880s working on a way to capture & show moving images. Le Prince wanted to be able to capture momentous events on film for future generations but not just in still images (photographs). After several years of being parted from his family (who were living in New York) whilst he toiled in England, Le Prince was finally ready to unveil his invention but first took a trip to see his brother & family back in France. Following the visit, Le Prince boarded the train from Dijon to Paris & was never seen again. As he was reported as missing & no body was ever found, his family could not take over his patents for 7 years & had to sit & watch others claim the prize for themselves. Edison himself debuted his invention only a few months after Le Prince's disappearance, & Le Prince's family began to wonder if something nefarious had befallen their relative.

I must admit I'd not heard of Louis Le Prince at all before seeing this book but, like most people, I love a good real life mystery. The author obviously did lots of research on the subject, & sometimes it can get a little bogged down in the details, but it was mostly a fascinating read. The only issue I have is that the narrative spends 90% of its time positioning itself to ask whether Edison was involved - only to pivot at the last minute & offer up another suspect (one that I suspected myself to be honest). It's a shame that we will never know the truth of what happened.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the life, the accomplishments and the mysterious disappearance of Louis Le Prince in 1890, Paul Fischer has written a book to bring the invention of moving pictures into better focus. If you thought Edison invented moving pictures, think again. Even if you have little or no knowledge of photography, this will inform you in an easy to understand form. More than the mystery of what became of Le Prince, it's his life story and a glimpse of a pivotal time in history.
Le Prince was a genius and by 1888 he had numerous international patents for his motion picture. Well before Edison. When Le Prince vanished after boarding a train in Dijon, the stage was set for Edison to claim the prize, to rewrite motion picture history. Despite those patents, they couldn't be defended until one of two events happened - that his body be found or, after seven years when he would be declared legally dead. Using that delay to his advantage, Edison moved to become THE inventor of motion pictures. It makes for an enthralling history lesson.
My thanks to the publisher Simon Schuster and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Meanderer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book contains many quotes from original sources. One hardly notices this in the book:

However a sentence like the following:

The "audiobook" clearly marks each and every "quote" and "unquote".

Would be read in the audiobook as follows:

The quote audiobook unquote clearly marks each and every quote quote unquote and quote unquote unquote.

It's unrelenting and distracting and so very irritating.

This is only time in all the hundreds of audiobooks I've listened to where I would recommend that readers read the book, rather than listen to the audiobook. This is the worst reading performance I have ever listened to. It's a shame because it's really a story which lends itself to being read aloud.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was just too much technical stuff about camera lenses and the like which I skimmed over to be sure but still detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Plus I think it was overhyped. Here was no surprising solution to who killed LePrince, if he was even killed(kind of like Capone’s vault). But there was still some interesting social history surrounding the invention of the motion picture to warrant three stars.

[Rachel Pollock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at an inventor who mysteriously disappeared on the cusp of his success.

Recommend to fans of Eric Larson.

[Delaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 - super interesting but the “quote/unquotes” in the audiobook were truly diabolical

[Chaz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gave up about halfway through. The book gets really bogged down in minutia about patent applications/denials, mechanical details details about the early cameras, and other details that just kinda killed all the early momentum of the book. Kinda disappointing as it sounds like igt could be a really interesting story.

[Alice Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall Review:

While I wouldn't call this one page turning because it's just not a word that seems to really fit nonfiction works, this book is definitely worth a read! Fischer's writing style is great for explaining the ins and outs of photography through to the creation of the first film camera. He has just enough creative flair that The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures reads a little more like a novel than research, and he never says he's not going to portray Thomas Edison as he (and many others) sees him. This book was interesting and taught me so many things!


Plot and Setting:

The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures is a nonfiction work, so we will talk about tone and how the book flows once again. Fischer's set up makes sense. Going into the work, I already knew about Le Prince's mysterious disappearance from a Paris train and the idea that Edison might have been behind it. However, even if this were news to the reader, it creates an expectation and anticipation for the series of events that follow in the book, but that happened before. From there, we start to learn about events chronologically. The whole work flows beautifully, research and direct quotes from letters and other correspondence are integrated seamlessly: it might actually be nonfiction perfection.

Fischer also made it easy to follow setting by pinpointing where each location would have been or still is. If I had a map, I would definitely be able to find everywhere he mentioned. Descriptions of settings were just as clear.


Writing and Themes:

Fischer doesn't mince words, but he also doesn't use any more than he needs. It wasn't difficult to understand even the most technical of his camera, film, and projector explanations. The whole book was pretty easy to read, especially for nonfiction. Although it was obvious he wasn't Edison's biggest fan, he still talked about him with respect, and Fischer didn't allude to anything he didn't plan on talking through. The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures was involving and surprising. And when the summary promised "never before seen" information, Fischer delivered. The ending still has me reeling from its flawless delivery and the shift from the common dialogue discussed throughout the book.

[Emily Koelzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!! It took me longer to read than I expected because it sent me down so many internet rabbit holes. Fischer did an amazing job of presenting Louis Le Prince as a hardworking hero. It's nearly impossible not to root for him and his family which makes the end of his story all the more tragic. What happened to Louis Le Prince is such a perplexing mystery but I think Fischer has a great and plausible theory. I found myself very emotionally invested in this book and can't stop sharing the fun facts I learned. This book can be very technical at times and literally my only issue with this book is that I wished they included more diagrams to show how some of the early cameras worked because it was a little difficult for me to visualize. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in movies and the history of invention.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Betha Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

The timeline of this book was very hard to follow. It was constantly jumping around. Also, it could have been equally as thorough, but much more enjoyable if about 50% of the content was edited out.

I did enjoy some of the side stories, but they made this even longer! I just wanted it to be finished

[Edward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edison really managed to claim that he invented motion pictures, and the truth of the matter is, that he didn't. This was an eye opening look at the beginning of motion pictures. Technical? Sure. Interesting? Definitely.

[Gwen - Chew & Digest Books - · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come

[Alec · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t care so much about the minutiae of the inventions, but the book was still a fun little read.

[Pat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could not finish. I would normally devour a book of this type. Ruined by thousands of quote-unquotes.

[Chas Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the film history course you didn’t know you needed. If you are interested in cinema, photography, and/or their marriage, you should look into this one. Louis Le Prince was a French artist working with cameras in order to create the concept of cinematography as well as motion picture projection (from the same camera, nonetheless). After Le Prince goes missing while traveling to New York for an exhibition. Within months inventor Thomas Edison unveils his Kinetoscope that appears suspiciously like what Le Prince had created. Did Edison have Le Prince killed? The book debunks this theory while taking the reader through the life of Le Prince from childhood to times of war and after – wife, kids, and his tireless work on creating not just a device to capture real-life, but to project it back to be seen again. While parts are dry and incredibly technical the overall narrative brings to the front the race to take pictures from the “magic lantern” to glass slides and nickelodeons to celluloid and full-fledged films. The author tries debunking the “Edison theory” and posits a different one involving Le Prince’s own brother. Read it for the mystery, stay for the history. Heavily recommended for photographers and those in the film biz.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title says it all - this is a tale of talent, obsession and where that obsession leads to and how the man at the heart of it all didn't live to see just where his obsession led to. Filled with intrigue, accusations of thievery [looking at you Thomas Edison here - this is pretty eye opening and thought-provoking and to be honest, not all that surprising], and of course movie making [including all the tech stuff that, to be honest, made my eyes glaze over]. It was an intriguing read [though to be honest, it wasn't one I was looking forward to each day - once I started listening, it was good, but getting there was never something I wanted to do].

Overall, this was a decent read - if you love movies and do not have an issue with an overwhelming amount of tech, this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, Paul Fischer, and Simon and Schuster for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The era of inventiveness in the late 19th century is brought to stunning detail and life here in this account of the competition to create the first motion picture.

While Fischer infuses intrigue and interest into the tale with colorful language and details of inventors racing against the clock, he is often lost in periods of technicality and references to larger research and works. If the middle kept the pacing of the beginning and end, I’d rate this higher, but it simply loses most of its steam as we check in on different inventors’ struggles and are lectured on the different failed methods and science that confused the brightest minds of the day.

Overall, the story sheds light on a conflict sometimes lost to time and when Fischer finds himself in sections of pure prose he performs superbly.

[Graham Connors · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars*

For a fan of cinema such as I, this was a very interesting read. I knew nothing of Louis Le Prince, so this had me curious from the first page. I think it loses its way in places, moving between straight to bio and then into true crime and back again. I thought, on more than one occasion, that this story would make a fantastic podcast series, which is not to slight the book in any way at all.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. For fans of film, this would be an excellent read, but it might not have enough if you are coming from it as a mystery/true crime fan.

[Tracy Hollander · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really interesting. I did struggle with it a bit, as I usually do with nonfiction, but I did feel like there was a fair amount of unnecessary information given that didn’t have any value (like street names in France and where something was located in relation to something else and that sort of thing) that if left out would have made it an easier read - at least for me.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The man who probably invented the Nickelodeon which Edison took credit for, disappears on a trip back to the USA probably boarding a train to Paris. His family desperately tries to find him while Edison rolls out his new machine. The history of motion pictures has a missing person’s case at its beginning.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

With apologies to G B Shaw’s golf put-down: A fascinating story ruined. It’s morbidly obese. The author may have had accomplices in his editor and audiobook reader. Pages of digressions, flashforwards, flashbacks, lengthy passages on historical events (which sound like footnotes) with little ties to the story plus the corollary of historical background which might have been instructive to reader lacking. Names, places, etc. take notes. Very confusing. To top it off, the reader Of course, this incident occurred during a raucous social soirée. builds up drama and upon coming to the big reveal drops her voice! I had to replay a passage three times. (Of course, this incident occurred during a raucous social soirée.) Perhaps pages/time could have been saved by eliminating the “quote he said”, “close quote”, “quote”, she whispered ”, “close quote”…. How this book made “The NYT” Sunday book tab would possibly make another interesting mystery.

[Tish · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you don't have a good heaping of primary documents, then maybe you should just write historical fiction.

[Jessica Partlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

More 3.5 stars. Some chapters I could have done without the information. Example, the info regarding the artist Lizzie Le Prince studied under in France. Just added pages. The history of photography was interesting, along with the slimy tactics of Edison with his patent caveats. I figured out the final theory on his death and wondered how the family didn’t question this as a possibility, but maybe it was just unimaginable to them at the time? Regardless, happy I read it.

[Gary Aubry · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing read and an incredible story. Actually, much more than just a story. It is history with the players too often long forgotten. This should be made into a movie so the world will know the contribution Louis Le Prince made and how it changed the world.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great narrative non-fiction story of motion picture’s earliest inventor and the mystery of his disappearance and eventual obscurity, despite claims he created the first working movie camera. Yes there’s a lot of technical copy, but it didn’t distract too much. And some fun tangents here and there (like the story of the Jamel House) kept it interesting to me. Aside from enlightening me on the early pioneers of cinema, I also came away with a greater sense of what a jerk Thomas Edison really was. A solid good read.

[AnnieM · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of film and film history so was very intrigued by this book - particularly because I had never hear of Louis Le Prince -- but it's not surprising because growing up in America we were led to believe that Thomas Edison was the inventor of motion pictures. Edison certainly played a role including in the commercialization and implementation of motion pictures and early theaters but was not the original inventor. I first became aware of an alternative narrative when I visited the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris and the tour guide pointedly said it was the Lumiere Brothers not Edison who invented motion pictures -- at the time I wrote it off to nationalistic pride but now reading this book I learning there were many inventors (French and American and probably others) who played a crucial role in this innovation. The arc of the narrative is around the mystery of the disappearance of Louis Le Prince and possible suspects and motives revealed along the way. This book was so beautifully written, detailed, and meticulously researched that I was drawn into all of the inventors and the Le Prince family. We learn about other players such as Daguerre and Muybridge along the way too to understand all of the creative work and innovation that ultimately influenced motion picture. In the end, we see the toll and collateral damage that the disappearance of Le Prince takes on the family and I very much cared about these people. Le Prince was clearly a perfectionist and had to battle getting patents and other inventors who go "first to market." with the idea. But Le Prince had a vision -- that motion pictures will connect people to the world, to educate and to communicate human experiences and true feelings to create empathy. I could not say it anymore beautifully than that. I highly recommend this book.

[Kasia Hubbard · Rating 4 out of 5]

To find out that Thomas Edison was such a thief of other's ideas, who would have ever thought of it? I really appreciate the way the author went into detail of all the ins and outs of the photography business and it's components, chemicals, the process in general, because the details actually mattered. Not only for the patents and lawsuits that inevitably came up during the inventive years as well as later years, but also in giving credit where credit was due, to those who were the actual inventors and knew their instruments well. I mean, to get the name of the invention wrong kind of points out that it might not actually be your brain child. Le Prince's story comes to life, the human aspect of his relationship with his wife and kids to the creative process of tinkering with his invention through the various phases as he was determined to bring his vison to life. It's the stories like these that get lost in time until someone brings them out of the darkness. Thank you Paul Fischer for doing just that. Le Prince's story has been well documented and I believe his family would be appreciative of getting the truth told.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*