Читать книгу Magic Shadows. The Story of the Origin of Motion Pictures онлайн

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And God saw the light that it was good; and He

divided the light from the darkness.

And He called the light Day, and the darkness Night;

and there was evening and morning one day.

* * * * *

And God said: Let there be lights made in the

firmament of heaven....

And God made two great lights: a greater light to

rule the day; and a lesser light to rule the night;

and the stars.

—Book of Genesis

The moon playing upon silent waters, the sun casting deepening shadows in the woods, a twinkling campfire, starlight dancing on ruffled waters—all provided the first pageantries of light and shadow. The first eclipse of the sun seen by man was the most thrilling and terrifying light and shadow show of that era, a premiere never rivalled by Hollywood’s best.

From the beginning of the record of human aspiration men had the urge to create representations of life. Efforts were made to duplicate in permanent form the pictures reflected in still water, shadows, and birds and animals and people. And so, in a very early day man took up drawing, a variation of light and shadow portrayal. But the early drawings, and attempts for centuries thereafter, did not wholly succeed in their purpose. Life of the surrounding world could not be caught in all its wondrous detail no matter how skilled was the artist. The first picture critics pointed out that the drawings were unnatural because no action was shown and life itself was full of motion.